Pelee Island

[dannyboy]

We are taking Monday off to make a long weekend and heading to Pelee Island for some biking, swimming and hanging out.

We are taking fishing gear but not a boat; would anyone have hints for shore fishing on the island?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Dan

[MCTFisher9120]

Hey i fish from shore 99% of the time. If there are pads cast to them, same goes for rocks just under the surface and chances are if you are bringing in weeds from under the surface switch and go weedless or do a little topwater action on them, cast down the shore line vertically and depending on the stuff you are using you will do just fine. Lot's of people in boats cast to shore anyway meanwhile we are already there. Best of luck fishing!

[wpoplar]

You can fish off the docks at Scudder on the North side of the island where the ferry comes in or the ferry dock on the West side of the island. Worms are OK, but minnows are better. I don't know if you can buy minnows (Lake Erie Shiners) on the island, but I doubt it. Preserved minnows would be OK. Crayfish would be great for smallmouth bass. I have caught smallmouth fishing right off the beach on the Southwest point of the island using silver ratltraps. The smallmouth season may not yet be open on Lake Erie - you can catch them, but not keep them. Practically the entire East side of the island has a shallow sandy beach. You can wade right in and fish for White Bass in the evenings with small spinners (Mepps or Roostertails). The prevailing winds on Lake Erie are from the West and the waters on the East side are usually calm. If the winds are out of the East you won't be able to fish the beach there. The flys can be really bad so take fly repellant. The best fly repellant I have found is Skin So Soft (I think from Avon) or Basic H (a liquid soap) from Shaklee. Mix the Basic H and water in equal parts in a spray bottle. I have found the Basic H mixture will actually kill flys - I haven't found any commercial insect product to match it. I hope you catch some fish - please give us a report when you get back.

[kentooley]

You can't target oos fish regardless of whether your keeping them or not!!

[wpoplar]

I didn't realize that and I certainly don't condone breaking the law, but smallmouth will hit just about any bait you use for walleye, perch, white bass, or even catfish. Sheepshead and white perch love crayfish. Any of these fish can be caught in Lake Erie, especially fishing from a dock. Off the beach smallmouth will hit the same artificial lures you would use for white bass. In a boat smallmouth will hit the same lures you would use for walleye, especially in reef areas. In the waters around Pelee Island, a much greater threat to the bass fishery are the commercial fishermen. On the Eastern shore I have seen nets laid right up to the beach that extend East for miles. I have seen the bay South of Dick's Marina on the South side of the island littered with dead smallmouth that were discarded by commercial boats whose nets know no season.

[dannyboy]

Thanks for the help, bass opens this weekend so that should be the end of OOS for a bit.

 

Dan