Nice Bucket Of Lake Erie Perch To Start The Year

Went out early this morning along the Bayfront to target perch. had a good day, filling a bucket of tasty perch. Most ranged from 8 to 10 inches. Caught over 100 perch, threw back many dinks. Had to sort through them. Bite was constant throughout the morning. Frigid temps in the low 30's, with North winds made it almost unbearable. Pier was lined up with guys, but by going early I claimed the end. Fun to haul in a load of fish this early in the season. We still have several weeks of good perch fishing as this is only the start of the run. Will head out again soon.

Perch Season Underway In Erie PA

Finally my favorite season of the year! The pier perch fishing season has just begun. Went out scouting all morning. Found catches of fish at the usual hotspots. Perch observed being caught were Libery Park, Condos, Dock, and Border Patrol. Just about everyone had a couple in the bucket. A few anglers were limiting in the right spots. I couldn't take it any more so I decided to head out in the afternoon. Fished for a couple of hours, landed 4 keepers. As a cardinal rule, perch shut off after the first couple hours of daylight. But it was rainy and dark out with good cloud cover and strong NE winds. Cold and wet. I knew I could have a chance with this forecast. Caught about 20, many dinks and a few good ones. Just fun to be out on the pier. This is the time to target those local Bay perch close to shore. Water temp still very cold with plenty of feed in the water. Perch haunt all along the Bayfront. Simple method, perch rig and Minnies. Especially nice was to see my old friends in the morning. As I scouted, I ran into many oldtimers. Great to see they all came back. Saw everyone of them out today. A dedicated group, even in the wind and rain. Carl, Roy, Dick, Stanley, Israel, Kelly, to name a few. Glad they all made it another year. These guys are not young. They are a dying breed but all will still be at it another year. With me, the kid, by their side. Will be out at first light in the morning. Will be my real first time out this year at dawn. Will update soon.

Late Season Ice Slow Off Presque Isle

Fished a variety of places today. Went to 1st and 2nd parking lots early. Then headed to the stink hole and off the 4th. Very slow. The only fish active were Largemouth Bass. Caught 5 bass, and a few Bluegill. No perch or crappie to be found. Ice still 11 inches thick. Getting soft though. Top 4 inches were slush. Hope the ice will last one more weekend.

Good Variety In The Stink Hole

Fished today at the Stink Hole off Presque Isle. Was out early, still dark. Bite was very good first hour. About 8:30, the bite really slowed down. Sun came up and fish bit slow and were not as aggressive. Caught several species. Landed 7 Largemouth Bass, all averaging 15 inches. Caught about 15 perch, keeping only about 1/2 dozen. many dinks. Caught quite a few bluegill, only a handfull were jumbos. Caught smelt and one small crappie. A nice mix. Steady West winds with 11 inches of ice. Still alot of snow cover on the ice. Still a pretty good year for ice fishing off Presque Isle.

Big Bluegill Off Presque Isle

Went out in the early morning today. Headed off the 4th parking lot. Very slow bite. Only thing biting were the bluegill. Bluegill were huge though. Landed 5 very nice heavy gills. Bites were light and few to be found. Was a very nice day to be out with very little wind and temps rising in the 30's.

Perch Hitting Off Chestnut Street Launch In Erie

Went out at first light today to chase the perch. Made several moves till I found them. Ended up with 17 keepers. Threw back several dinks. All fish were in the 8-10 inch range except one. Landed a monster Jumbo fresh from the Lake at just under 15 inches. A real fight, thought I had a walleye on. Ice was a good 12 inches. Steady West wind, with a overall steady bite. Fish were cooperative till about 1:00. Overall a good day, will try again soon.

Slab Crappies At Misery Bay

Ventured out on the ice today on a very frigid morning. Northeast winds blew strong throughout the morning. Ruff setting up the hut, and was very hard to move around. Decided to stay put and try to stay warm and make the best of it. Caught a mix of fish including crappie, bluegill, perch, and smelt. Ice was a good 10 inches of clear ice. Will be heading out next weekend.