Perch Action Slow With East wind

Went to the pier early this morning. About 15 guys lined up close to the lot. decided to head out further. Got 3 perch early. Slow bite with east winds. Guys said they did well last two days, but perch shut down this morning. Will continue to chase the perch and hopefully have a good day.

Jumbo Perch Moving Into Erie

Went out early today looking for jumbo perch. Caught two nice slabs at first light then the bite stopped. Lots of guys out today. Everyone caught fish early then they shut off. Most guys caught a couple, some had four or five. Looks like the lakers are starting to stage off the piers. This is a good sign. Not many fish to report, but all were a large size and no dinks. Will hit it hard this week to see if more numbers will arrive.

Largemouth Bass Hitting Hard In Presque Isle Lagoons

This morning Erie was hit by strong North East winds. Made fishing the piers very difficult with high waves and frigid temps. Caught one jumbo perch early today. Decided to try for those tasty crappie in Presque Isle Bay. Fished the Lagoons for a couple of hours. No crappie to be found but ran into some serious Largemouth Bass by accident. Caught about a dozen bass, ranging from 12 to 18 inches averaging about 15. Bass were highly aggressive, hitting everything I was throwing for crappie. I simply used a bobber with jigs or minnows and casted near shore. Bass were beautiful, nice colors and very healthy looking. Lots of jumping and thrashing to make a fun evening. No one else around, had the spot to myself. A lesson learned. When the perch or crappie are not cooperating in early spring, try for some Largemouth Bass. Very fun on ultralight tackle. Search for warm, shallow water with lots of structure. A nice alternative to spring panfishing.

First Jumbo Perch For The Bucket

Finally, A nice slab perch from Lake Erie. Went out this morning in the early AM. Hit the piers before work. Bite was ok, lots of dinks. Landed one very nice football size Lake Erie Perch. A good sign of things to come. What I did notice was The Oldtimers were keeping buckets of small perch. I was frowning upon that so I decided to ask a long time old timer buddy why he was keeping them. His response was quite interesting. He stated he liked the little ones. More flavorful fillets, with less lake taste. He insisted that there were less contaminents in the chunks of meat than the larger fish. As a true old timer, he eats perch on a regular basis and consumes large amounts of Lake Erie fish. When I looked in his bucket, almost full by 7:00 am, tthere didn't seem to be much meat for battering and frying. So I asked him how he prepares the amall ones. He told me his secret. He makes pickled perch with the little ones. His creative recipe is as follows. He scales the fish and takes the head, tail, fins and entrails off. Rinses, and cuts the fish into small chunks bone and skin on. He then quickly fries the fish just enough to brown it. Then he puts them into a special recipe. 1 cup sugar, 1 cup white venegar, onions, and 1 tablespoon pickling spice. Keep them in the frige 5 days. Take out and enjoy. He says the flavor is remarkable and the vinegar softens the tiny bones making this a delicious treat. He eats them for breakfast before heading out to the pier. I believe this might be worth a try.

Perch Action Hot In Erie But On The Small Side

The action continues to improve for perch fishing in Presque Isle Bay. Headed to the pier before first light to get a good spot. For the next several weeks, I will be chasing the perch daily in the early morning hours before work. A flat bay this morning with little or no breeze. I will usually fish from 5:30am till my workday begins. Today I landed plenty of fish including perch, rock bass, and gobies. A sign that the water is warming up. About 30 fish in about 2 hours. Very small fish today though. Average size of five to six inches. No keepers for the bucket. Bite was amazing, could only keep one rod in the water. Soon the larger fish will move in. Will keep you posted on the current fishing conditions and action.

Perch Are Finally Arriving Off Lake Erie Bayfront

Finally, a few perch for the bucket. Got a chance to get out for a couple of hours in the early morning. The bite was on right at daylight. Caught about 25 perch. Problem was only three keepers for the bucket. Everyone lining up the piers were getting action, but again small fish. The good news is they are finally arriving and carrying quite an appetite. Very aggressive bite this morning, despite East winds and rough waters. Water temp still cold at 42. With wind, outside temp feels below freezing. Hard day to withstand the elements. But at least the bite is on. From prior experience, this is a good sign. The big "Lakers" will soon arrive following these smaller bay perch. Lakers, coming straight through the channel from Lake Erie are quite large often times averaging 12-14 inches. They are also more pale in color, less brilliant stripes than our native bay perch. The season has finally begun. I will give more updates this week and share how the bite is going.

Amazing Views And History Of Lake Erie Ships

As I was out scouting today along the Bay front in Erie PA, I had to stop and stand in amazement of some of the large vessels ported in our bay. The mammoth Roger Blough is stunning. This is the largest traditional styled lake boat sailing the Great lakes that was constructed from the keel up. It boasts a carrying capacity of 43,900 tons and has a length 858 feet. Powered by a 15000 horsepower diesel engine and has an impressive 54 foot unloader. Beam reaches 105 ft and depth 41 ft. Owned by Great Lakes Fleet, Inc. and was originally sent on her maiden voyage on June 5, 1972. Primarily carries cargoes of limestone and iron ore. If you want to view her, she is currently docked at the Old Ore Dock on the Bay front. Beside this beast of a vessel is the J.S. St. John. This vessel has served as a sand dredge for 40 years in Erie. If you fish the piers like me, you have witnessed this beauty coming through the channel daily from spring till fall. These are definitely worth the trip to check out and view for yourself. Both are wonderful pieces of Lake Erie Maritime history.

Batter For The Pan

I just wanted to share some special batter recipes for those tasty panfish fillets. After a few days of successful fishing, you can enjoy a special Lake Erie Fish dinner. There are many ways to enjoy these fish, but I feel the only true way is to deep fry fillets. First, make sure you rinse fillets thoroughly and store properly. The taste of fresh fish is so much better than buying any fish from a store or restaurant. An avid angler knows this and can taste the difference. So when you are ready to take those fillets out of the fridge for frying, try these batter recipes.
Recipe 1 fresh panfish fillets, 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons paprika, 12 oz of beer, shot of lemon juice. Combine ingredients into mixing bowl, and draw fillets carefully through beer batter until completely coated. Drop into oil. ( A nice basic beer batter recipe)
Recipe 2 fresh panfish fillets, 2 eggs, 1 cup of milk, teaspoon sage, teaspoon cayenne pepper, teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1 cup of flour. Combine ingredients in mixing bowl, place fillets in batter to stick to fish, Drop in oil. (This one is a bit spicy due to the pepper)
Recipe 3 fresh panfish fillets, 10 0z of potato chips chopped thoroughly, 1 teaspoon onion salt, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, 1 tablespoon parsley flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese, 4 oz milk, 1 egg. Combine ingredients and then roll in chopped up potato chips to evenly coat, drop into hot oil. (This one I created by experimenting with different ingredients)
These are my favorite three, hope you enjoy. I suggest trying many different batters to find the one that most pleases your family.

High Hopes For Upcoming Weekend

Looking into this weekend, I have high hopes for pan fishing action. The water temp is slowly rising and the fish should turn on. For perch, I would concentrate on the Bay front. Good spots to try early would be off the Condos, Liberty Park, Cherry Street, and Dobbins Landing. Go early to grab a good spot. Use lively minnows and move around if the bite is slow. Sometimes by simply moving a few yards can create good success. The perch schools move around in the bay and where they hit one day can change quickly the next day. Many times it is good to try a new spot away from the crowds. Try not just to follow the crowds and explore new piers and access points. For crappie, try off Presque Isle Bay. Points to try include The Marina, Misery Bay, Long Pond, and The Stinkhole. Use light line, small sharp hooks, and have an arsenal of baits. Unlike perch, crappie can be finicky. I have out fished others simply because I had a variety of baits to throw at them. Suggestions include small plain hook tipped with a minnow, mister twisters, small ice fishing jig heads, and hair jigs. My best productive colors usually tend to be white or chartreuse. Fish under a bobber and remember crappie are usually suspended so you don't want to be on the bottom. I usually only use a foot or so of lead under the bobber and have great success. Also remember to fish structure. Find the wood and heavy vegetation. Crappies are very elusive. They tend to turn on and off on a whim. So don't give up. I have been there in late morning when the sun starts to warm the surface water and all of a sudden they get active. And when you get one, you tend to fill a bucket because they are a tight schooling fish. For bluegill, try all long Presque Isle. I like to use an ultra light with 2 or 4 lb test. Slab bluegill are a great battle on ultralight tackle and usually are very receptive to hitting at all times of the day. Good action and nice eating for the pan. I like to use small minnows, jigs tipped with maggots, red worms, or small Mepps or Roostertails. So this weekend give pan fishing a try and see how the action is.