Happy New Year Everyone! Wow, 2010. That's going to take a while to get used to writing! As I have started doing the last few years, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the new and faster then you think approaching fishing season. It will be here before you know it! Trust me... I would also like to take this moment to reflect on the past 2009 season as well and say a few words about the approaching 2010 season. And while you you are skimming over all of this, please enjoy these snapshots that I took this past summer of some spectacular Lake Erie sunrises! This is a nice added bonus that all my guests get to enjoy everyday aboard "The Trophy". All part of the overall chartering experience. It's not just all about catching fish. It's the whole experience. Being with friends and family. Doing something and seeing things that most don't get to experience but maybe once a year if you are lucky. And of coarse, also catching some of Lake Erie's most prized game fish, the WALLEYE ! |
I'm not going to dwell on the past fishing season too much as I am anxious to put most of the memories behind me. LOL ! Let's just say that after doing this full time for the last 23 years, 2009 will not go down in my books as one of the best of years. Right off the bat last spring the weather set the tone for the type of year that we were going to have. The very cold, windy and rainy spring followed us right into most of the summer. Conditions on the lake were trying at best most of the time. If we weren't fighting high waves and the cold it was muddy water. It was one thing after another. Traditional fish migration movements were unpredictable and the fish showed up very spottingly in the summer making catching tougher then usual. This persisted most of the 2009 fishing season. After everything was said and done though, we still ended up boating 2,591 Walleyes for the year aboard "The Trophy". Down from the 3,792 Walleyes that we brought in during the 2008 season. And although the overall total numbers were down, the average size was very remarkable! I would be willing to bet that as far as total weight goes, we probably brought in the same amount of pounds of Walleyes. Most people still went home with more than enough fillets to have an awesome fish fry. Plus they got to enjoy these spectacular sunrises ! |
So what is in the cards for 2010? It's anybody's guess but I don't foresee us going through another weather year as tough as we had last year. Two similar seasons in a row would be highly unusual! And it is all about the weather on Erie. Give us some real stable weather to work with and the fishing becomes nicely consistent and stays good. With last years total numbers being down for everybody however, not just us aboard "The Trophy" some fish commission officials are speculating that the limits need to be lowered slightly to help preserve the population should the fish stocks actually be down in numbers. I myself don't believe that they are. I think we just experienced weather related problems in 2009. None the less we all have to prepare ourselves for the possibility of the daily limit of 6 fish per person being reduced to possibly 5 or even in a worst case scenario, 4 Walleyes per person. We won't know for sure till sometime in May we are being told right now if there is a change at all. It is not my decision to do so but it will be one that we will all have to live with if indeed there is a change. We will just have to wait and see what happens and make the best of it. In the past 2009 season, that's about what we averaged over the coarse of the year for everyone anyway. |
People on my mailing list are not going to get their annual letters and trip reminders till the second week of February this year as I will be away on a family vacation the latter half of January and I don't want the onslaught of responses to come back until I am available 24/7 to address everyone. None the less, it is not too early to start thinking and planning that annual fishing trip to the Walleye capital of the world, Lake Erie ! We will as every other year be starting our season out at the western basin of the lake also known as the islands area the first of April. We do this for the amazing spring run of shallow water and easily caught Walleyes that happens out at Port Clinton each spring. And as we always do, when the fish start to migrate to the cooler, deeper waters of the central basin we will move the boat to Ashtabula June 1st for the rest of the year. So whether you want to come early spring or later in the summer or both, now is the time to make some serious plans before "The Trophy" gets all booked up. Regardless of what 2010 has in store for us, there will always still be plenty of fish caught, fun and laughter had by all on board and lots more of these amazing sunrises awaiting us ! 2010. I'm ready... Capt. Walt |
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