Jimdski

Alaska Gear has resumed its Arctic Boots which the US Army issued. These are the white bots.

Ice fishing on a few inland lakes started but this thaw as made wet ice walking extremely dangerous.

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.

Snap weights of 2 ounce lead sinkers result in quicker retrieval of long lead core lines that waste your fishing time.

2 minutes ago, Jimdski said:

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. New York State Walleye regulations in the spring to protect walleye spawning will drive you to Ohio and Pennsylvania waters.

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.

The City Ship Canal and the Union Ship Canal Areas are now unused by Commercial Freighters and are easily converted to small boat, sail boat marinas. Small boat docks are loaded , boat launch ramps are grid locked on weekends and holidays. The City Ship Canal has lift bridge absence and high masted sailboats and larger sized boats have easy access to Lake Erie and the Niagara River Canadian boaters could be served with open docks here. Out of area boaters and fishing boats will be handled easier and increase tourism. No political leaders speak out except when an area like Sturgeon Point Marina is unavailable as usual. Boaters pay tremendous amounts of income to be here with registration fees, sales taxes, ramp access sites, and they will save travel time to access Lake Erie at round trip travel time.

The Emerald Shiner spawning season ends when the local water temperatures reach above 42 degrees Usually this is after March 17. They then move out to open lake waters.

2 hours ago, seasculpin said:

NGL I have heard about using Coleman lanterns to attract minnows, but doing so to catch Blue Pike in cooler waters is fascinating!

Battery operated quartz lites on the side of your boat at night will attract minnows to your boat.

Kalitta Airlines was formed when "747" air freighters were transporting the smelt to Asian nations for food for the people living there. Containers loaded with ice and smelt were loaded from deck cranes and fork lift trucks to expedite the delivery of fresh fish.

Coleman lanterns were used to attract minnows around our boat to catch "Blue Pike" in 55 degree waters in mid June. the blue pike disappeared with the smelt that dominated the lake until Canadian Trawlers cut down the smelt numbers  to allow the return of walleye and bass. The Blue Pike were listed as exterminated after the late 1050's

Minnows feed on plankton which moves to desired water temperatures. When Lake Erie surface water temperatures rise they move to desired water temperatures suspended below the surface.. The schools are spread out over the open lake waters.

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.

Smaller walleyes and perch are the better desired size for restaurant sales. Servings of filets hanging over the ends of  serving platters are a waste of fish to owners of restaurants. Choose taking of smaller walleyes and perch as a better use of our resource  instead of cooncentrating on larger or heavier sized fish. Ontario commercial fishermen target 8 to 10 inch perch for harvest since the smaller filets are best processed for public sales. Wake up and get the braggered sized fish out of your catch.

kitchen, patio deck, storage sheds. 716 331 9836, Jim. Good fishing, entertainment, golf nearby, friendly neighbors.

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.