So where do I begin? Do I just dive into the fishing portion of this weeks report or do I discuss once again how perfectly lousy this weeks weather was many of the days for everyone that attempted to fish Lake Erie here in the central basin? I feel like a broken record with these last few week's blogs/reports. Seems like all I ever harp about anymore is the weather. But it’s a fact. This sport of ours is so extremely weather driven that everything else is pale in comparison and almost nothing else matters. The daily weather is what determines if we get out fishing, how comfortable and fun your day is going to be, and ultimately most days how the catching will likely go. I’ve said it a thousand times before. It’s all about the weather. And this past weeks and especially this weekends weather really sucked the big one!
Probably the gem of the week was Monday. Sunny, calm and pleasant. Fishing was GREAT under the good conditions and we killed the fish limiting out easily. Tuesday with the same crew in town for 3 days from Iowa, we seen it all. Everybody got to sleep in while the area got battered early morning with severe thunderstorms and torrential rains. After the storms passed by mid morning and skies cleared my old nemesis the wind arrived right on time. The marine forecast was calling for 5 to 7 footers. Although it was rough, I didn’t think it was quite that bad and we made a decision to go for it. With a late departure and in about 4 footers rolling from the west, we set up a troll between Ashtabula and Conneaut. We called it a day after about a 4 hour troll capturing better then half of their limits and started the long ride back east to home harbor. Had we not lost the handful of big fish in the surging big waves we would have really been sitting pretty for the day! Wednesday the weather was fair again and fishing was OK for us. With a shorter day in order due to their travel plans my boys wrapped up their yearly 3 day trip with me by taking home 61 Walleyes including many big ones! Not that bad at all!
Thursday I was blessed with a shorter party and we got what we needed easily. Friday, oh boy what a day. It was another one of those days where the National Weather Service entirely blew the marine forecast. They had called for both the near shore and offshore waves to be 1 to 2 footers. It was probably easy 3’s when we left in the dark at 4:30 in the morning and by the time we arrived at the fishing grounds the lake was rolling easy 3 to 5’s and still building from the east. Aboard “The Trophy” we set up a long one way troll and went to work. I don’t know how we did it but somehow, some way we went on to having a great day of catching in some seriously big water. When we went to come home they were easy solid 6 footers and maybe a few a whole lot bigger! And the whole time the worthless national Weather Service was still sticking to their forecast product. Last time I looked late in the day at it they were still saying “2 foot or less”! Idiots! Hello, how about just looking out the window for a change! Anyway, nobody got sick and we returned safely and even managed to somehow have a awesome day under some very trying conditions.
And then their was the dreaded weekend! With gale warnings posted and 100% chance of heavy rain including the potential of up to 4 inches of rain, I along with all of the other charter operators went ahead and cancelled both days of fishing. A big blow to the bottom line of so many in a limited season which grows shorter with each passing week. Also a big disappointment for those that waited so very long for their fishing trip with much anticipation. It just stinks all the way around. So, we just have a couple more days of this mostly miserable June left for us and we can then turn our attentions to July and see what all it holds. Sadly, I see no change in this weather pattern that we here in north east Ohio seem to be locked in on. The 7 day forecasts that I am seeing right now look like something out of the movie “Ground Hog Day”! A chance of rain and thunderstorms every frigging day! Yikes! I guess it could be worst. I could be a farmer trying to put up hay! But none the less, it has been a very tough month and one that I am eager to put behind me and move on to July. One can only hope things change soon so that we can have at least some sense of a summer this year! With this cool, raw pattern, I don’t see the huge schools of Walleyes setting up camp out here either in massive numbers in our deeper cooler waters off Ashtabula like in some of our other hottest years. There will be fish to be caught out there no doubt but we will have to work for what is out there. Limits may not be quite as automatic as some have come to expect. We will just have to see. I hope that I am wrong. For now just don’t put those rain jacket to far away. Sigh...
Capt. Walt
*I would like to remind all of my upcoming charters. As I have been simply asking all along now for the last few years, please try your very hardest to keep your group size to a very comfortable, more personal experience of 4 people for everyone involved. I myself just flat out DO NOT WANT more then that on my boat anymore for these summer trolling trips. This is not a hard rule or policy (yet) but if you folks want to keep me happy and chartering for years to come, you will do this for me and for yourselves. Also, we ABSOLUTELY need to be off the dock between 4:30am and 5:00am at the VERY LATEST! Our best fishing is ALWAYS at the crack of dawn and WE DO NOT WANT TO MISS OUT ON THAT OPPORTUNITY! Please, DO NOT BE Late! I am at the boat and ready to roll everyday by 4:30am and if you want to catch lots of fish, you will be ready as well!
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