OhioFisherman

LOL carp (pig fish!)I never intentionally fished for them, they were a by product of smallie fishing. We used to catch them on tubes smallie fishing in Sandusky Bay and East Harbor on Lake Erie. Water was usually fairly clear, if you got into a spot were the water was muddy with no apparent reason? a school of carp feeding, rooting in the bottom stirring things up. Hoovers dude! They will suck up anything! They got the crawfish moving around and that got the smallies hitting, by the carp would take them too, also took tubes. Set the hook on a 30-60 pound carp and hold on! Be prepared to follow with the electric motor. They have also been incidental catches in other waters, most of the time hooked in the lip, but occasionally snagged by accident. Sheephead were also an issue, for the most part the same diet and habitat as smallies, but a lot larger, you make 10 casts, catch 10 sheephead? time to move! they bully smallies out of an area.

#4 like mentioned bass will hit anytime of the day or night. Some lakes have a better time of day or night for the bite. Don`t get stuck on using a noisy surface lure at night, some of my best nights came with stealth, a jig and pig or a plastic worm or lizard.

http://www.paradisebaypark.com/ Uglyfish here is a link to the campground at Findley Lake, a smaller lake, less than 1000 acres but unlimited horsepower. The lake is owned by the property owners around it, but they have an agreement with the state that allows public access. Although the ramp by the corner store is closed on weekends to limit access. Launching on the weekends is still permitted at the campground. It has L/M and S/M in it and once you get used to fishing it a 19+ inch of either is possible, and you will probably need one to win a tournament there. Not a very deep lake, and quite weedy in spots. A bass factory, but a cold front can screw things up some. Presque Isle? A bay on Lake Erie, sort of says it all? A Tournament there can be won inside the bay or by venturing out onto the lake for smallies. A lot more water to fish and 5 pound fish of either species are pretty common, but for the smallies more often out in the main lake east of the bay.

Lake Chautauqua is a great lake, we used to have a two day event there every year, sometimes the club championship also. We had weigh ins were L/M and S/M exceeded 6 pounds. The lake is also known for Muskie, had a couple on there myself but didn`t land them. Another smaller lake about 20 miles away is Findley lake, no boat launch on the week ends unless you are staying at the campground though. A good tournament lake, not unusual to see 15-20 pound catches. Presque Isle state park about a 45 minutes away in PA is also a great place for a Tournament.

LMAO Wayne! that is a quick fix?

My favorite time was anytime I could get out! Actually most of my bigger bass have come between 10am and 2 or 3pm, though anytime of day for numbers. Pike? after dark I don`t bother, but most of the biggest ones were between 4pm and dark. Walleye? any time of day. Same with cats. Skis? I have had problems landing, but anytime for a hookup. I have been on the water at 6am and still out at dark, and gone out just before dark and still on the water a noon.

Just my view, it can be mixed bag fishing, in the Georgian bay we caught Pike, Gar pike, cats, bowfin, walleye, bass and lost skis using 6-8 chubs and suckers. What you are fishing for doesn`t relate to what you will catch. You have to get into a really out sized bait fish to limit what will eat it.

I usually made my own slip floats, smooth foam eggs from a craft shop, some maybe 3 inches in diameter? Big chubs and suckers are pretty strong swimmers, suckers tend to dive and want to be near the bottom. To small a float and they can keep it under water. Chubs will dive, but more into cruising when hooked for bait. Both can take out a lot of line wandering when hooked, and coating your line with dry fly dressing will keep it on the surface and not down in the submerged weeds, which can make it difficult to be sure you have enough slack or for a proper hook set. Never noticed a problem with bobber size for pike or skis, if they can take a 20 inch bass or walleye the weight of a bobber on the line doesn`t seem to bother them. A way to relax while fishing for me, throw out a big chub or sucker and let it do the work. I got to sit back and enjoy the scenery.

Just my own personal experience, if there is a big pike or ski hanging in an area you won`t find bass there. A struggling bass on a hook can be enough to attract them, seen bass that were attacked while being brought in.

A big bass jig 5/8 to 1 ounce or larger if you can find them, use the biggest pork trailer you can find, a pork O works, pork frog or even a 6 or 8 in lizard for a trailer. LOL Pike or a ski bump a jig a lot harder than a bass can and either will take a swing at them. A good lure for hopping along a deep weed edge or even thru mild to sparse weeds in deeper water. Even just a Carolina rig with an 8 inch lizard, cheap and effective.

LMAO, came across a guy fishing at a pond I was going to fish at and he had a bucket full of them. Look at all the rainbow trout I caught! Should be a species test before you fish? I have heard them called sunfish or pumpkinseeds, and that one is larger than normal. They tend to run a lot smaller in size than Bluegills.

I never stayed in the Park itself but went to Pointe Au Baril for 25 years or so, but it was 20 years ago. It was a beautiful area, no idea of how much it has changed. The park is way back off the Georgian Bay, which gives you a lot of sheltered water to fish, but also has you situated in the waters that probably get the most fishing pressure? As a kid I wandered around the waters in a 14 foot aluminum boat with a 5 hp motor on it. Slow, but better than rowing or paddling, lol motor size and boat size increased with age. The channel by Payne`s Marina is really the only way in or out by water and the boat size and amount of boat traffic going in and out increased over the years. A fairly wide channel and I am not really a fan of canoes, some of the wakes by the work boats could rock a tinny pretty good. Never really viewed it as a numbers place for pike or skis, but enough water and a mix of it so you always had a chance at a good fish and I don`t really consider pike or skis to be a good fish until they hit 40 inches.

Can`t help you up there Johnny, but some days hair jigs will out fish rubber skirt ones on rocks and gravel for smallies and largemouth, black, black and green, black and orange, black and blue, black and chartruse. Powder painted heads or an epoxy coat over paint with help the color stay on the head,

LMAO, windshield wipers work? Always hated wearing a motorcycle helmet at 70mph in the rain. Not very streamlined though, don`t think you could get enough motors on that ride to hit 70 mph. What part of west virginia are you from?

Congrats Connie and Norma! I never keep them that long, they get freezer burns!

The vast majority of them that I have hooked have come after I put down the heavy tackle and started bass fishing. Tough bite at a tournament at Lake Chautaqua in New York one year, I went small, 1/8 ounce spinnerbaits, no jigs over 3/8 of an ounce, LOL still no bass, but two 20+ pound muskies hooked. My uncle who was a muskie fisherman showed up for the weigh in, I had no idea he was there muslie fishing, with the proper tackle for them, he hadn`t had a hit in two days. Happens all the time with the guys I fished with, not many landed though, a bit different setting the hook on a muskie when you pitch a lure under a dock that a 3 or 4 pound bass. Like most of the guys I fish withed in tournaments we didn`t use steel leaders, little baits got a habit of being lost to teeth. LOL and in a tournament I didn`t care! Takes too much time trying to land one on light tackle.

Just my experiences, here in Ohio it is not illegal to use lights, and back in the day it was common practice for people to hang a Coleman lantern from the oar lock of the boat, they even sold them here. On lake Erie a light at night would attract Emerald Shiners, which would in turn attract other species of predatory fish, like White bass and walleye. If you get around docks, breakwalls that have lights on them? There are usually bait fish hanging out near the lights, it gives them a slight edge on the eat or be eaten deal? If there are lighted places in an area I am fishing at night they are worth a few casts. All that considered, do you need lights? In my opinion no, fished at night for 45 years or so. Lights do make it easier for you to see, but the fish don`t really need them. I have caught bass, walleye, panfish at night with no lights on lures that don`t seem like your idea night time lures, 1/8 ounce jigs, 4 inch plastic worms, and have actually had much better success using these types of lures at night than noisy surface lures. Some lakes seem to have a much better night bite than others, I have no idea why. I some lakes I have fished a point or area that can be smoking hot at night can shut down completely once boat traffic starts with the daylight. Some swimming areas can be red hot at night, usually ones with a sand and gravel mix, people during the day stir up the sand and gravel and get the baitfish food supply suspended and the crawfish moving. Other fish like cats don`t need lights, they hunt for food by smell, feel or motion.

Fished a two day bass tournament in New York years ago, with a blind draw for partners. 5 fish per day limit per boat, 12 inch minimum size, at the end of the tournament our boat had weighed in 10 bass, all caught by me, and we also had big bass of the tournament which we won. Dude they seem to be hitting this lure, would you like to use one? I have spares, no, I will keep trying these. Day two, dude, they don`t seem to be hitting what you are offering, we are in the lead, it would be nice to stay there? Would you like to try one of these lures? No. Dude, what is that you are smoking back there? oh, just what I thought. Not opposed to 420, not opposed, to a person having faith in his own methods, but if it isn`t working? accept that and show a little flexibility? LOL, at least the only help I needed was a net man?

Bernie, that happens on tractor trailers too, the fifth wheel has a pivot point, usually right above the tractors rear axles. The amount of spray from the road hitting there just corrodes the pin to the point it no longer provides a ground. Our mechanics would drill a hole and attach a piece of battery cable with ring connectors and bolts.

Cudz, if there is a big Mayfly hatch going on the fish may be stuffing themselves on them to the exclusion of anything else. The worst trip I ever had on the G/B was during one. You could see smallies and walleye rolling on the surface eating them, and the occasional bigger fish, pike or ski, grabbing a walleye or smallie.

Great pics,Erie smallies are always fun, when you find them. They can turn on suddenly in a spot. No idea why? bait fish entering an area? Beat up a spot for 8 hours or so one day and nothing, I was ready to call it quits for the day. Next cast got me one around 19 inches, thru a marker over and as long as I stayed with in 15-20 feet from that spot I had action from fish that size for the next half hour 45 minutes, then they shut down again. Some big drum in Erie, I got one once pushing 20 pounds, and was fishing with a friend that lost one that was probably bigger.

Great! one of my least favorite species! they compete with smallies for food. Now then, have you tried feeding the carp?

I never tried to get that much life out of a trolling motor battery. I replaced mine every 3 years. Probably a different situation for me, I regularly fished bass tournaments and the batteries got a workout. I wasn`t gambling a 150 buck entry fee on a bad battery. LOL and less inclined to have a problem fun fishing with family or friends. My boat didn`t have oar locks, required to carry a paddle, but I never wanted to try and row with that!

Personally I would go with the liquid electrical tape. They used it on the trailers at work. If you have ever seen a semi going down the road the electrical connections around the tandems are covered in water anytime there is a good rain. Any repairs our mechanics had to make usually involved a butt connector and liquid electrical tape. They didn`t bother with heat shrink tubing or regular electrical tape. Wal-Mart here in the States sells it, at least in my area.

Actually had one blow past the lure I was trolling and hit the transom mounted electric motor on my dads boat, might have been attracted by the reflective tape I put on the prop?