Presentations
Through the years, it would be difficult to count the number of pages and opinions on lure presentations that have graced the pages of In-Fisherman publications, but the two best bets on the Great Lakes, to me, are crankbaits and spinners. Whether you’re fishing Michigan’s Big Bay de Noc in July or Ohio’s portion of Lake Erie in October, these two baits are always found in the tackle boxes of Great Lakes guides and tournament anglers alike. The difference is in how they’re using them.
The recent trend with all lures has been toward bigger baits. Reef Runner’s new 900 series, for example, looks better suited for muskies—yet it crushes walleyes. Another new bait that has promise is Sebile’s Koolie Minnow LL (long lip) models, which can dive to depths exceeding 40 feet, opening many new avenues for Great Lakes walleye hunters. As for spinners, Silver Streak cannot keep in stock their monster #6 to #8 Colorado and Indiana blades. Last spring alone, these blades won more than $200,000 in tournament checks. While big is good, so is going slow. The trend with both of these presentations has been to slow it down—in many cases, this means less than 1 mph. And it works.
Migrations
The best looking spinner or wildly painted crankbait, however, will have a hard time catching fish where there aren’t any. Sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be amazed at how much time is spent fishing where no self-respecting fish would think of going, when the best indicator for predicting Great Lakes walleye location is also the easiest: Water temperature. At one glance, water temperature can tell us both where the fish are, and what kind of mood they’re in. And fish mood largely determines presentation. Salmon fishermen are keenly aware that water temperature has an effect on fish, both vertically in the water column as well as horizontally in their geographic location. Lake Erie guides and charter captains can usually predict where walleyes are with near-pinpoint accuracy by just looking at a calendar, regardless of the lake, because walleyes all seem to possess a similar migration pattern.
During spring, when the fish are in their prespawn phase, they’ve migrated back from the deeper basins and wintered in the shallower basins and/or bays. This annual migration takes place from Lake Ontario’s Bay of Quinte to Lake Michigan’s Bays de Noc, to the Western Basin of Lake Erie; and while not all walleyes in a system partake of this migratory process, most do.
Look for walleyes in rivers, back bays, reefs, or other spawning grounds when the water temperature approaches 40°F. It’s at this time that the larger walleyes begin their spawning process. From an angling standpoint, prespawn fish are holding not far from the spawning grounds—on Lake Erie, for instance, this is the time to jig the Camp Perry firing range or the Maumee and Detroit rivers. At the same time, there can be a terrific pre- and postspawn trolling bite adjacent to the spawning grounds, typically on mudflats. On Lake Huron, fish have filtered back into Saginaw Bay and rivers such as the Titabawasee and Saginaw.
As the water temperatures hit the mid-50°F range, walleyes seem to disappear from these same rivers, bays, and spawning grounds. While many of these locations hold fish year-round in small numbers, now the majority move to deeper waters as they recover from spawning and are on the chase for food. At this opportune time, many patterns and locations will work, as fish have on the feedbag. A great place to begin is where enormous schools of baitfish have congregated over large basins and flats. And walleyes are constantly following the bait, which on a majority of the Great Lakes means they’re heading out to deeper water at this time of year.
When spring ends and summer approaches, oxygen levels in the water change as water temperatures increase. Walleyes now tend to favor shallow reefs or deep basins. On Lake Erie, they make a nearly 200-mile migration, chasing giant schools of bait into the deeper, cooler water; yet millions of walleyes remain in the Western Basin, often frequenting shallow reefs. This is when temperatures have peaked in the 70°F range, and the lake starts to cool off as fall approaches. Then the whole migration process goes into reverse.
You Can Do It
So, no need to be intimidated by the Great Lakes: Just remind yourself that 90 percent of the fish are in 10 percent of the water. And by understanding these five key factors, you’ll be in an excellent position to catch fish next time you head out. Do your homework, make your own fish calendar for your stretch of the Great Lakes, get the right equipment, and you’ll carve big waters into manageable bites in no time.
Capt. Ross Robertson operates Bigwater Guide Service on Lake Erie’s Western and Central basins, 419/ 283-7069, bigwaterfishing.com.
