Back to "just plain fishin" . Well after an incredible run the past few weeks where the Walleyes were very suicidal it seems like this season is going to end the way it started. We are working very hard once again for what we are catching. This past week started out OK but with each passing day the fishing dramatically got tougher and tougher for the Walleyes as they seemingly seemed to be on an incredible fast march out of the area. And just that fast. Monday was Ok. Tuesday was slower and we had to move out a few miles further north east again to get the job done. And each day there after was much slower and slower and we ended up out further and further each day to just be able to get anything at all. By weeks end we were out close to 25 miles from Ashtabula harbor and were only doing "teens" for fish. That is how fast things can change on Erie. From as good as it gets to just plain tough. 2009, the year from Hell.
Boat traffic on the lake was almost non existent. It seemed like everybody but me knew that the wheels were going to fall off the cart this week ! LOL. The weather wasn't the best either though with choppy lake conditions most everyday. Saturday was the worst with small craft advisories up and the waves running a good 4-5 foot. We could not get much of anything going in the heavy seas and by 11:00am even we cried Uncle. Sunday was much nicer in the weather department but far from calm. We pulled lines at about 1:00pm in the afternoon amongst good 3 to 4 footers with only 14 Walleyes to show for our efforts. Our toughest day in a month not counting yesterday's early quit in the extreme heavy seas. What a difference a few days makes ...
So starting with this coming week we bounce back and fourth between Perch trips and the last of my scheduled Walleye trips. I am not a big fan of running Perch charters when I know the Walleyes are still out there but this year with each passing day I find myself actually looking forward to just dropping the anchor and letting the fish come to me for a change. It seems like I have run a million miles this summer to try and keep the guys on the very best spots available. Most of this summer was like this. Only the last few weeks were like the "old days" Very good fishing and stupid easy. This past week was back to the new "normal", working very hard for everything that we are catching ! But in all honesty, I would have killed many days earlier this summer to catch what we are catching right now even on our slowest days. That's how fast we all get spoiled. Even myself.
This coming week we find ourselves booked solid although half are Perch trips and only a few days are scheduled as Walleye trips. I suppose if it gets to that point that I could just run what I have left on the books as Perch charters. I guess that will depend on the actual weather conditions and what the guys really truly want to do. All I can do is make suggestions and recommendations and then do whatever the sponsors prefer to do. From what I am seeing, I think I will be suggesting just going for the Perch. That's how fast things have changed around here. Perhaps for the best. Walleye fishing has been very trying most all of this entire season as it's been and I do want to quit on such a sour note that I do not want to look forward to returning. I think it's time to put this Walleye season behind us ... We have lots of dates available for a Perch trip starting as early as next week. Give me a call if you would just like to get back to the basics of plain simple fishing fun and stocking the freezer with tasty Perch fillets while you're at it !
Capt. Walt
|