Burns Outdoors

Erie Quest Charters 

FISHY BUSINESS

GUIDE SERVICE

June 8th 2009 

Fishing The Peak Of The Erie Walleye Bite

Serious walleye anglers throughout the Midwest eagerly look forward to the period from early June through mid-July. It's the annual peak of the Lake Erie walleye bite. Finished with spawning, Lake Erie walleyes are putting the feedbag on big time. They're tightly schooled, primarily related to roaming schools of Emerald Shiner minnows and other forage fish.

The past several days we fished in the deeper waters near the Canadian border and the Islands area. These prime-time walleyes were found roaming the wide-open spaces and flats...miles and miles from any shoreline. On my trip June 7th with A.J., Al Sr, Steve, and the crew from the Indy area, we boated 25 walleye on the first drift, after stopping the Erie Quest, 15 miles from shore, with no boats around for a mile or more. Two drifts and we were done. Of the 40+ walleye, 4 of these "toothy ones" were over 26 inches...all caught drifting-n-casting, gold bladed spinners with a 1/2 piece of worm. 110+ pounds of walleye in 4 hours!

A.J. shows why attention to the location of Walleye baitfish will catch you that plump Erie Walleye

Casting gold bladed weapons, mostly 3/4 oz, was the ticket! We observed many of these open water walleye to be suspended in the water column. We pulled three "Limits" of Lake Erie walleye with "10 and 15 counts"....sending several groups of Indiana fisherman back home very happy.
 

Kyle Ferguson shows off a pair of Lake Erie walleye caught aboard the Erie Quest

We did not catch a "limit" with one of the four groups I fished with over the past several days...but it didn't matter as this trip was about passing on a tradition and a way of life. I was extremely impressed with the kindness and coaching that Howard Ferguson (Howferg) gave two young boys on their Lake Erie fishing adventure with Erie Quest. My hat goes off to you Howard, watching you take the time to work with these boys, you did them a huge favor...taking them fishing! Fishing can be a sport that a child will continue for the rest of his or her life. Way to go Howard, this trip gave more memories than you will ever know!

A.J. , Al, and the crew from Centarl Indiana had a grerat day on Lake Erie, June 7 with Erie Quest Charters

Capt.s Tip:
Key to continued walleye fishing success is understanding all you can about the first fish you catch. In the case of Lake Erie walleye...it's find the roaming schools of baitfish and stick with them. Trust me... the walleye are close by and waiting! With that understood, you can formalize a game plan for the day, looking for similar areas that will hold baitfish.

Al shows why Erie walleyes like this are routine for walleye anglers in June

I was asked by a walleye angler, the the baits I was using - minnows or worms. I asked him if he had ever haeard about the "50-Degree Rule?" Basically, you choose night crawlers or worms for bait when the water is 50 degrees or higher. When the water is cooler than 50 degrees, use minnows. Currently, the water temperature is in the low-60's.

Early-summer walleye fishing is a great time of year to give just about any fishing technique a try on Lake Erie. Take time this month to put the some of these tips to work for you!

Capt. Rick

Richard T Gaston Memorial Tournament

DNR