J. Sparrow

I did make the trip to Lake Erie , but fished out of the Catt yesterday and struggled...... tried from just slightly west of the creek to just the other side of Evangola from 45 to 65 fow..... probably made a dozen different stops. Never really marked alot of fish and when I did, I wasn't catching them. No emeralds at Miller's, but they had goldens.....beautiful day. flat lake...... lots of Eastbound current, probably .5 mph.

Thank You Wojo....... Might make the trip from Rochester tomorrow. Anyone have advice for perch?

Is the SP launch open yet?

I've caught perch between Dunkirk and the Catt in the fall ..... nobody else around. I'm sure you could find some out of Dunkirk this time of year too. It might be hard to locate them, but you'd probably have them to yourself.

Report post Posted Friday at 06:34 PM It's simple..... don't visit.

Looks like the ice is gone! With a forecast of less than a foot for Saturday and Sunday, and temperatures approaching "normal", it looks pretty inviting.

Another great facility is Walnut Creek, just west of Erie Pa. 6 ramps, parking for well over 100 trailers....... It's been years since I launched there, but at that time there was no fee to launch...........

Jigstick,..... What transducer are you running with the 94SV? Are you finding the SV helpful? (Sorry for the thread distraction) I just picked up a 93SV with a GT52HW but don't have any hours spent with it yet.

Loony, You're a lucky man to live where you do, and lucky to be retired...... enjoy the good life! You've earned it. Unfortunately, I trailer at least 2 hours to fish Erie, and I'm still contributing to SS. So weekends are the usual option for me. What I see at the ramps is typically weather and time dependent. The nicer the weather, and the closer to prime time for pleasure boaters, the more chaotic the launch / load / park situation becomes. I'm usually launching before sunrise, and loading at prime time, and getting back on the trailer is the least "fun" part of the day . I think more access would be welcomed by 90% of the boating population, sunworshipers and fishermen alike.

Looney. I'm thinking you fish weekdays.

I don't seem to notice it, but tightening down on the rod and quickly setting the hook can't hurt. Along with stickey sharp hooks. To me, the benefits of the light release far outweigh any concerns with poor hook ups.

The "in-cable" style have a wire through the release, with a closed loop on top and a locking snap on the bottom. The "stacker" style attaches to the cable through a couple of tabs with a friction lock.....http://dev.downriggerrelease.com/ They are best adjusted on the water. There are 2 different release mechanisms. When fishing for walleyes, I set the "fish release" slightly "tighter" than what it takes to release on the lure being towed, and set the manual trip release to whatever your preference is for the rods being used. They are excellent. I can't say enough good things about them. If they're adjusted properly you won't be pulling silver bass or perch around unknowingly.

https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/anim.php?lake=e&param=icecon&type=n Lake Erie Ice Cover - She looks pretty locked up! Hopefully, it'll lead to another good year for good spawning conditions and fry survival! I think the "downside" to this will be additional predation pressure on the perch fishery..... https://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/modis.php?region=e&page=1&template=sub&image=a1.18038.1818.LakeErie.143.250m.jpg

Attended Joe Fonzi's seminar on Friday night, and thoroughly enjoyed it......... good guy, good fisherman, and good presenter. I've got a feeling that his wife keeps him in line though..............

Last trip was on I-Bay a little over 2 weeks ago...... kept 30.