Anybody Fishing Erie, PA yet?

[FrenchCrkBasser]

I know it may still be a little early, but is anyone fishing Presque Isle Bay or the Lake for smallies?

[flyhatch]

Not me yet, but I will be there soon.

[bassnleo]

I have heard of a few smallies being caught in the bay.

Things will get good there in the next 2-3 weeks.

[FrenchCrkBasser]

About how late into May and/or June are you guys catching them?  Won't be home from college for a few weeks or so.

[bassnleo]

May and June is prime time. The Bay still has smallies at that time and the main lake is getting really good at that time.

[FrenchCrkBasser]

During the Post-Spawn, where are you targeting them in the bay.  Is it possible to get to them by wading?  Tough to get my dad into a boat and my Uncle is usually on a short leash with my Aunt.  

What baits are you throwing too?  Pre-Spawn, Spawn, and Post-Spawn?

[bassnleo]

I always fish the bay by boat. I have a close friend that lives in Erie, he wades the flat between the entrance to Marina Bay (West Pier) and Perry's Monument. He uses jerkbaits, tubes, small swimbaits, grubs, tubes, and catches a fair number of smallies doing that.

Early pre-spawn, tubes, drop shot, blade baits on deeper breaklines and humps. Later in pre-spawn, jerkbaits on the tops of the breaks near spwaning flats. I don't usually fish spawn there, I have, honestly it was too easy. You can go down a spawning flat and see the beds. If a fish is on a bed it will hit just about anything, they are so agressive on beds. Post spawn will find fish back out on the breaklines and humps. Early morning can be good on the flats also, same baits as I mentioned above, but a soft jerkbait like a fluke or a topwater like a Sammy also will catch fish.

Another friend fished the bay last week. They caught smallies at the bottoms of the breaks on drop shots and tubes.

[FrenchCrkBasser]

Thanks Leo

[flyhatch]

I am making my first trip up this sunday.

I will keep you posted.

[flyhatch]

Well we hit it this morning and we got 1 smallie and 3 largies in the boat.

the north wind made it tough on us. We could of stayed home and had people throw ice cold 5 gallon buckets of water in our face

not to be shut out on the way home at noon we went to moraine state park and fished till 6pm in really nice overcast conditions and landed a few more largies.

till next time....

[JoeyT]

I'm heading down to the Bay next weekend.  You think the smalies will be on by then?  How deep were you fishing?

THX

Joe

[flyhatch]

they will be on. We fished the bay,the main lake was way too rough.

if you get decent weather you will be on them. we fished anywhere we could get out of the wind. mostly right behind the pier near the coast guard station but when its on you pretty much cant go wrong.