Walleye Fishing

Port Clinton is considered by most to be the “Walleye Capital of the  World."  Unlike many other states and inland Walleye Lakes, the Ohio  portion of Lake Erie does not have a closed season on Walleye.  Liberal  limits and year round fishing is a testament to the abundance of Walleye  that Lake Erie has to offer. 

According to ODNR 41 million 2 year old and older  walleye are in Lake Erie right now. These numbers do not reflect 2018 Walleye ALL Time Record Hatch.

Starting after ice out, which is usually late March or early April we start jig fishing we can  easily catch a walleyes when the  conditions are right. This time of year the walleye are the shallowest they will be all year typically less then 10 feet of water.  We drift fish our favorite reefs and spawning  areas where the walleye are gathered in massive schools spawning. 

After the spawn is over and the water temp rises over 50 degrees, walleye move to deeper open waters and start feeding aggressively so we switch tactics.  The walleye spread out in large schools or small pockets.  They follow the bait fish - usually small shad,minnows, etc.  Lake Erie is generally flat-bottomed away from the island and reefs.  The bottom is made up of sand or clay, and the fish will usually be suspended from 20 to 25 feet down in 32 feet of water. 

There are two totally different tactics we use. The first is trolling spoons, crank baits and worm harnesses. This tends to be the most productive method for catching limits of walleye.

The second method we use to catch Lake Erie walleye is "drifting" or  "Casting." This is the traditional  Lake Erie style of fishing which has been used for decades. This is the style of we started out using, casting Erie Dearies. Nowadays we rarely use cast worm harnesses instead of Erie Dearies although the method. "Casting" is more hands-on and lets you feel the fish strike.