Lake Erie Fishing Reports & Blogs

We just wrapped up the second Bassmaster EQ of the 2023 down in Many, LA on the famed waters of Toledo Bend Reservoir.  Toledo Bend spans around 180,000 acres, with tons of “bayous”, grass, submerged timber, bushes, trees and contours that draw the lake’s immense bass population.  In early/mid April, one would expect an absolute beatdown on some Texas sized bass.  The winning weight for three days did approach 80 pounds, which was a phenomenal total, with Ben Milliken taking home the trophy.  However, for most, it was much more of a grind including myself.   PRACTICE We seemed to hit the lake in the middle

The anticipation for every season is almost always the same.  The unknown of it.  The excitement.  The what ifs.  It’s always fun kicking off a new season as you never truly know what’s in store; good or bad.  This season is especially interesting, as we embarked on a new journey in the first season of the Bassmaster Opens EQ series.  The EQs are a means of qualifying (or requalifying) for the biggest show in bass fishing, the Bassmaster Elite Series.  However, it brings a new twist.  In the past, the Opens series were divided into multiple divisions with Elite bids going to the highest points

Well, hello there.  It’s been a while since we’ve cast a line, literally and figuratively.  So, I figured with the 2023 Bassmaster Opens EQ season right around the corner, what better time than now to recap what’s been going on here.  Remind me why I stayed in Pennsylvania again (chuckles).  It hasn’t been an overly terrible winter up here along the shores of Lake Erie unless you live in Buffalo.   But after spending the 2016-2019 winters on the St. Johns River, guiding and learning how to understand Florida bass a bit better, these few months during winter can be rough.  Up in our neck

Bass fishing in Erie, PA can be one of the most fun experiences for someone who enjoys catching smallmouth bass.  Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay consistently rank in Bassmaster’s  top 10 Northern fisheries each season.  The sheer numbers of fish, not to mention the size, can be exceptional.   SPRING SMALLMOUTH BITE Smallmouth bass migrate from the main Lake Erie into Presque Isle Bay and more protected harbors and the surrounding areas.  This is generally the time of year people from all over the Eastern United States, and further, venture up to our neck of the woods in search of our plump, goby fed smallmouth

I don’t like to pick favorites, but the fall smallmouth fishing on Lake Erie is something special.  It can offer incredible fishing as fish essentially move back to a lot of areas they would use in the springtime.  As the thermocline breaks up with increased wave action, fish begin to scatter and use all depths due to oxygen levels becoming more uniform.  Bait moves constantly early on and it can be tough to stay with them initially.  As it cools and becomes more stable, the fishing cranks up ten fold.  Fish are hungry from moving and are having to bulk up for the winter time