Hunting big Erie fall smallmouth

Puggz

Puggz

Well-Known Member
I'm sure almost everyone here knows about the 10.15 lb smallie caught last November around Pelee Island so I got to thinking that after looking at the charts the area around Port Maitland looks like it could hold some monsters. Coming out of Kitchener, its a fairly short drive.

Thoughts?

P.Gallagher1.jpg
 
Never fished port Maitland, but been out many times on the eastern basin , Buffalo/ Fort Erie
Never got a 10 plus but my biggest from there is 6.1 pounds
Also Port Colborne got some rock aria
 
The entire northeast shore east of LP is pretty much the same thing. If you've fished Buffalo/Fort Erie or Port Colborne, you know how to fish Maitland or Nanticoke.

Just check https://webapp.navionics.com/ for all the top secret honey holes that you absolutely are not allowed to know about. Then post reports here including locations and get crucified.

Good luck!
 
Those with honeyhole locations have gotten pretty secretive 🤫 and depending on who you talk to, perhaps justifiably so. As a kid, I remember you couldn’t drop a splitshot with a worm over the side of a boat almost anywhere in the bay and not get rewarded with a few decent-sized bass. It seems that sustained pressure on the species for too many years has contributed to declining numbers for a few decades now. I hear the term “over-harvested” used by the few bass tournament fishermen that I have met. The situation seems to have relegated the large numbers of these bass to a few select places that have ideal conditions and can be harder to find or get to and there is almost surely fear that if these places become too well known, the ones in those locations will suffer the same fate. I hate to bring up ” regulation” but if we don’t police ourselves to sustain the resource, someone else will - Enjoyment v.s. Exploitation. Maybe a strict “catch and release” policy is the way to go for a while.

I am not saying it’s purely a sport fishing issue either. The lake biology has had a number of hits in the last 40 years or so too. The introduction of zebra mussels and the bass nest-raiding round goby are 2 things that no doubt contributed to declining stocks. It’s a very complex problem with no easy solution. I don’t blame those who are a bit secretive/protective with that sort of information. I have pretty much quit targeting them myself. Once in a while, before walleye and rainbow switch on, I will go and see if I can topwater fish for some largies (so much fun to fish) but I don’t keep either longer than it takes to take a pic and put them back. Just my $0.02🤷🏻

Ahh the good ol’ days🙄
 
Puggz said:
I'm sure almost everyone here knows about the 10.15 lb smallie caught last November around Pelee Island so I got to thinking that after looking at the charts the area around Port Maitland looks like it could hold some monsters. Coming out of Kitchener, its a fairly short drive.

Thoughts?

P.View attachment 79306
Click to expand...
One of the best spots in Erie and its largely unfished for bass. Mohawk Island offers world class bass fishing where a 4 pounder doesn't even raise an eyebrow. I have fished this area for years and the fish tend to come shallower making it even more fun .
 
jerk bait said:
One of the best spots in Erie and its largely unfished for bass. Mohawk Island offers world class bass fishing where a 4 pounder doesn't even raise an eyebrow. I have fished this area for years and the fish tend to come shallower making it even more fun .
Click to expand...
And the Walleye fishing is deadly there also if you can figure the setup out.
Way better then dragging all that Tuna gear around for small fish. (y)
Walleye and Sheep fight like hell catching them shallow.(y)
 
I was talking to a gentlemen at Canadian tire about a year ago who works or volunteers for the long point anglers association. He believes that bass opener should be pushed back a week. Asked about catch and release and he said that was another option. The smallmouth season in the bay has not been great the past two to three years. I have read a book about the Great Lakes and it is kind of sad what has happened over the past 50 years with the lakes. Shipping, and reclaimed land for farming in Ohio have put a hurt on the lake.
 
jerk bait said:
One of the best spots in Erie and its largely unfished for bass. Mohawk Island offers world class bass fishing where a 4 pounder doesn't even raise an eyebrow. I have fished this area for years and the fish tend to come shallower making it even more fun .
Click to expand...
Wow thanks - so that just out (South East) from Port Maitland, correct? BTW, where is the best boat ramp in the area for a 21' glass bass boat?

Thanks in advance :)

P
 
Fish Farmer said:
And the Walleye fishing is deadly there also if you can figure the setup out.
Way better then dragging all that Tuna gear around for small fish. (y)
Walleye and Sheep fight like hell catching them shallow.(y)
Click to expand...
Weedlines in about 12 to 16 feet around Mohawk works well!!! Yes lots of big sheepshead there too and you can sight fish for the big smallies .
 
Puggz said:
Wow thanks - so that just out (South East) from Port Maitland, correct? BTW, where is the best boat ramp in the area for a 21' glass bass boat?

Thanks in advance :)

P
Click to expand...
I use Mohawk marina . Great launch. You wouldn't have an issue .not sure if it's the closest ramp but works fine . You can't miss the island out there .
 
Reel-ist said:
Those with honeyhole locations have gotten pretty secretive 🤫 and depending on who you talk to, perhaps justifiably so. As a kid, I remember you couldn’t drop a splitshot with a worm over the side of a boat almost anywhere in the bay and not get rewarded with a few decent-sized bass. It seems that sustained pressure on the species for too many years has contributed to declining numbers for a few decades now. I hear the term “over-harvested” used by the few bass tournament fishermen that I have met. The situation seems to have relegated the large numbers of these bass to a few select places that have ideal conditions and can be harder to find or get to and there is almost surely fear that if these places become too well known, the ones in those locations will suffer the same fate. I hate to bring up ” regulation” but if we don’t police ourselves to sustain the resource, someone else will - Enjoyment v.s. Exploitation. Maybe a strict “catch and release” policy is the way to go for a while.

I am not saying it’s purely a sport fishing issue either. The lake biology has had a number of hits in the last 40 years or so too. The introduction of zebra mussels and the bass nest-raiding round goby are 2 things that no doubt contributed to declining stocks. It’s a very complex problem with no easy solution. I don’t blame those who are a bit secretive/protective with that sort of information. I have pretty much quit targeting them myself. Once in a while, before walleye and rainbow switch on, I will go and see if I can topwater fish for some largies (so much fun to fish) but I don’t keep either longer than it takes to take a pic and put them back. Just my $0.02🤷🏻

Ahh the good ol’ days🙄
Click to expand...
My opinion is that the goby is the best thing that ever happened for smallies, Erie is a world class SM fishery, it's never been better. There is no where for a goby to hide inside the inner bay, so why should we expect smallies to be there outside of the spawn. The water is clearer now than ever which allows the bass to spawn in deeper water. Last friday I was on top of a school on a flat in 30-35 fow.
 
Lachine60 said:
I was talking to a gentlemen at Canadian tire about a year ago who works or volunteers for the long point anglers association. He believes that bass opener should be pushed back a week. Asked about catch and release and he said that was another option. The smallmouth season in the bay has not been great the past two to three years. I have read a book about the Great Lakes and it is kind of sad what has happened over the past 50 years with the lakes. Shipping, and reclaimed land for farming in Ohio have put a hurt on the lake.
Click to expand...
Really? Lake Erie was declared a "dead lake" in the 60s due to eutrophication. It was bad enough that Dr. Seuss even called it out in a kids book, and you're saying that in 1973 (50 yrs ago) it was better than it is today?

"During the 1960s, Lake Erie was declared a “dead lake” due to eutrophication and pollution. The children’s book, The Lorax, written by Dr. Seuss, actually included the following line referring to fish: “They will walk on their fins and get woefully weary in search of some water that isn’t so smeary. I hear things are just as bad in Lake Erie.” Fortunately, as the conditions in Lake Erie improved, the line was removed from future editions of the book."
 
anonymoose said:
Really? Lake Erie was declared a "dead lake" in the 60s due to eutrophication. It was bad enough that Dr. Seuss even called it out in a kids book, and you're saying that in 1973 (50 yrs ago) it was better than it is today?

"During the 1960s, Lake Erie was declared a “dead lake” due to eutrophication and pollution. The children’s book, The Lorax, written by Dr. Seuss, actually included the following line referring to fish: “They will walk on their fins and get woefully weary in search of some water that isn’t so smeary. I hear things are just as bad in Lake Erie.” Fortunately, as the conditions in Lake Erie improved, the line was removed from future editions of the book."
Click to expand...
great read and info.

It helps Lake Erie a lot that it practically drains every 2+ years because it's a relatively shallow lake for its surface area and Lake Ontario is the beneficiary of all the pollutants that exit Lake Erie.

I always find the wording that governments use, such as "cleaning up" the lake, an odd way to describe their environmental enforcement initiatives.
 
Bandwagon said:
My opinion is that the goby is the best thing that ever happened for smallies, Erie is a world class SM fishery, it's never been better. There is no where for a goby to hide inside the inner bay, so why should we expect smallies to be there outside of the spawn. The water is clearer now than ever which allows the bass to spawn in deeper water. Last friday I was on top of a school on a flat in 30-35 fow.
Click to expand...
They certainly feast on gobies but most do. I have cleaned rainbows browns pike largemouth perch and walleye stuffed full of round gobies . They certainly didn't have the impact that was predicted.
They are a slow swimmer and easy to catch for predatory fish . Its not uncommon for smallies to use deepr offshore structure at this time of year but it's also common to catch them in 4 to 8 feet as well in early September. Sight fishing for black footballs is fun. Try a jerkbait !!
 
My last opportunity is going to be the week after Canadian thanksgiving. And depending on my work load and conditions, I'll take a day off during the week.
 
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