Jimdski

Professional water engineers stated that Sturgeon Point Marina is a "Sand Trap" and never should be built there due to annual maintenance dredging. A newer marina and boat ramps is a better investment.

Route 98 south of Arcade.

Crystal Lake south of Sandusky near the Scout camp had several groups on the ice the past couple days. Not ready in my car so I kept on traveling.

Slush ice has formed along the south shoreline of Lake Erie so boating is done till spring thaw comes.

WALLEYES are available now. In the Niagara River casting Rapala stickbaits. In the open lake with side planers and weighted 2 ounce snap sinkers or lead core trolling the regular stickbaits and worm harnesses. Also western shallow water snap jigs on the bottom while drifting jigs and small Rapala bottom jigs or feather jigs. The lower Niagara river is yielding Rainbow and Brown trout off shore reaches with spinners, egg sacs and emeralds. View Western Charter Boat video methods to pick up how they fish the shallow waters there in the winter and spring fishing.

With 44F. degree surface water temperature now, good perch catches are reported in near 55 foot depths now. Our usual problem is finding a good boat launch ramp. As far as ice fishing on Lake Erie this year do not be ready now.

Sturgeon Point Marina is a sand trap requiring expensive annual dredging. Compare it to the Crystal Beach Marina across the lake in Ontario. Plenty of parking with quick and easy launching.

As the Lake Erie surface waters temperatures increase, the better fishing moves to the west and deeper waters. By the Fourth of July, the better fishing moves west of Sturgeon Point. Trailer boaters pay to the state sales taxes, registration fees, fuel taxes and assorted sport fishing sales taxes. Yet our elected officials are ignorant of our needs and use the revenues generated by trailer boaters and others without a good response to our needs all along the lakeshore. There is no one best site for the year and we need establish more sites, not just dump money in the same old established sites.

Irving, NY, East of the Cattaraugus Creek.

Congratulations to Mark Mohr for returning honesty to money fishing contests. Whenever there is money involved, WATCH OUT!

YOUR BOTTOM HOOK LAYING IN THE MUD WILL CATCH THE MOST PERCH. APPARENTLY THEY IS LESS ENERGY USED TO PICK UP THEIR MEAL.

Perch are school fish and if you see a boat catching perch fish near him. Set your anchor to not foul him but down from him, Set your three lines with from three to five snelled hooks baited with Lake Erie minnows With the odor and numbers below your boat a whole school of perch will hold there till the bait disappears. The bottom currents will bring the school to your boat. Three anglers set up three rods and you will have a school of perch there. This was the the ticket to catch "blue Pike" years ago. It works with Atlantic and Pacific head boats for halibut and haddock. Perch will remain as long as plenty of bait is below your boat. 55 foot of water in March is well but when the surface water reaches 70+ degrees then 65 foot is better for perch. There are "dead oxygen" zones out deep there with rotting plankton and biologics . Always ice your catch in the summer, not in the warm water of an alleged live well. They will be good for a year then with clear eyes and bright red gills.

When the young kid college oceanographer talked about the futility of operations of The Sturgeon Point Marina "Old Timers" who seem to run this ship for years ignored him. We need new access points liks Woodlawn Beach State Park, Evangola State Park and Buffalo Beach Park that are more accessible to City Residents. the grid locked small boat ramps that are to far for late and mid summer fishing grounds in the colder deep waters we have in mid summer. The Gloria Mae fish tug pulled his nets from here on the Fourth of July and spent the rest of the summer off Dunkirk and farther west west. That is where the action is after the fourth of July.

The bottom water temperature under the is ice is 38 degrees and a lot of walleyes are caught there.

I am now 80 years old and fished blue pike with my DAD 70 years ago. Over the years and attended hundreds of fishermen meetings on fishing access places on LAKE ERIE and recall a meeting years ago on the Sturgeon Point Marina access site. A fellow stood up and identified himself as an oceanographer. That is the study of water currents, tides and shoreline storm laden waters. He identified the Sturgeon Point site as a storm water disaster site and said the point on the lake is the worst place to put a marina. Of course all the "Old TImers" ignored him and today we have to deal with the mess we have there. FiXING THE BREAKWALL IS A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY. The sand and storms will return resulting in dredging costs and breakwater repairs will return. The money spent will be better invested in a new Marina in other sites.