shore fishing the current

[huzzsaba]

I head out to fort Erie a few days ago partly because I was itching to go for a drive as the weather is nice, and partly because I heard good things about Niagara river fishing. Upon arriving there, I noticed that the water current is very similar to that at Port Dalhousie where it flows one way along one shore and the other way on the side with the water in between having relatively less flow.

 

Anyways I cast into it as far as I could (probably 60 feet) with my 6.6 ft rod and even after adding 3 oz of weight on my pickeral rig, it would quickly drift back to shore . I figured 3 oz was too heavy to be casting continuously so I left just a 1 oz sinker on it and cast to my 10 oclock and slowly started reeling in bottom bouncing it the whole way back

 

I'm Not sure if this is the only way to fish the current. I found a lot of holes in the ground where people obviously would stake their rods waiting for a bite, but how exactly do they do that when it will just flow back to shore. Or they use some other type of setup or heavier sinker?

 

In the end, I saw a lot of fish surfacing (not sure what they were) but didn't catch anything in the hour I was there.

 

 

Thanks

[scuro2]

Water current does attract predators because baitfish can be confused and out of their comfort zone in such water. Will baitfish travel on the bottom? That could be a dangerous place if predators are there and you limit one dimension of escape with the bottom of the lake.

 

Could others be bottom bouncing? Yeah you could throw a giant weight and let bait dangle. The weight itself would set the hook...or you could use a weight that slowly moves with the current. Cast out and reel in when it is close to shore, your cover a lot of ground that way. Another option would be to cast heavy low profile spoons out and slowly reel in picking up your line until you are near shore. If the spoon looks like the target fish that should work.

Edited May 21, 2016 by scuro2

[manitoubass2]

Whatcha fishing for?

 

I shore fish bass pike and walleye from shore in heavy current alot.

 

If your after those fish I certainly can help

[huzzsaba]

Thanks for the tips. Manitoubass, I was mainly looking for walleye since I heard they are usually in the area.

[manitoubass2]

Thanks for the tips. Manitoubass, I was mainly looking for walleye since I heard they are usually in the area.

How heavy is the current(im unfamiliar with the area)

 

But if 1oz will keep ya snug on bottom...

 

Im not a fan of pickeral rigs or bottom bouncing. Does it work? Yes, but its often slow and boring.

 

Id be looking at some cranks and jig/plastic combos and getting more aggressive

 

You can cover waaay more water, and you can play with speed, depth, etc

 

Ill offer abit more if I can but im still half in a coma

[huzzsaba]

How heavy is the current(im unfamiliar with the area)

 

But if 1oz will keep ya snug on bottom...

 

Im not a fan of pickeral rigs or bottom bouncing. Does it work? Yes, but its often slow and boring.

 

Id be looking at some cranks and jig/plastic combos and getting more aggressive

 

You can cover waaay more water, and you can play with speed, depth, etc

 

Ill offer abit more if I can but im still half in a coma

I am pretty sure I had 3 oz at one point and it still was able to push it back to shore. I think your idea of using a jighead is probably what I will try next time.

[manitoubass2]

Well the thing is not to keep the bait stable(at least for me)

 

I use the current to get action on my presentation.

 

So I cast to 9 or 10 oclock, count down till it hits bottom, then I start retrieving. Sometimes with pops, twitches, jiging motions, depending on the lure/bait.

 

With plastic cast to 10 or 11 oclock, and beging the retrieve at 1 or 2 oclocks and that current imparts action and helps get your lure down quick

[OhioFisherman]

I used to cross at the Fort Erie Peace Bridge and take the road alongside the river on our trips to the falls. Sometimes we would stop at one of the pull offs there and take a closer look at the river, that current is pretty impressive!

 

As I recall there were places were you could see weeds in the water (summer-fall), so the water couldn't have been all that deep? Less than 15 feet?

 

If you're after walleye, and this early in the year? There is probably not a good reason for them to be parked on the bottom? It's not like the water is warm?

 

Try casting a heavier jig and grub tipped with a piece of crawler or minnow?

[dave524]

There is a fishing store called " Fishin Niagara" right on the Parkway in Fort Erie, the owner is an excellent fisherman, he will give you some pointers I'm sure. There are several places I run my float rod there and waded when younger, lots of access, just need to do some more legwork.

Edited May 22, 2016 by dave524

[mike rousseau]

Cranks cranks jigs cranks lol

 

A lot of guys fish from shore below the Hyde dam here in Cornwall for walleye and they all cast cranks in the heavy current and some cast jigs in the back eddies

 

The fact that your rig is moving isn't a bad thing... Walleye are predators so they aren't shy to chase a bait... I wouldn't expect to leave a rig still on bottom and light em up.... What if the fish are 25 feet left or right of the rig?

 

The key is fan casting the entire area... And if your out after dark you may be surprised how close to shore the walleye really are

[manitoubass2]

Good points mike!

 

Whats the water depth like mike/huzzsaba???

 

Structure etc?

Edited May 22, 2016 by manitoubass2

[huzzsaba]

Good points mike!

 

Whats the water depth like mike/huzzsaba???

 

Structure etc?

Not too sure on the water depth. I was only there for a hour and that was the first time, but the current is pretty strong even though it seems like its not moving much. Next time I will try casting and retrieving some heavier jigs and spoons.

[manitoubass2]

Cast out a 3/8 oz jig or a 1 oz jig and count down how long till it hits bottom. That will give you and idea of depth.

 

Then like mike mentioned, fan cast all the way around, count it down, and look for slight or major changes in depth.

 

Use braided line if ya can and it should help paint a mental picture of the bottom structure. With braid youll feel rock, mud , sand, old vegetation etc.

 

If ya can find a depth variation with a change in bottom structure,sand to rock or something, thats a good sign fish will be around

.

 

And again, like mike said, early early morning or evening dont be surprised if your getting bit on the retrieve in 2 to 4ft of water. Walleye will come right up on shore at in dim light situations

[Old Ironmaker]

It's the head end of Niagara River where Erie dumps over The Falls and into Ontario eventually. To say the current is strong is an understatement. The last thing I want to do there is bottom bounce a heavy weight unless it is a wire bottom bouncer. That is a sure fire way to loose tackle bouncing bottom with a heavy bolt. I want my presentation just up from the bottom casting upstream and letting it drift downstream eventually getting to the shoreline including a 1 OZ wire bouncer. You will be more successful using a crankbait and working it the way you are. You didn't catch a fish because you only spent an hour fishing. I would have 6 rods or more prepped with all manners of bait and colours switching up as you go including a live minnow on a floating jig head. The fish surfacing were most likely Smallies or Steelhead feeding on Mayflies. There is slack water behind Nickols Marina in Ft. Erie along the wall. I see guys in boats fish that shoreline from the boats as well as guys working bait from shore.

 

An hour just isn't enough time to work an area. L.P.P. location, population, presentation. You have the first 2 for sure, now figure out the last key element.

 

edit: check your regs for Zone 19 on page 91 of the regs. There are Fish Sanctuary restrictions from June 1st to July 15th where you might want to fish, don't.

Edited May 24, 2016 by Old Ironmaker