Lake Erie Walleye Fishing Report Compliments Coe Vanna Charters
June 1- 2012
Lake Erie Fishing Report Ohio and Canadian waters
Their are a lot of walleye around this year – not a over abundance but healthy numbers. Given descent fishing conditions respectable box’s to limit catches has been our normal for us and also for the skippers that we work with on the lake. The spread of the schools and the year classes of the fish are where they should be. Larger walleye are being taken near West Reef, Kelly’s Shoal, Gull, Hen and Chicks, Chickenollie, King George, and the Wheel. On our end of the lake west of the Islands their are a good number of walleye in the flats from West Sister to Middle Sister – the Gravel Pits and the near shore reefs for those who know how and when to rock pick. The walleye in the flats – Ohio waters – and to the east in Canadian waters and Ohio waters are mainly 3 and 4 year olds. Most of the big heads are east of the Islands and in Canadian waters. The younger fish which is our bread and butter in the western basin are showing up in good numbers and they to are where they should be. Near the Cans A to D can especially near the out side shelf breaks of the near shore reefs and with in a mile or two of the outside shelf breaks – 26 to 30 feet of water.
It’s just nice to see normal patterns and seasonal migration patters for a change.
Especially after the unusually warm winter.
It’s the size of the schools of walleye that tell me we have a good number of fish. It is not just a small isolated area that is producing for a few veteran anglers. The areas where the older fish should be they are and the younger ones also. A lot of the younger two year olds are measuring 15 inches now- they are growing early – usually Lake Erie walleye put on a growth spurt in August. So there is plenty of forage out there.
Last we had a good hatch last year which gives us a good number of one year olds coming up behind a fair number of two and three year olds. Lake Erie has a healthy number of catch able walleye for this summer and fall as well as the next several years to come. I expect a good June July summer bite as well as a good fall bite judging the weather patterns – water temperatures and numbers of catch able walleye.
Drift fishing the flats yesterday bottom bouncers 2 to 4 cranks up and working the swing with a 3/4 on a 8 to ten count worked for us.
The annual May fly hatch has started. May fly hatches start in the near shore waters and work there way out from there. My normal strategy is fish the off shore waters while the main hatch is occurring in the near shore waters and vise versa. Some times it is better to fish areas holding fewer fish that are hungry.
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