Lake Erie, 1-4 April 2025
Dave, Troy, Rob, Rich and I went out on the water Sunday afternoon for a while between Kelley's and South Bass Island in clean and lightly stained water with a 15 mph South wind. We trolled with the waves ranging from 1 to 1.7 mph. The amount of line we were letting out had a wide range from 40 to 175 foot. Jayda's custom black chrome and black gold bandits caught fish. We fished in water depth ranging from 27 to 34 foot. Dave landed a nice fat 28 1/2 inch walleye. The water temp was 43.5 deg and the air temp was 56 deg. It was partly cloudy and the barometric pressure was 29.77 and dropping. We came in with 13 walleye.
Monday we got another late start and struggled a bit. We fished for a few hours a little closer to Kelly's and caught 9 walleye with Troy catching his personal best (PB) which was a very fat 28 incher that could have looked very nice on the wall. We let out 145 to 150 foot of 12 pound mono with speeds from 1.5 to 2 mph. There was a 16 mph West wind. Water temp was 44 deg with an air temp of 42 deg and partly cloudy. the barometric pressure was rising at 29.73. The black chrome and black gold bandit colors worked best,
Tuesday, April 1st, we started fishing at Rattle Snake and caught a few nice sized walleye. After the bite slowed down and we received a call that the fish were biting near Kelly's so we moved over there and started catching fish right away at 12:30. We trolled at speeds from 1.5 to 2 mph. There was an 11 mph North to Northeast wind. Water temp was 41 deg with an air temp of 33 deg and partly cloudy. the barometric pressure continued to rise at 30.22. We let out 50 to 85 foot and of 12 pound mono with speeds from 1.3 to 1.8 mph. Jayda's custom black chrome helped Rich land his new PB which was a big fat walleye just under 29 inches, Black chrome, blue chrome, gold and orange, and black and gold bandit colors worked best, We caught 5 walleye in just two minutes from 2:30 to 2:32. We ended the day with 25 walleye ranging from 19 to 28 3/4 inches.
Wednesday we were not able to get on the water due to the high winds and thunderstorms.
Thursday was tough fishing after the extreme weather. A lot of water was was stirred up and looked like chocolate milk. We marked hundreds of fish in the dirty water near Kelly's Island. It was mostly cloudy and we had a 16 mph west wind. The water temp was 43 deg and the air temp was 52 deg's. The barometric pressure was rising at 29.86. From 11:00 to 5:00 we only caught 8 walleye and Rob caught a nice steelhead. We caught all good sized fish with the smallest at 20 inches and Troy caught the largest one at 28 1/2. We let out 60 to 135 foot of line going from 1.1 to 1.9 mph. We used coconut candy, pink lemonade, and blue chrome bandits along with blue chrome dead eyes. We met up and shared information back and forth with Dave from Minot, North Dakota who shared some very delicious homemade walleye egg rolls with us. Click on the link and try the recipe. https://www.scheels.com/e/recipe/homemade-walleye-egg-rolls/
Friday was a struggle in the morning, We started near Kelley's and Middle Island and marked a lot of fish again in dirty water and nothing in clean water. Rich caught a nice fish in dirty water. We finally moved in the afternoon Southeast of Green Island and started catching fish right away. We started at Green Island and trolled with the waves with a 14 mph East Northeast wind. The water temp was 44 deg's and the air temp was 42 deg's. At the end of the day the water surface temp was 47 deg's. The barometric pressure started off rising at 30.35 and when we finished was dropping at 30.28. We trolled at from 1.1 to 1.7 with occasional speed ups. Most fish were caught letting out 70-115 foot of 12 lb mono. Pink, purple, orange, green, and white along with black and gold were good colors. We had one fish under 20 inches and the biggest was 27 1/2 inches.
Lake Erie, 7-11 April 2025
Ken, Michelle, Kyle and I started fishing Monday between Kelley's and South Bass Island in lightly stained water with a 14 mph South, Southwest wind. We trolled with and against the waves ranging from 1 to 2 mph. The amount of line we were letting out ranged from 40 to 65 foot. Jayda's custom black chrome and black gold bandits caught fish. We fished in water depth ranging from 27 to 34 foot. Michelle caught her new personal best right off the bat with a nice 28 inch walleye. The water temp was 44 deg and the air temp was 38 deg. It was partly cloudy and the barometric pressure was 29.80 and dropping. We came in early with 11 good sized walleye. Our smallest fish was 22 1/2. We used pink, orange, white, and yellow bandits.
Tuesday, April 8th, we started fishing in the afternoon East of South Bass Island and caught a few more nice sized walleye. We trolled at speeds from .9 to 1.5 mph. There was an 15 mph Northeast wind with 20 mph gusts. The water temp was 43 deg with an air temp starting at 32 deg and partly cloudy. The barometric pressure was steady at 30.14. We let out 70 to 95 foot of 12 pound mono. Reflection and pink, orange, and yellow bandit colors worked best, We came in with 15 walleye and Kyle landed a 28 and a 27 1/2 with Michelle getting a couple 27 1/2's and a 27.
Wednesday was a fairly calm day with a 5 mph south wind. It was partly cloudy and the air temp was 34 deg's and the water temp was 45 deg's. The barometric pressure was rising at 30.27. We fished in stained water on the southwest corner of Kelly's Island. We started catching fish right away while we were setting up. Most of the fish were caught letting out 60 to 90 foot of line. We got a couple out at 115 foot. Most colors of bandits worked including the grandkids custom colored purple and blue. Red and white dead eye lures also worked well. We came in with a limit of walleye and Michelle had the biggest at 27 inches.
Thursday was a rough day of fishing again for many fishermen including us. It was mostly cloudy and we had a 15 mph east wind with 18 mph gusts with some pretty good sized waves. The water temp was 45 deg and the air temp was 40 deg's. The barometric pressure was steady at 30.02. We caught all good sized fish with the smallest at 20 3/4 inches and once again Michelle caught the largest one at 27 1/2. We let out 50 to 120 foot of line going from .8 to 2.1 mph. We used multiple colors of bandits again with reflection catching two fish. We came in with 9 fish.
Friday was a much better day and we fished in the chute between North and Middle Bass Islands. We trolled with and against the waves in a 14 mph north northeast wind. The water temp was 43.3 deg's and the air temp started at 37 deg's. The barometric pressure started off rising at 30.16. We trolled at from .9 to 1.5 mph with occasional speed ups. Most fish were caught letting out 65-90 foot of 12 lb mono. Pink, purple, orange, green, and white along with black and gold were good colors. We came in with 18 walleye and Ken got the biggest at 27 1/2 inches.
Lake Erie, 14-18 April 2025
Monday Loren, Rod, Troy, Mark, and I started setting up near the northwest corner of Kelley's Island and right away Mark caught his personal best walleye at 28 inches and was followed up with Rod landing his personal best at 26 3/4 inches. The fishing slowed down for us so we headed to the chute between North and Middle Bass Islands where we never caught a fish and then made another move in the afternoon to the southeast of Rattle Snake Island. We started catching fish right away and finished with Rod catching another personal best at 27 inches and Troy with his personal best at just over 25 inches. We ended up with 15 walleye and a steelhead. Loren also caught a nice smallmouth. The water was slightly stained with an 11 mph South, Southwest wind with gusts up to 19 mph. We trolled with and against the waves ranging from 1 to 1.7 mph. The amount of line we were letting out ranged from 55 to 75 foot. Loren caught two nice fish on Jayda's custom black and gold bandits. We fished in water depth ranging from 30 to 37 foot. The water temp was 44 deg and the air temp was 50 deg. It was partly cloudy and the barometric pressure was 29.68 and dropping. We used pink lemonade, blue chrome, orange, white, and yellow bandits. We ended the day with Rod improving his PB to 27 inches and Troy upgrading his PB to 25 1/4.
Tuesday, April 15th we did not get on the water due to the wind and weather.
Wednesday after another cold front, we went out near the south east end of South Bass Island in 18 mph northwest winds with gusts up to 24 mph. It was a slow bite and we came in with nine walleye. The water temp was 45 deg's and the air temp was 38 deg's. The heated cab was very comfortable! It was cloudy most of the day and the barometric pressure started at 30.06 and rising. The speeds varied due to the waves. We let out 55 to 75 foot and 115 to 125 foot of line using bandits. Troy improved his PB and reeled in a 29 1/2 inch walleye.
Thursday the weather finally calmed a bit but there was still a lot of dirty water. We fished in stained and dirty water between South Bass and Kelley's Island. It was mostly sunny with a south, southeast 7 mph wind with 10 mph gusts. The barometric pressure started out at 30.21 and rising. The average trolling speed was 1.2 to 1.7 letting out 55 to 85 foot of line . We also used a 2 oz weight at 35-25. Red and white, and humble bee bandits were the most productive. We came in with 20 walleye and Mark improved his personal best to 29 1/2.
Friday weather forecast called for high winds so we hung around the cabin for a while and decided to go try it out between the islands where there were four shades of water; muddy, dirty, stained, and clear. We caught fish in the dirty and stained water trolling between 1 and 1.7 mph pulling mostly bandits and a couple of dead eyes and walleye nations. We caught fish anywhere from 55 to 140 foot of line out. It was partly cloudy with a south, southwest wind at 18 mph. The water temp was 47 deg's and the air temp was 58 deg's. The barometric pressure started at 29.83 and was rising. We came in with 13 fish and Loren had the longest at 26 1/2 inches.
Lake Erie, 21-25 April 2025
Monday morning Paul, Tom, JT, Don, and I started fishing with a light rain near the northwest corner of Kelley's Island and JT started off with a nice walleye right after we set up. Don, JT, and Tom had a triple with all nice sized walleye. The fishing slowed way down after 2:00. We headed closer to the border and never caught another fish. We ended up with 18 walleye with the smallest at 19 1/2 inches. The water was stained with a 16 mph South wind with gusts up to 32 mph. We trolled with and against the waves ranging from .8 to 1.9 mph. The amount of line we were letting out ranged from 65 to 80 foot back along with a few 35-25 with 2 oz weights. We fished in water depth ranging from 33 to 37 foot. The water temp was 47.8 deg and the air temp ranged from 55 to 60 deg. It was cloudy and rainy with the barometric pressure at 29.85 and dropping. We used pink, purple, orange, white, and yellow bandits. The longest fish of the day was 27 1/2 inches.
Tuesday, April 22nd was a struggle day for us after another cold front. The water temp was 48 deg and the air temp dropped to 48 deg. It was sunny with a 13 mph west wind and 20 mph gusts. The barometric pressure started at 30.12 and rising. We caught one fish just under 20 and the longest was 26 inches. We mostly fished near the border and varied the trolling speed from 1 to 2.5 mph. We were all over the board with the amount of line out, we varied from 70 to 145 foot out.
Wednesday weather started out at 48 deg's and warmed up to 77 deg's. It was partly cloudy throughout the day, and the water temperature started at 49 deg's and warmed up to 56 deg's later in the afternoon. It was a fairly calm day with an 8 mph south, southwest wind with 15 mph gusts. The barometric pressure started at 30.17 and was rising. We caught a lot of bigger fish northeast of North Bass Island. We trolled from 1.2 to 2 mph letting out 65 to 100 foot of line using multiple colors of bandits. The largest fish of the day was 27 1/2 inches.
Thursday was a very light bite day, We lost a lot of fish on the way to or just at the boat. It was a nice sunny and calm day with 5 to 7 mph winds. The fish were more active in the morning and really seemed to shut down in the afternoon. We ended up with 19 good size walleye and Don caught the biggest one at 29 inches. We trolled with many different colors of bandits going right at 1.5 mph with occasional slowdowns and speed surges. The fish were scattered at all depths. The water temp was 52 deg and the air temp also started out at 52 deg's. The barometric pressure was 30.18 and rising. We fished from Middle Bass to the border.
Friday morning started with light rain and a 6 to 7 mph northeast wind. The air temp was 59 deg's and the water temp was 54 deg"s. The barometric pressure was stable at 30.16. We trolled at 1.1 to 1.9 with a lot of up and down speed changes. Water depth varied from 32 to 49 foot. We let out 80 to 130 foot of line using bandits.
Lake Erie, 28 April-2 May
Monday morning Randy, Kevin, Nolan, Jim, and I headed to the northeast corner of Kelley's Island after trying the chute for an hour with nothing biting. The water was lightly stained with an 11 to 16 mph Southeast wind. We switched one side to spinner rigs with crawlers with a 2 oz weight. The water temperature warmed up to 53 deg's and the air temp started at 51 deg's. We caught fish trolling from 1 to 1.7 mph letting 75 to 80 foot of line out. We fished in water depth ranging from 32 to 45 foot. It was sunny with a steady barometric pressure at 30.27. We used sunspot, and black and red bandits, and silver spinners. The longest fish of the day was 26 1/2 inches.
Tuesday, April 29th was a very windy day. We went out around ten o' clock and caught a couple fish on sunspot bandits and decided to come back in.
Wednesday we decided to leave all the lures back at the cabin and set up with only spinners and crawlers. The air temp started out at 44 deg's and the water temperature started at 53 deg's. There was a 13 to 15 mph wind and sunshine. The barometric pressure started at 30.20 and was rising. We trolled from .9 to 1.5 mph with many different colors of spinners. We let out 40 to 75 foot of line.
Thursday we started catching fish right away on the northeast corner of South Bass Island and after a couple of hours we moved over by Sugar Island. It was a cloudy day with 14 mph winds and 20 mph gusts. We had a dozen good size walleye when we started to see lightning and headed in right before it started downpouring. We trolled with silver, pink, purple, and gold spinners going .9 to 1.5 mph with occasional slowdowns and speed surges. The water temp was 53 deg and the air temp was 55 deg's. The barometric pressure was 29.87 and dropping.
Friday, May 2nd we started fishing 1 mile west of Kelley's Island out from the tower. There was a 12 to 18 mph west, southwest wind. The air temp was 57 deg's and the water temp was 54 deg"s. The barometric pressure was rising at 29.80. We trolled at 1.1 to 1.7 with a lot of up and down speed changes. The water depth varied from 28 to 33 foot. We let out 30 to 45 foot of line using purple, pink, silver, gold, and green spinners with full crawlers. Jim started the day with catching his personal best walleye at 27 inches. It was getting close to 5:00 and we had 27 fish in the box. We just recounted and verified the number of fish and in just minutes we had 7 rods bending with fish on! We ended the day in a very exciting way and threw back extras.
