The season for mayfly rigs, if not mayflies, has come to western Lake Erie's walleye fishing grounds. This is also a great time of year for families to try their hand at Lake Erie walleye fishing.
For anglers who would rather cast than troll, the mayfly rig has grown so popular that in many circles it has displaced the classic weight-forward spinner as the Erie walleye fishermen's weapon of choice. In fact, the popular rigs generically are called "Weapons." They can be dynamite producers.
A mayfly rig simply includes a barrel sinker on a length of leader, a spinner blade, and a hook. They are shorter than multi-hook worm harnesses, which often are used as "draggers" with wire-and-lead "bottom bouncers." But they are not nearly as compact as a weight-forward spinners. Copper and gold blades are your best bet, with #4 & #5 blades.
On Saturday morning we met at the boat early and prepared for a long run, almost 17 miles to the outer fringes of the Detroit Shipping Channel. But trust me...it was worth the ride, as there was a huge school of walleye. These particular walleye are "Maumee River strain" and can be found north along the Toledo Shipping Channel most of the summer. In 4 hours Saturday morning we boated 73 walleye and kept 35 plump 'Gators. We working Weapons, gold and copper blades...with a slow steady wind. 15 count.
Around 12:00 PM we headed to the dock to drop off our 1st group of guests. With the afternoon charter, we departed and I headed north again and I went to the same general area, North of the the Toledo Shipping Channel. As we motored into the vicinity, I noticed several of my Capt friends had stopped 2 miles "short" and were catching a few 'Gators. We stopped for about 10 minutes and caught a handful, then we fired up the 454 and headed north, two more miles to the spot....where we had caught 70+ walleye casting & drifting earlier in the morning. On the first 15 minute drift we caught 5 keepers. There wasn't a boat for a mile. It was beautiful...water everywhere and so serene. Quiet. So, we started casting our gold and copper bladed Mayfly Rigs.
On our 2nd drift we pulled over 40 walleye, of which 30 walleye were cooler material. I heard several Capt friends "picking away" at walleye a couple of miles away So, I gave them a call and told them we had just pulled 5 "Limits" of walleye in one drift! We had company real fast...as we were joined by 4 other charter boats.
Fish on, Fish on , Fish on! Heidi casted three times and caught three consecutive walleyes....on just as many casts.
Final tally after 4 hours of walleye fishing....65 walleye caught...42 kept.
When we met on Sunday morning at the dock around 6:30am, the forecast was for SW winds 10-20 in the morning, switching to the West later in the day and building to 30 mph. It did just that. But, knowing that....I still ran 17 miles with the Townsend family, along with Greg & Heidi. I told Eyecatcher that with the increase in wind...we would see bigger fish today....since they would be more active with more diffused sunlight and increased oxygen levels in the water. That statement was right on! Immediately we started catching fish once we set down in the fishing grounds, with bigger fish being taken. I absolutely am addicted to Lake Erie walleye fishing and coaching my guests on how to catch them.
The wind continued to build and the sun came out making for ideal fishing conditions. Waves around noon were 5 foot and we catching walleye in the 2-5 pound range, working the "swing" of the boat.
Heidi was part of the "fast and furious" walleye fishing this weekend on Lake Erie with Erie Quest!
All and all it was a fantastic weekend to pursue walleye on Lake Erie. The ride home on Sunday was interesting with 5-7 foot waves, but the Erie Quest was up to the task. It's on days like this that I am glad I own a 30' Coastal Fisherman...a very seaworthy vessel in bigger waves. We boated over 175 walleye in 2 days on the Erie Quest and brought home 120 for table fare! Fish on my friends.
Capt. Rick
