FEVER Erie - St Clair

Fish Chris, I agree 100%! Wait a minute, forget everything I said above! What was I thinking . . .

I was moving the last two weeks fishing photographs over to my external backup drive this evening, when I came across this photo I took as a squall moved across the lake here by my house. I was off the water that day, but there were a "few" that I watched through binoculars get caught right in the middle of it. So, as a word of caution to those traveling to Erie for a Smallmouth outing, just pay close attention to the conditions coming across the Michigan/Ohio area, as these storms, this time of year, are nothing to fool around with. Just this past few weeks we've had (just in my area here on the lake) 4 people drown (and four others that survived after their 19 foot boat capsized). So, don't be afraid to get out there and catch some MONSTER smallmouth, but keep the fact in mind that Lake Erie has more shipwrecks than all the other Great Lakes (yes, even more than Superior). It can get NASTY quick and you should always keep an eye to the sky.

I agree with Fish Chris - the crack of Noon for me! Now practice fishing for a tournament - that's different. Fishing the tournament - that's different. You really need to know the various fish activity levels from first sun until 4 or so. But day in, day out, fun fishing, exploring new areas, working on new presentations, experimenting with new baits, looking for big fish - the crack of noon is just about perfect, right after a stop for early lunch! Then it's usually until, and occasionally after, dark. I couldn't begin to even guesstimate the number of big smallmouth and largemouth I would not have caught if I was off the water by 4:30 or 5 in the afternoon, when most head home for dinner. My experience in this neck of the woods, from my log book (with some exceptions based on weather conditions, etc); Spring, BIG fish almost any time of the day. Summer, BIG fish between 10:30 and 5. Fall - Big fish between 9 and 4. Of course there are morning bites, and evening bites, where there are generally more fish feeding overall, so you often get quantity. But there are also mid-day bites, late afternoon bites and night bites - especially on good structure - and this, for me at least, is when I often hit some of the biggest fish of the year.

Here's a few from a trip with Shannon (one of my twin daughters). We fished about 3 hours and boated (released) 17. All were caught pumping spinnerbaits in grass clumps with a mild current. We had a blast!

What a DONKEY! If he caught it legit, on a rod and reel, he deserves the best. Good Job Kurita!

I would put experience against luck any day. Experience, in my view, will win. Are there exceptions? Sure. But the odds are, and have been, in the favor of experience. And there are two ways of looking at this as well. Tournament fishing is one thing. Big bass fishing is another. How often have you heard this; "I'll go for my quick limit at my first spot then look for big fish." I've done that so many times in the past, I couldn't count them all. That paid off sometimes after drastic pattern changes from "keepers" to big fish patterns, and ended in successful wins. Other times it didn't pay off. On the other hand, years later, I worked on big fish patterns to start with. No fishing for quick limits. I started with places where bigger fish live. I finished with places where the bigger fish were. My overall tournament wins increased. You can spend 4 hours catching a limit of pound and a half keepers or you can spend those same four hours catching two 5 pounders. So, in the case of tournaments, which would you rather weigh in? But fishing for big fish, to me, is different. This often means slowing down. It sometimes means waiting for the fish to move, or trigger, in a particular depth, point, or other area. Especially in the summer pattern months. You often have to do things different depending on the lake type, location, and fishing pressure. We all know we fish OVER and through more fish than we catch . . . Still, those who catch big fish consistently do so for other reasons. Weren't they lucky they took the time to change their line last night? Weren't they lucky to check the bottom underneath the boat for fiberglass or aluminum scratches that might cut a line on a big fish? Weren't they lucky to have forced themselves to read hours and hours about liminology, so they can understand any lake type that they fish, anywhere, and how those fish relate to those systems. Personally, I don't believe in luck fishing (on a consistent basis). To a lesser degree SIZE might be influenced, based on the lake type, forage, health, growing season (north or south), etc. But luck? Like the guy or gal who catches a big bass on the first trip out? Well, that's like winning the lottery. It happens (usually to someone else!), but not nearly as often as a good, knowledgeable fisherman that has upped his odds, and who can put consistent big fish in the boat. Just my humble opinion.

Locktight - blue. Providing the bolts are screwing into metal nuts in the seat bottom. If it's just wood, this won't work, and they will pull right out again.

Any season that the water isn't hard! When that happens I like to head south.

The snake is an original Doug Hannon's piece. Shortly thereafter, BURKE Flexo-products started making them (still attached to the Doug Hannon name). I got them early from Bing at Burke and experimented with them for a few months. Under the right conditions - they were deadly. As far as the old spinner bait trailers - you should just make a mold and pour your own! I keep a bag of old "original" baits that are no longer manufactured or the company has long gone out of business. When I feel that I "need them" for a specific situation, or presentation, I just pour a batch. And the upside is - no one else will be fishing that particular bait . . .

Buy a five pound bag of sugar at the supermarket. Leave it in the plastic bag you get from the super market. Weigh it using your scale. If it isn't 5 pounds on the digital readout - you've got a problem. This is an old tournament trick and we'd do it every couple of weeks. For recreational fishing once or twice a year should be good. I always rely on digital - but that's just me.

I'd eat it!

If junk weeds are mixed in with the pads put a small red bead on your line before you tie on the frog. The bead will help keep the junk weed (and pads) from grabbing the frog's nose. Don't set the hook when the fish boils on the frog. Drop the rod, count "one thousand one" and give it a hard snap set. Once you get the fish coming towards you never "give it it's head."

Not anymore! I quit when I married my wife! But, I do have a 2 3/4 pound fishing "sand rat" that comes out from under the console whenever a fish comes aboard and she always kisses them on the tail before they go back into the water. And here's proof!

I remember years ago, in a tournament on the St. John's river (near Big Lake George) in Florida, we located about a half mile of undercut bank. Those two days, and during practice check, we were nailing our fish on "tide push" when the water was rising. Our located fish were coming out from undercut banks and just busting our worms and jig/worms. It was unbelievable fishing for a few hours. When it stopped and tide pull started building the fish retreated back to the undercut banks and we had to change to flippin tactics to boat good size fish. This happened day after day. Interestingly in practice, during the tide push in this area, flippin was dead.

Yes, but only recently. After fishing tournaments for over 20 years competitively it was always work! Even practice fishing for the tournaments was work. To win is almost always concentration, preparation and presentation - at all times. Only now, in the last couple years, am I forcing myself to slow down and make bass fishing less work and more relaxing. Still, I occasionally find myself switching into "tournament mode" - which, like I said, soon becomes focused much more and eventually becomes WORK! It's very hard sometimes to just turn it off. But, I'm working on it!