Lake Erie Fishing Report by Capt. Walt Ermansons



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Lake Erie fishing report for the week of August 28, 2016

Just another one of those “just OK” weeks. This past week was nothing to really write home about. As has become the new normal around here now, we put in rather full days this past week and eventually either captured our limits or came darn close to it. Lots of smaller fish and it just wasn’t real easy. Weather wasn’t supposed to be much of a factor this past week but it turned out to be a thing that we all had to reckon with. More on that here in a moment. I guess if there was anything to get excited about, it’s been that the Steelhead Trout have really made their presence known around here as of lately. I can’t hardly remember now when was the last day where we haven't hooked up with at least a few of these jumpers. On most trips we’ve managed to land anywhere from one or two to as many as a handful. Most have been coming off the Dipsy Divers. Just leave those drags loose and wait for the screaming reel!

As I suspected, last Sunday was indeed a wash. Nobody fished. Every day there after according to the National Weather service was supposed to be like in the 1 to 3 foot range near shore. Instead, pretty much everyday it was at least 2 to 4’s and maybe more at times. A nasty short chop each day that tried every ones patience and just didn’t make things any easier for anyone. In fact Thursday, with a near shore forecast of only 10 to 15 knot winds out of the SW and waves supposedly only to be 1 to 3 footers, it turned out to be more like 5 footers plus for most of the day. We set out aboard “The Trophy” in the dark and some rain that morning with high hopes of getting our day in. It wasn’t too bad when we first left. We lasted about a whole half hour out there before a wall of wind hit us! Dead out of the west and according to the Fairport Lighthouse report, blowing at 27 knots! It was one of the more dramatic wind sweeps that I’ve witnessed in recent memory. Our 1 to 3 footers almost instantly became 5-6 footers and our day was over before it ever really started. We pulled our lines and just headed back in. A sad turn of events for my guys that day and another lost day for me for this very windy month. They are really starting to add up.

For as long as we fished that particular morning, we hooked 3 fish in the dark with only a handful of lines out. One was a throw back, one was about a 17 inch keeper and as we were trying to clear lines in the gale winds that kicked in we hooked and almost landed on one of the last Dipsy rods still out one of the biggest Walleyes that I’ve seen in a long time! It was behemoth! I’m guessing it would have gone easily 13 maybe 14 pounds. It’s been a long while since we’ve landed one quite that big. Just as I was about to try netting it and with the fellow on the rod trying to back up in the wildly pitching and bobbing boat in the big waves, he stumbled backwards and just that quick the magnificent fish was gone. So very close! Man, I really wanted that fish! But that’s how it’s been for us almost every morning here the last few weeks. Slow starts in the dark but one or two really good ones almost every trip out. Here’s a couple pictures in this report of fish that weren't nearly as big but that didn’t get away either! Lol!

So everyone all of a sudden is catching some “Chrome” out here. Silver fish that some call Trout and some call Salmon. Truth is, we are getting both! I get a kick out of the other captains back at the marina always asking my opinion on some of the more suspicious looking silvers as to what it really is that they caught. After many years of fishing Lake Ontario and the rivers in Michigan long before I ever started chartering, I learned early on what to look for. This came up again just last Saturday when one of River Marines captains brought in a small King Salmon (Chinook). They were pretty sure it wasn’t a Steelhead but didn’t know if it was a Chinook or Coho. It was definitely a small King. Aboard “The Trophy” we’ve caught all three this summer. Coho, Steelhead and also a nice small Chinook. This final picture is from a few weeks ago where we brought in one of each. On the left is the Steelhead and on the right is the small King Salmon. Notice the Trouts almost square tail with the many small speckles all through out the tail. The Salmon on the right has a deep fork in the tail with slightly larger spots all through out. Both fish have nice tight scales. And the biggest give away is the Trouts mouth which is all snow white. White gums, mouth and tongue. The Chinook’s mouth is almost all coal black. And the Coho Salmon which are also being caught as well this summer have their own distinguishing features. Their gums and tongue are more grayish. The tail has a fork in it as well but with very few and much larger faint spots. And the scales are very loose on the Coho Salmon! Big, big differences! Interesting that these smaller Kings are showing up all of a sudden mixed in with our other fish. Somebody somewhere must be stocking a few again. Man, you think a Steelhead can make your drag scream! Hopefully a few of these young Kings will be back next year as much larger mature Salmon. That would be awesome and bring back memories of the early 80’s out here again as it used to be when Ohio & PA both stocked them regularly! Well that’s it for another week and my personal tutorial on Salmon vrs. Steelhead! Lol!

Capt. Walt
Celebrating Our 30th Season!



Source: Capt. Walt Ermansons August 28, 2016 at 14:48:49


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