Musky Baits look terrible?

[AKRISONER]

4 hours ago, misfish said:

Wrong. Guys that fish Erie from bass boats,have rod holders rigged up. Do some research. I know,as I was on bass boats for 3 days on Erie with pros. Their set ups were very slick.

Can we really trust guys that choose to fish that featureless puddle above all of the other lakes in Ontario though?

I personally have never seen rod holders on a bass boat.

Edited July 6, 2019 by AKRISONER

[Sinker]

10 hours ago, AKRISONER said:

Can we really trust guys that choose to fish that featureless puddle above all of the other lakes in Ontario though?

I personally have never seen rod holders on a bass boat.

Again, close minded. You realize Erie is a world record class fishery, right? It even has world record sized bass for you. Some of the best anglers out there are running Ranger boats with more rod holders than I can count. Featureless bowl? Seriously? Dude, get out of your box. Precision trolling is an art that most will never understand.  

S. 

[craigdritchie]

11 hours ago, AKRISONER said:

Can we really trust guys that choose to fish that featureless puddle above all of the other lakes in Ontario though?

I personally have never seen rod holders on a bass boat.

Featureless? Seriously?

It's pretty clear you haven't spent any real time fishing Erie, or you wouldn't say such a thing. There's a ton of structure and cover if you know what to look for. The lake is an amazing place to fish, especially if you like big bass.

Not sure if they still run it or not but there used to be an opening weekend smallmouth tournament that ran out of Buffalo ... it was a two-fish limit and if you didn't have 12 - 13  pounds, you wouldn't even crack the top 10. The problem ... if you want to call it that ... was culling four and five pound smallies one after another, all day long, while trying to get a bigger limit. I can't think of too many other lakes in Ontario where you have that kind of trouble.

Walleye fishing on Erie is legendary. It coughs up some of the biggest muskies caught in Ontario every year. Summer trolling for steelhead is mind-boggling, and the east end of Erie has some of the biggest lake trout this side of Nunavut. It has jumbo perch, big pike, some major slab crappies ... man alive, what more do you want?

And yeah, Sinker is absolutely right - you see huge numbers of high-end bass boats out there that bristle with rod holders. Some of the US boats like like porcupines. If you've never seen rod holders on a bass boat, then you need to try fishing somewhere other than the Kawarthas.

[grimsbylander]

The US side of Erie allows for multiple rods (2) per angler....hence the rod holders. 

That featureless puddle produces DOCUMENTED big tournament weights of smallies all summer and fall. As opposed to the unofficial we caught over 20lbs blah blah. You do it on a proper scale or it didn’t happen. 

For shear numbers and variety of gamefish, Erie is hard to beat. Though, Eastern Lake O and the St.  Lawrence is, in my opinion, right up there. 

[dave524]

3 hours ago, grimsbylander said:

The US side of Erie allows for multiple rods (2) per angler....hence the rod holders. 

That featureless puddle produces DOCUMENTED big tournament weights of smallies all summer and fall. As opposed to the unofficial we caught over 20lbs blah blah. You do it on a proper scale or it didn’t happen. 

For shear numbers and variety of gamefish, Erie is hard to beat. Though, Eastern Lake O and the St.  Lawrence is, in my opinion, right up there. 

Last I knew 2 rods were allowed if boating on Lake Erie and Erie is anything but a featureless puddle going out of Port Colborne inside of 40 or so feet of water, lots of reefs and shoals to take out a lower end many yards from shore, but yes once you hit the main basin outside of 40/50 feet of water the bottom virtually straightlines picking up only a few feet of water every mile or so out. 

[outllaw]

I am chuckling. I build baits. yes you can buy the 150 dollar beautys. most never use them. trolling a lure at 4mph the baits travelling 6-7ft per second. its about action,then a contrast feature. how many seasoned guys use chewed up everyday baits. as for fancy swimbaits,the juries still out. hookups are lo on the scale..

[porkpie]

8 hours ago, Sinker said:

Again, close minded. You realize Erie is a world record class fishery, right? It even has world record sized bass for you. Some of the best anglers out there are running Ranger boats with more rod holders than I can count. Featureless bowl? Seriously? Dude, get out of your box. Precision trolling is an art that most will never understand.  

S. 

There’s not much I can add to this, so as the kids say...... WORD!

[AKRISONER]

Sure ruffled a few feathers with the light chirps at Erie lol holy cow.

big Walleye, and smallies you say eh? I think everyone knows this? It’s one of, if not the warmest of the Great Lakes? Resulting in increased metabolic rates and bigger fish.

Wait did you just make my argument for me? Lol relax guys. You can have Lake Erie and share it with the Americans, enjoy!

love the “get out of the kawarthas” comment. 

If I fished anymore lakes than I already do then I’d definitely lose my job and my girlfriend hahaha 

8 hours ago, craigdritchie said:

There’s a ton of structure and cover if you know what to look for.

Edited July 6, 2019 by AKRISONER

[dave524]

1 hour ago, AKRISONER said:

You can have Lake Erie and share it with the Americans, enjoy!

 

Thanks, there's plenty to share with the Yanks. Yesterday, a 2 man limit on a Niagara forum out of Crystal Beach, couple look like possible double digits  

[BillM]

Walleyes this year on Erie have apparently been off the hook!   Kinda wished I live in St.Catharines for a few months each year

[porkpie]

It’s been that way consisntely  for a number of years now.  These are the good old days for Erie, for sheer numbers anyway!

[dave524]

19 minutes ago, porkpie said:

It’s been that way consisntely  for a number of years now.  These are the good old days for Erie, for sheer numbers anyway!

Actually, I started hauling the " Salmon Boat " with the riggers , sideplaners , graph and other goodies to Erie for Pickeral in the late 80's and got limit catches, nothing has changed in 30 years and it is a catch and keep fishery.

[porkpie]

Things have changed Dave.  I’ve fished north and south shore Erie for many years.  Spent a fair bit of time steelheading on the south side in the glory days.  It’s always been a remarkable fishery, with some lean years here and there for both pickerel and steelhead.  I’m not sure when your last trip to Erie was, but it’s gone from good fishing, to holy crap I can’t believe it!  As I said, the good old days for walleye are right now for anyone wanting to get out there.  60 fish days are common place if you follow the fish and know what your doing.  You should hitch up that boat!

[AKRISONER]

2 hours ago, dave524 said:

Thanks, there's plenty to share with the Yanks. Yesterday, a 2 man limit on a Niagara forum out of Crystal Beach, couple look like possible double digits  

Is that your catch or someone else’s on a different forum. Either way that’s a solid day on the water. Forget the numbers that is some serious size.

[craigdritchie]

16 hours ago, AKRISONER said:

Sure ruffled a few feathers with the light chirps at Erie lol holy cow.

Didn't ruffle any feathers here, since I couldn't care less where you fish or how much you spend on the latest miracle baits. But I do find it amusing that so many younger anglers, and bass anglers in particular, get totally sucked in to this whole "newer has to be better" marketing hype. If you want to blow $50 on a crankbait, hey man, fill your boots. The tackle companies will love you for it.

 

 

[misfish]

48 minutes ago, craigdritchie said:

Didn't ruffle any feathers here, since I couldn't care less where you fish or how much you spend on the latest miracle baits. But I do find it amusing that so many younger anglers, and bass anglers in particular, get totally sucked in to this whole "newer has to be better" marketing hype. If you want to blow $50 on a crankbait, hey man, fill your boots. The tackle companies will love you for it.

 

 

I like my $7 bag of tubes X 10 in a pack. And my $8 Stanley and booyah spinner baits.  Still have a dozen or so X raps. Remember the rave about them.LOL

[grimsbylander]

5 minutes ago, misfish said:

I like my $7 bag of tubes X 10 in a pack. And my $8 Stanley and booyah spinner baits.  Still have a dozen or so X raps. Remember the rave about them.LOL

Nope...if it’s not made in Japan, it won’t catch fish. ? ?

[12 Volt Man]

a notable exception to the trend of unrealistic big musky baits would be the rapala peto:

 

https://rapala.ca/products/x-rap-peto

 

granted, i dont know if they are being marketed specifically for muskie but I know at my local tackle store muskie guys are buying them up. 

[Sinker]

7 hours ago, Duckie said:

a notable exception to the trend of unrealistic big musky baits would be the rapala peto:

 

https://rapala.ca/products/x-rap-peto

 

granted, i dont know if they are being marketed specifically for muskie but I know at my local tackle store muskie guys are buying them up. 

Jury is out on whether they catch fish. Not only that, but how many fish will they last for? I'm still using the same bait I caught 60 musky on last season, and have 13 on it so far this year. Only been out a couple times lol..... I like my tried and true, tooth marked, bent hooked, classic musky baits that never fail.  Outlaws baits are killers. 

S. 

[Old Ironmaker]

On 7/3/2019 at 3:21 PM, Tom S said:

I think it has to do more with market forces than anything. 

More like everything Tom. They could make a replica of a turd and we will buy it because it's new. 

[Old Ironmaker]

On 7/4/2019 at 3:38 PM, AKRISONER said:

 

not surprisingly it was that crazy polish guy Henry Waszchuk that had a musky recipe in his personal recipe book lmao.

. The older guys grew up keeping everything have somewhat learned to let a few go from time to time, while the younger crowd may take one fish if they really care to filet it.

There are definitely a few younger guys that are really into it, but when you are talking about the large majority of anglers under the age of 35, most are bass fishing these days, the population of walleye anglers is falling off of a cliff.

Henry told me he was Ukrainian. He wanted to be Italian! Toughest 240 lb lineman ever, and fittest. 

The old timers I fished with in the 80's went through the depression and WW2. They kept everything they caught and you caught as well. I remember Ozzie telling us whoever caught a big Pike keep it. He would stuff it with OOS Bass and Pikereye fillets and freeze it. I've seen him keep 10" Largemouth Bass. If we had to eat meat from a bloated rotting dead horse on the side of the road as a Nazi POW we might keep each and every fish we caught too. They lived in a time we just cannot fathom. Dad was the last of the oldtimers in our Family, he passed this passed April just 4 days after his 92nd birthday. Reposo en Pacce Pa. 

Young fellas out here on Erie couldn't care if they caught a 8 pound Smallie, it's all Walleye and it all goes on the table. Never less than as many keepers in the freezer along with the Moose, Deer and Rabbit as allowed at any given time. Maybe less young Walleye anglers where you are Akri, not down here. 

[AKRISONER]

17 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

Henry told me he was Ukrainian. He wanted to be Italian! Toughest 240 lb lineman ever, and fittest. 

Erie couldn't care if they caught a 8 pound Smallie, it's all Walleye and it all goes on the table. Never less than as many keepers in the freezer along with the Moose, Deer and Rabbit as allowed at any given time. Maybe less young Walleye anglers where you are Akri, not down here. 

Same thing no? Grandpa was a 2nd generation canadian Uki and great grandma came from Warsaw when she was 13 after her whole family died from the spanish flu. Making me both, so its a double whammy

The angling population up in my neck of the woods is weird. In a lot of ways it feels like it might fall of a cliff, or there will be a strange re-emergence. But thats purely for walleyes in the fall. During the late spring and summer its shocking how few anglers there are around. The only consistent angling traffic is driven by the local lodge, the only guys that seem to fish are people that actually live in pointe au baril and obviously that population is very very small.

That area of G bay is just full of extremely wealthy American's that seemingly come up to the area to sit, drive around in million dollar boats and read on their docks while wearing big hats. Thats all they seem to get up to for the 2 months they spend a year on their private islands. They seemingly also pay the local contractors hand over fist to not have to do any of their own work at all either lol, Everything just seems to be "done" when they get there. Heck I wonder if they would even cook their own fish if they caught one...i doubt it lol

Edited July 9, 2019 by AKRISONER

[Nycflyangler]

Don't know about terrible. The poodle's pretty cute.

[Headhunter]

On 7/9/2019 at 11:37 AM, AKRISONER said:

Same thing no? Grandpa was a 2nd generation canadian Uki and great grandma came from Warsaw when she was 13 after her whole family died from the spanish flu. Making me both, so its a double whammy

The angling population up in my neck of the woods is weird. In a lot of ways it feels like it might fall of a cliff, or there will be a strange re-emergence. But thats purely for walleyes in the fall. During the late spring and summer its shocking how few anglers there are around. The only consistent angling traffic is driven by the local lodge, the only guys that seem to fish are people that actually live in pointe au baril and obviously that population is very very small.

That area of G bay is just full of extremely wealthy American's that seemingly come up to the area to sit, drive around in million dollar boats and read on their docks while wearing big hats. Thats all they seem to get up to for the 2 months they spend a year on their private islands. They seemingly also pay the local contractors hand over fist to not have to do any of their own work at all either lol, Everything just seems to be "done" when they get there. Heck I wonder if they would even cook their own fish if they caught one...i doubt it lol

Many of the U.S. owned cottages in Ontario are legacy cottages. Wealthy families escaping the heat and humidity of the mid and southern states. Rail lines provided them transportation to and from and no, they don't like to do things themselves, they don't at home, why would they here?

Nothing wrong with it, they helped pay the way to better infrastructure and jobs locally, which helped to open the the north. Let's not forget the taxes they pay.

Where we take our vacation, the vast majority of the cottages are American owned. They are almost always empty. Makes for a nice quiet stay for us.

Sorry for the off topic response....

I think musky baits are just swell! Especially the furry ones!

HH

 

[Old Ironmaker]

1/2 Ukrainian and 1/2 Polish, that's some good stock you have there. I know many friends who's Mom's and Pop's were exactly that. Come to think of it my SIL.

If I had the $$ I wouldn't lift a finger either. Maybe to polish one of my Ferrari's, maybe. Let's hope all that American money keeps coming here. 

A pal has a property with 2 nice cottages on it on a small lake somewhere near Point Au Baril. They slam the Walleye, Smallmouth and big Pike. All they do is fish, they never fished until they bought there. It's an adventure just to get to the place on the path they call a road. Then down the 45 degree hill to the cottages precariously perched on the hill. The 1st time my brother went he tore the exhaust system off his new Beemer. I thought I knew what bad black flies were. That is until I had to wear a face net to eat dinner, in the cottage. That is just crazy. I have politely declined an invitation a few times now. I will never disclose where, it could be fished out by a few boats that know how to. 

Edited July 10, 2019 by Old Ironmaker