Lake Erie Eyes Last Weekend

[fitnessman]

Me and my best bro. Pulled 4 limits in 32 FOW. Bite was on Monkey Puke color Mayfly Rigs with a 3/4-15 count.

[Budweiser]

Nice work Fitness! Looks like you had a great time, I'm hoping to follow your example this weekend and slay the eyes myself.

[TheBigMastodon]

Good catch. I've been dying to do some Great Lakes fishing. Maybe Ill get a chance this summer.

[max lift]

Nice definitely make up for all those not so good days of fishing (I know any day fishing is a good one)

[XrD11]

good catch man, where do you live by lake erie, i live by there as well

[fitnessman]

good catch man, where do you live by lake erie, i live by there as well


I live about 1 1/2 South, but fish East to West..Where ever the bite is good :)

[XrD11]

I live about 1 1/2 South, but fish East to West..Where ever the bite is good :)


cool, i live about 45 min south, but havent really fished in lake erie b/c i have no boat or anything

[fitnessman]

cool, i live about 45 min south, but havent really fished in lake erie b/c i have no boat or anything


Plenty of awesome break wall fishing to be done. SmallMouth, Perch, White Bass can be taken well this time of year.

The Steelhead run is right around the corner!

[Points]

Damn, great fishing.

[Kovalchuk]

Nice pics...

Really makes it obvious why they call them walleye!!

I know those are all good eating size but you catch any GIANTS?

[fitnessman]

Nice pics...

Really makes it obvious why they call them walleye!!

I know those are all good eating size but you catch any GIANTS?


We were targeting eaters. The best eating are 15-22"

I am Gaint hunting 7/22...Looking for that 30"er :) May only get a few fish, but the ones we get will be huge.

Most often larger Walleye do not hang around with the youngsters.

[fitnessman]

Lake Erie Eyes Last... 07-05-2006 04:49 PM Cr4zy in da Club I'm a sportsman myself and I do not agree with keeping so many fish. Here in Miami overfishing has made fishing from shore horrible.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I was neg repped by this person. He judged me without asking any questions. So here are the facts:

1. We had two other Non skilled anglers on the boat.

2. They wanted fish for the table.

3. We were within the limits for Ohio.

4. Larger fish were released.

5. We released over 40 Walleye.

6. Selective harvest was used.



Idiots!!!!


Debate me! You can't! because you have no grounds. Ohio isn't Ocean fishing and if it's that bad? Get a boat!

You call yourself a Sportsman? HA!

[Epihall]

Lake Erie Eyes Last... 07-05-2006 04:49 PM Cr4zy in da Club I'm a sportsman myself and I do not agree with keeping so many fish. Here in Miami overfishing has made fishing from shore horrible.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I was neg repped by this person. He judged me without asking any questions. So here are the facts:

1. We had two other Non skilled anglers on the boat.

2. They wanted fish for the table.

3. We were within the limits for Ohio.

4. Larger fish were released.

5. We released over 40 Walleye.

6. Selective harvest was used.



Idiots!!!!


Debate me! You can't! because you have no grounds. Ohio isn't Ocean fishing and if it's that bad? Get a boat!

You call yourself a Sportsman? HA!

Damn, he put a huge dent in your rep power too, you're probably going to be in the red soon :D

[Cr4zy in da Club]

so overfishing isnt a problem in a lake?

[fitnessman]

so overfishing isnt a problem in a lake?


Lake quota's are strictly set by the ODNR. Limits are strictly enforced.

Walleye are a stocked resource in the great lake of Erie. The spawns classes were above average in 2002 and 2003. The fish shown in the pic were from the 2003 spawn class.

1. Know your natural resource.

2. Selective harvest.

[SocrBalls84]

Good fishin bro ... but Lake Erie, be careful. I still contend that living in Toledo for 18 years and all the "wave running" out on that lake did somethin' to me ... (professors don't buy it though).

[Kovalchuk]

I have never really understood the whole Walleye cheek obsession...

Did you guys go through the hassle of removing all the cheeks on those fish and eating them seperately? Supposedly its the tastiest part, just wondering if you are a fan as well?

[fitnessman]

I have never really understood the whole Walleye cheek obsession...

Did you guys go through the hassle of removing all the cheeks on those fish and eating them seperately? Supposedly its the tastiest part, just wondering if you are a fan as well?

Yes, they are quite good. Only takes a second to remove them. :)

[Nainoa]

Lake Erie Eyes Last... 07-05-2006 04:49 PM Cr4zy in da Club I'm a sportsman myself and I do not agree with keeping so many fish. Here in Miami overfishing has made fishing from shore horrible.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I was neg repped by this person. He judged me without asking any questions. So here are the facts:

1. We had two other Non skilled anglers on the boat.

2. They wanted fish for the table.

3. We were within the limits for Ohio.

4. Larger fish were released.

5. We released over 40 Walleye.

6. Selective harvest was used.



Idiots!!!!


Debate me! You can't! because you have no grounds. Ohio isn't Ocean fishing and if it's that bad? Get a boat!

You call yourself a Sportsman? HA!

WTF?

This kid's High School teachers need to be taken out and shot for wasting my tax dollars for attempting to educate his dumb ass!


****

1. Those Walleye are a perfect example of selective harvest meant to preserve a fishery... They're great eating and it leaves the Big breeders to stay in the reproductive chain. It's actually the system that works best for creating a strong and healthy population.

2. The other fish at the foot of the picture on some damn nice Jumbo perch...
A Thousand men could fish for a thousand years on a lake the size of Erie and not destroy a perch population... The only thing more populace than perch in lakes are goddam minnows. (There are some minnesota lakes where there are more perch than minnows...)

3. FM has a family of 6 (As I understand it...) Not to mention his partner in the photo... And what we're seeing there is probably enough to feed 5... (Give or take, depends on the number of 200+ pound males there are at the table.)

[makinyouscream]

If you guys live out by lake erie, are you plannin on going out to pottahawk today? If you know where pottahawk is

[fitnessman]

Thanks Nainoa, comments like that really get under my skin. I C&R 90% of what I catch. Some people just don't get it, unless they are true sportsmen.


Makin, I do not know where that is...Around Lorain?

[Red Echo]

Me and my best bro. Pulled 4 limits in 32 FOW. Bite was on Monkey Puke color Mayfly Rigs with a 3/4-15 count.


Excellent dude, i wish i could get into fishing since i live in New Zealand and there are a LOT of beautiful places here to fish, but sadly i dont have the money, well anyway good job, how long have you been fishing?

[fitnessman]

Excellent dude, i wish i could get into fishing since i live in New Zealand and there are a LOT of beautiful places here to fish, but sadly i dont have the money, well anyway good job, how long have you been fishing?


My Father has black and white photo's of me in diapers with a fishing rod in my hand at the lake...That was around 1965 :eek:

[GREENFEATHER]

Lake Erie Eyes Last... 07-05-2006 04:49 PM Cr4zy in da Club I'm a sportsman myself and I do not agree with keeping so many fish. Here in Miami overfishing has made fishing from shore horrible.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I was neg repped by this person. He judged me without asking any questions. So here are the facts:

1. We had two other Non skilled anglers on the boat.

2. They wanted fish for the table.

3. We were within the limits for Ohio.

4. Larger fish were released.

5. We released over 40 Walleye.

6. Selective harvest was used.



Idiots!!!!


Debate me! You can't! because you have no grounds. Ohio isn't Ocean fishing and if it's that bad? Get a boat!

You call yourself a Sportsman? HA!


The netters are what destroyed your fishery as well as loss of habitat. They drained the land and the Glades are going dry. If you don't want to debate fitty, you can take on someone wth a doctorate in ichthyology. Now that netting within 7 miles is illegal you are having one hell of a resurgence in your fishery. As soon as the Corp of Engineers gets their heads out of their asses and does something to fix what they fukt up years ago it might all come back!!

[Red Echo]

My Father has black and white photo's of me in diapers with a fishing rod in my hand at the lake...That was around 1965 :eek:


Thats awesome, have you ever been to New Zealand?

[Thordic]

wow nice boat

[fitnessman]

Yes Greenfeather and I have had some real great convo's. He knows his stuff! Erie has netters as well, but the difference is simple enforcement of the rules. The ODNR is even thinking about buying the netters out all together. I hope so.

Echo, no but would love to some day!

Thordic, 30' Sportcraft...Real comfie, even in a good bounce. It's my best friends Dad's boat. He has been a captain on Erie for over 30 years. He has taught me much!

<--------- My boat in the avatar :)

[Red Echo]

Echo, no but would love to some day!



Rep me and i'll show you all the best spots when you get here!...jk lol

[GREENFEATHER]

I like to use this analogy when speaking about netters. Say you have a tree in the back yard that has bushels of a fruit that you really like all the way at the top. You could get them 1 at a time, albeit arudously slow. You decide you want then NOW so you go get your trusty chainsaw and cut the tree down. OK, you got them all, but what are you going to do next year?

Netters are the same way, there is no such thing as "by-catch", it's more appropriately call "by-kill". Between what they kill in the cull and the habitats they destroy it's a wonder there's anything alive in the oceans, lakes or where ever they are being used. I'm hoping the ban in Fla will produce the desired result and allow for less netting. Hell, I'll go a year or 2 without shrimp or I could farm them if I so chose to. To get 1 lb of shrimp between 3-5 lbs of fish are killed and thrown back overboard, sometimes more.

Most fisherman would never do that, there are some that do and they are caught and punished. I know fitty personally and I can say without hesitation that he'd never do it. There are times when an unintentional kill happens, it's the law of averages. I tag and release about 100 red drum per year, I know some of them don't make it, especially the large females. The information collected from those tags is invaluable and sometimes sacrifices have to be made. I'll be tagging them in October on Hatteras Island, by November I'll be getting tags back from Fla, GA and sometimes they make their way into the Gulf of Mexico by the first of the year.

[Nainoa]

Okay... So I have a question for GF and FM...

In Minnesota the popular big water lakes often have a slot limit on them, which prohibits you from keeping fish of a certain size...

One of my favorites is Winnie (which I make a special trip to once or twice a year.)

The Slot on Winnie is currently 17-26 inches... Anything in that range is supposed to go back, as it's great breeding stock. After 15 years with this restriction Winnie has become so populace with large breeder Walleye, that they even set up Stripping stations. (Where Walleye are caught just pre-spawn, and their eggs are milked, mixed and reared in stations and put into ponds... To the degree that over half of the states Walleye stocking program, comes from Winnie Stripped fish.)

****

So this last year I was fishing Winnie... The Last night I was speed trolling the weedlines at Sunset... And one hit like a ton of bricks...

I fought him through the weeds... He thrashed pretty bad... I pulled him up and he was a bloody mess... Blood was pouring out of both gills, as he'd somehow completely gutted it, and his gullet was filling with blood. And one of my treble hooks was missing off the lure. (The Front Treble!)

He was 19 inches... So technically he was in the prohibited slot.

I decided there was no way he was going to live... So I kept him and cleaned him...

Later when I got back, and cleaned him, we opened him up, to see if my treble hook was inside his gullet... Sure enough it was... His whole stomach was just shreaded...

****

Now I feel that ethically I did the right thing... Even though I'd thrown back other fish smaller that were in the slot... I'm certain he wouldn't have lived, and it was best not to put him to waste... BUT... Technically, keeping him was a form of poaching.

So I'm wondering what your thoughts on the subject are?

[fitnessman]

I feel you did the right thing. The problem is what would your Wildlife officer do? More often then not, they would fine.

We have no slots on Erie, but 1 fish over limit (any species that has a limit) will cost you 125 bucks.

Here is an example: We have this fish that invaded out great lake called the Round Goby. Nasty little bugger and a big fish egg eater. It can wipe out a Smallmouth nest in the short time it takes to catch and release a smallie. It is against the law to have live Round Goby's (We do not want them to get inland if possible).

Here's the catch...Goby's are Smallmouths primary feed now in Erie. Many Smallmouth anglers will catch them and use them for bait (yes I have done this)...Thing is, at this point I am breaking the law (in a sense).

While chatting with a ODNR officer up on the Lake I asked him about Goby's for bait. His response was "I wouldn't give you a ticket...But some other officer might"

I guess my rambling point here is...Depends on how the wildlife officer views things.

I also asked the officer what the ODNR wanted anglers to do with goby's once caught..He said "Kill them and throw them on the Break Wall" (I was wall fishing this day)...I then asked him...Wouldn't I get a ticket for littering?

He has no answer.

[GREENFEATHER]

Okay... So I have a question for GF and FM...

In Minnesota the popular big water lakes often have a slot limit on them, which prohibits you from keeping fish of a certain size...

One of my favorites is Winnie (which I make a special trip to once or twice a year.)

The Slot on Winnie is currently 17-26 inches... Anything in that range is supposed to go back, as it's great breeding stock. After 15 years with this restriction Winnie has become so populace with large breeder Walleye, that they even set up Stripping stations. (Where Walleye are caught just pre-spawn, and their eggs are milked, mixed and reared in stations and put into ponds... To the degree that over half of the states Walleye stocking program, comes from Winnie Stripped fish.)

****

So this last year I was fishing Winnie... The Last night I was speed trolling the weedlines at Sunset... And one hit like a ton of bricks...

I fought him through the weeds... He thrashed pretty bad... I pulled him up and he was a bloody mess... Blood was pouring out of both gills, as he'd somehow completely gutted it, and his gullet was filling with blood. And one of my treble hooks was missing off the lure. (The Front Treble!)

He was 19 inches... So technically he was in the prohibited slot.

I decided there was no way he was going to live... So I kept him and cleaned him...

Later when I got back, and cleaned him, we opened him up, to see if my treble hook was inside his gullet... Sure enough it was... His whole stomach was just shreaded...

****

Now I feel that ethically I did the right thing... Even though I'd thrown back other fish smaller that were in the slot... I'm certain he wouldn't have lived, and it was best not to put him to waste... BUT... Technically, keeping him was a form of poaching.

So I'm wondering what your thoughts on the subject are?


Ethically you did the right thing, legally you could have ended up with a ticket. I have kill tags for oversized redfish if one is a no release because of being on the verge of dying. This happens when you get into the 40-50 lb class on reds.

I've caught weakies that gutted themselves and kept them, I could have gotten a ticket for that, but I know I did the right thing.

[Points]

Now I feel that ethically I did the right thing. I'm certain he wouldn't have lived, and it was best not to put him to waste... BUT... Technically, keeping him was a form of poaching.

So I'm wondering what your thoughts on the subject are?
<quoted edited>

The whole purpose of size/slot limits it to preserve the fishery. That is the true intent of the law. It's not really "no one will possess x fish over x size."

First: the law is broken if you cull fish outside the size restrictions. Period. GWs will enforce the law.

Second: Releasing a dead or dying fish serves no purpose in consideration of the intent of the law. Even if cited, this may be a defense.

The law says to put a dead/dying caught fish back in the water. That is the law; however I think creeling this fish is best.

[Points]

Goby's are Smallmouths primary feed now in Erie. Many Smallmouth anglers will catch them and use them for bait
Guy gets paid to enforce laws not intrepret them. It's kinda bs to get cited for using a bait fish that is naturally present in abundance. Then again I know of one small lake in Canada that had it's smallmouth fishery ruined in less than 5 years by red eye bass, which were probably used as yellow pike bait.

[Nainoa]

<quoted edited>

The whole purpose of size/slot limits it to preserve the fishery. That is the true intent of the law. It's not really "no one will possess x fish over x size."

First: the law is broken if you cull fish outside the size restrictions. Period. GWs will enforce the law.

Second: Releasing a dead or dying fish serves no purpose in consideration of the intent of the law. Even if cited, this may be a defense.

The law says to put a dead/dying caught fish back in the water. That is the law; however I think creeling this fish is best.


Well the Slots in MN are expressed as "ALL FISH Between X and Y MUST be immediately returned to the lake." There's absolutely no exceptions mentioned.

I suppose that the reason they don't allow exceptions is because then people would catch a fish with a little nick in him, and use it as an excuse... And thus make the slot meaningless.

In my case that magnificent beast turned my 50 gallon live well golden crimson, in the time it took for me to make the 3 mile run back to my campsite.

[Nedo]

a little over the limit bud??

[fitnessman]

a little over the limit bud??


4 people X's 6 = 24

[Seth25]

I've heard walleye is the best tasting freshwater fish,I caught one at Mark Twain Lake that was an inch under the length limit:mad:while crappie fishing.They sell it at the supermarket here but its like 15$ a pound wtf.The best fishing we have around here is catfish,anybody on here ever fish for them? Theres walleye in the Mississippi River here but I don't know much about them,where to fish etc. Nighttime is best right?

[fitnessman]

I've heard walleye is the best tasting freshwater fish,I caught one at Mark Twain Lake that was an inch under the length limit:mad:while crappie fishing.They sell it at the supermarket here but its like 15$ a pound wtf.The best fishing we have around here is catfish,anybody on here ever fish for them? Theres walleye in the Mississippi River here but I don't know much about them,where to fish etc. Nighttime is best right?


I target Channel Catfish as I feel they are the best in taste. Nighttime is a myth, they will hit as well during the day. During the Dog Days of Summer it is just more comfortable to fish for them at night.

Hard to beat Walleye though :)

[Seth25]

I target Channel Catfish as I feel they are the best in taste. Nighttime is a myth, they will hit as well during the day. During the Dog Days of Summer it is just more comfortable to fish for them at night.

Hard to beat Walleye though :)
You must not have tried blues then? Do you fish Erie for them?Hey fitnessman if you target channels i've got a dough bait you have to try trust me but it stinks bad:eek: but extremely effective.
1-1.5 lbs ground beef(more fat the better)
8-9 oz limburger cheese (jars not the blocks)
2 tbsp minced garlic
and thicken up with dead cricket parts(ask your local bait shop,they'll prob give you it for free)
Make sure you keep it on ice at all times,i guarantee its the best bait you'll ever use for channels.Try it and let me know what you think.

[fitnessman]

You must not have tried blues then? Do you fish Erie for them?Hey fitnessman if you target channels i've got a dough bait you have to try trust me but it stinks bad:eek: but extremely effective.
1-1.5 lbs ground beef(more fat the better)
8-9 oz limburger cheese (jars not the blocks)
2 tbsp minced garlic
and thicken up with dead cricket parts(ask your local bait shop,they'll prob give you it for free)
Make sure you keep it on ice at all times,i guarantee its the best bait you'll ever use for channels.Try it and let me know what you think.

Blue's are in the Channels family...Well there are only three main species in the states:

Bullhead (with sub species)
Channel (with subs)
Flathead (with subs)


Oh THAT sounds like a GOOD bait!!!!! :D Even more so with the size I target (2-4lbs...best eaters). As channels grow the become more of a predator and prefer live feed.

In the waters I fish chicken liver with some Garlic salt does very well...But I will give yours a try :)

[Seth25]

Blue's are in the Channels family...Well there are only three main species in the states:

Bullhead (with sub species)
Channel (with subs)
Flathead (with subs)


Oh THAT sounds like a GOOD bait!!!!! :D Even more so with the size I target (2-4lbs...best eaters). As channels grow the become more of a predator and prefer live feed.

In the waters I fish chicken liver with some Garlic salt does very well...But I will give yours a try :)
I've caught them up to 12 lbs on that.Oh, I forgot something very important,make it up the night before you go so it can settle in your refrigerator or else it'll be soft and come right off your hook.You will catch more fish on that than using chicken liver.I've never heard of someone using garlic salt with chx livers.Let me know how it works for you:)
Are you sure about the blues being in the same family as channels?They get way bigger,not saying your wrong but I've never heard that and I've done alot of research on them.

[fitnessman]

http://www.huntstats.com/blc.html

:)

[TheBlueDevil]

Had no idea so many of you bros were close to my hometown (well former hometown now) Lots of good fishing on the lake but damn the snow we get off the damn thing in the winter.

[Nainoa]

I've caught them up to 12 lbs on that.Oh, I forgot something very important,make it up the night before you go so it can settle in your refrigerator or else it'll be soft and come right off your hook.You will catch more fish on that than using chicken liver.I've never heard of someone using garlic salt with chx livers.Let me know how it works for you:)
Are you sure about the blues being in the same family as channels?They get way bigger,not saying your wrong but I've never heard that and I've done alot of research on them.


Uh... Up until this moment my entire life I've been taught that Blues = Channel Cats...

Must just be that my area (Which has lakes and rivers riddled with cats) must just have Blue-Channel cats?

[Seth25]

Uh... Up until this moment my entire life I've been taught that Blues = Channel Cats...

Must just be that my area (Which has lakes and rivers riddled with cats) must just have Blue-Channel cats?
You can tell the difference between the two by their anal fins,channels have more of a rounder fin and blues have a straight fin.
You live in Minnesota right?I don't know how big the Mississippi River is up there but its loaded with blues down here.Oh yeah,you can also tell by their color channels are more of a yellowish brown color and with blues the name says it all there.I don't think I've ever seen a hybrid but its possible.

[Nainoa]

You can tell the difference between the two by their anal fins,channels have more of a rounder fin and blues have a straight fin.
You live in Minnesota right?I don't know how big the Mississippi River is up there but its loaded with blues down here.Oh yeah,you can also tell by their color channels are more of a yellowish brown color and with blues the name says it all there.I don't think I've ever seen a hybrid but its possible.


I live about 100 yards from the Mississippi...

There are Flatheads about 2 miles from my house... (They get stuck at a Dam)

Everything above that damn and the lakes connected to them have always been Blue colored channel cats...

I had just always been told that Channel Cat = Blue...

I guess I learned something!

[fitnessman]

I live about 100 yards from the Mississippi...

There are Flatheads about 2 miles from my house... (They get stuck at a Dam)

Everything above that damn and the lakes connected to them have always been Blue colored channel cats...

I had just always been told that Channel Cat = Blue...

I guess I learned something!


I guess I am confused :confused: There are Blue Channel Catfish (see my link above).

Blue's are not a seperate species.

I will ask our local Ithiologoist (sp) Greenfeather.

[Points]

blue catfish are a seperate species-furcatus
channel - punctatus

both genus ictalurus

[GREENFEATHER]

Points got it right, I didn't have to resort to looking them up, lol. This is the problem with fish, they're called something different in different areas. Take the lowly Alewife for example, he's called bunker, elwy, menhaden and oil herring in different areas. Taxonomics are a real joy, I don't recognise most of the shifts in genus because there is no need to keep splitting hairs. You're damned well not going to discover or hybridize enough species to warrant the creation of a new genus. African cichlids are the worst for this.

[jked4life]

Ever do Salmon or trout fishing?

Is lake Erie deep enough to support trout and salmon?

Just wondering. My dad and I used to fish for salmon in Ontario each spring and fall. We caught quite a few big ones over the years. Nothing like hooking into a good salmon!

[Unit38]

Ever do Salmon or trout fishing?

Is lake Erie deep enough to support trout and salmon?

Just wondering. My dad and I used to fish for salmon in Ontario each spring and fall. We caught quite a few big ones over the years. Nothing like hooking into a good salmon!
Thats all I do is Salmon / Trout fish on Lake Michigan, the shore fishing starts soon....... Can't wait!

[Bulkytheboot]

Nice Catches!

[jked4life]

Thats all I do is Salmon / Trout fish on Lake Michigan, the shore fishing starts soon....... Can't wait!

Hows the fishing out there?

Pretty good of Roch. NY on Ontario. I'm not sure if I dare eat anything from the lake though. I'm guessing those salmon have A LOT of mercury in them. Salmon are noted for being the most polluted fish, since they are at the top of the food chain in the lake. Smaller fish are usually ok. I'm guessing its the same over in lake Michigan?

IN the Genessee River in Roch, people go on shore and cast into the water and "snag" the salmon. There are so many swimming up stream to spawn, they hook em in the fins, body and everywhere. Its kind of a sad practice actually. Not really sporting, IMO.