Stillwater

Bottom bouncers will keep your leader line away from your main line to the rod because the drift speed or trolling speed keeps the harness or stick out straight behind the weight. Just be sure to let out the line from your reel in a controlled drop. Dropping too fast could cause your harness to spiral around your main line. Most bouncers have a wire leg that keeps the leader several inches away from the main line as well. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Lake Erie United Mobile App

No Chad, it has been to rough for my boat. Hope to get out once more if possible. Thursday looks good but I can't due to other commitments. Hoping the eyes are still located off SP, Catt and Dunkirk areas.

Pequod1, I think I may have seen you at the Sturgeon launch on Tuesday when you were taking out. We were just launching at that point. Today would be much better fishing day. Oh well. Good luck the rest of the season!

What are you fishing from Pequod1? I have a 20.5 foot bayliner Capri open bow. It was about all it could handle semi comfortably. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Lake Erie United Mobile App

Well I was back out yesterday 9/18 out of Sturgeon Point. Checked all of the usual forecast sites before making the trek from Rochester. Consensus from my homework was that it was going to be 2 feet waves or less and 5 to 15 mph or less. Wind was out of SW when we got going at 11:30 am. Turned out to be quite a bumpy trip to say the least. Waves were at least 4 feet by 3:30 pm and no sign of slowing down. Made last drift and headed back in to Terra Firma (firm ground!!). Ended up with 8 walleye from 16 to 20 inches. Fished in 55 to 65 fow to the west. Decent numbers still there. Hope the front coming this Friday and Saturday does not scatter them or send them west to Ohio?

Nice job. Rgreen78. Glad to see they are still around in numbers. I think he meant Dipseys P dog.

Yes, I am drifting in the direction the wind is blowing me. Not sure if you have any "bottom bouncers" but they are simple weights designed to get your offering down near the bottom. The lead is usually molded on a wire that enables you to attach you line above the weight and then attach your offering to the short wire arm that comes off of it. Google "bottom bouncing for walleye" or youtube it and you will see some good examples. You can run stick baits or worm harnesses off of a bottom bouncer. I find the best fishing is when the wind is around 10 mph for my boat. This keeps the blade on my harness turning. I like to lift the rod high and lower it to give the walleye a change is speed and moving target to chase. I attach the harness leader directly to the bottom bouncer snap swivel. They sell them in a variety of weights. For 65 to 70 ft of water I like 1.5 or 2 oz. in light wind and 3 oz. when it is blowing like yesterday afternoon. Let it drop all the way to the bottom until your line goes slack so you know it is on bottom. I then bring it up to the level the fish seem to like. Usually 3 to 5 feet above bottom seems to work well. Experiment with it. It is a fun way to catch walleye (my boat is not set up for serious fishing with down riggers, multiple rod holders, etc. this is why I use this approach most of the time. I do have 2 rod holders and will occasionally run 2 dipsy divers when the lake is to calm to drift.). I prefer to interact with the biting fish and the fight is good on light spinning gear.

Back out yesterday (Friday 9/7) same area north west of SP. Started fishing around 1 PM. Slower but steady with fewer marks than Tuesday. Picked up our limit on harnesses and bottom bouncers again. 18 to 21 inch size range again. Wind picked up considerably around 4 pm making it a little interesting catching our last 3 fish and the ride back in to the marina. Had to go to a heavier bouncer to stay on fish in higher winds and waves. Looks like high wind and waves over next few days. Hope the fish do not move?

Fished yesterday out of SP. Headed NW to 65 ft as a starting point. Lines in water by 12:15 pm. Had out 2 man limit by 3:15 by rod in hand harness fishing. Fish ranged in size from 17 to 21 inches. Another great day. Added bonus was about 8 nice yellow perch. Walleye bite was simply outstanding!

Fished NW out of Sturgeon Point today in 58 to 72 fow. Hand roding it with spinning gear and bottom bouncers produced our 2 man limit. Size ranged from 15.5 to 21 inches. Fishing was better after the rollers calmed down. Some large sheep head mixed in. Great day to be out.

Fished Thursday (8/2) west of SP in 69 to 74 fow. Drifted with hand rod bottom bouncers to start until wind slowed. Picked up 2 on bouncers with harnesses. Then switched over to dipseys. Only 2 rods and picked up 6 more trolling back east toward SP. All on harnesses. Ran one stick for a while and it never got touched. Fun night on the water and nice sunset. All fish between 15.5 inches and 18.5 inches. Caught them down deep setting #3 with 185 to 195 ft of line out. Did see marks in the water column and plenty of bait as well. One of the eyes was regurgitating nice size slender minnows (smelt?).

We're you marking fish and putting it in their zone? Did you change bait and speed?

Beautiful fish Great Escape! Thanks for sharing.

What is a vibie? Is it a Sonar or Blade bait with a rattle in it? Thanks. Do you use any bucktail hair jigs. I use them on Oneida and St. Lawrence River. They would probably work well on deeper Chaut. fish?

Good tips Mr 580... you must know that lake like the back of your hand. Do you ever target deeper water during the day or mainly the weed edges like you described? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Lake Erie United Mobile App