May Brings Great Fishing Options in Western Lake Erie

Wow, Mother Nature is catching up quickly here on the western end of Lake Erie. We had a great April with lots of successful anglers due to the high population of walleye in the lake right now. Prime fishing weather is here and leading us right into summer. It seems like this time of year we have so many options for fishing on Lake Erie that the prime spring spawn bites come and go fast. As we fish in May, the western basin walleye bite will be getting good for big post spawn fish. Many fish that have already spawned are being caught now by anglers trolling off the reef complex edges all the way to Mouse Island, Rattlesnake Island and the Green Island area. Areas such as these along with the upper cans of the Camp Perry firing range (A-B-C Cans) will continue to produce well for the next few weeks for trolling anglers.

Trolling cranks such as Deep Walleye Bandits, deep diving Husky Jerks, Reef Runners, the new tuned “Reef Stalker”, and the new Bill Lewis Precise Walleye Crank in natural colors, along with pinks, and purples should produce well when run about 40-100 feet behind planer boards.

Early in the month, in the early mornings, a good amount of the walleye will still hang around the reef areas waiting for a hair jig to hop by to bite. Colors such as purple, yellow, and John Deere green are colors that are always good and don’t be afraid to tip your jig with a piece of worm as we transition into the worm bite. As the month moves on and the water temperature increases, a good worm harness and bottom bouncer bite will pick up for drift & cast anglers. The fish off the reef edges will still bite in this transition and “drifters” should also look to fish the island area for migrating walleye. As for the Maumee and Sandusky rivers, most of the walleye will be moving out and the white bass and many other species will be moving in. The white bass are a fun fish to catch and are good table fare if only a few are kept and eaten fresh. Bass fishing will be heating up for small mouth and largemouth. You can expect the bass to be shallow soaking up the warmth before summer sets in. May is my favorite month for springtime crappies as well. shallow marinas or fishing the Sandusky Bay rip rap or some structure in the rivers may fill a basket for you. Overall, spring brings us a lot of fishing action on the west end of Lake Erie, if you like to fish, get out and chances are, you will be catching and not fishing!

Article by: Capt. Jonny Fickert. He can be reached at Sea Breeze Charters, 877-616-7780 (seabreezecharters.com).

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May is one of the toughest months that anglers have when making the decision on which species of fish to pursue, since they all are now fully-active. Walleyes, which number over 90 million in Lake Erie this season, stretch this month from West Sister to the islands and beyond. According to Captain Mark Cahlik, of Mark IV Charters in Port Clinton, they are “stupid-easy” to be caught this month by casting or trolling. However, other common species that can divert attention include White bass, Smallmouth bass, yellow perch, Channel catfish and bullheads, multiple species of sunfish, suckers and even carp.

Less common, thus less pursued species of fish that can be added to a life-list might also include Bigmouth buffalo, Longnose gar, Bowfin (Dogfish), and a handful of other, even less well-known inhabitants.

White bass can be caught in stringer-busting numbers in the Maumee, Sandusky, and Portage Rivers and as they school along the rocky island and mainland shorelines.

Smallmouth and Largemouth bass have a restricted season during May, but many anglers target them for catch and release while they concentrate in shallow water during their nesting season.

To accommodate anglers who catch a trophy bass, the Ohio Division of Wildlife allows 1 (Black) bass over 18-inches to be possessed during May and most of June - traditionally the most popular period of time to pursue Lake Erie Smallmouths.

With the resurgence of aquatic vegetation habitat, as a result of Zebra mussels filtering algae and sediments from the water column, Largemouth bass numbers have been increasing and anglers have taken notice and have been targeting them more often.

Yellow perch can be found lingering around the reefs and underwater island structures after completing their spawning in late April or early May, depending upon water temperatures.

The rivers and bays team with Channel catfish which migrate to locations where they can find nooks and crannies to spawn into under the watchful eyes of the males.

All of the larger rivers provide numerous public access points, private shorelines, and places to pull off the road and soak a hook baited with worms, shrimp or other favorite offerings for them and their whiskered relatives, including bullheads and Stonecats.

White, Quillback and Redhorse suckers, Carp and an occasional Goldfish are all willing biters in many of these same locations.

Consistently catching Longnose gar takes a little more planning. One of the best techniques involves using a lead-head jig that has a thick hair or combed rope tail. Having the hundreds of teeth entangled with these materials has proven to be more effective than getting a hook into the bony jaws of these prehistoric fish.

Crappies, Bluegill, Rock bass and other sunfish form dense spawning beds in shallow, protected shorelines, and marshes, which also host primitive Bowfin. It is really hard to narrow down which species of fish to pursue in May. I have caught all of the above in May, but not ever all in the same year!

Article by: John Hageman. He now writes approximately 125 articles per year after retiring from the Ohio Sea Grant/Stone Laboratory - The Ohio State University’s Lake Erie biology station at Put-In-Bay.

Photo: Sunfish - (top to bottom) Bluegill, Pumpkinseed and Rock bass are close to shore in May (John Hageman)