Can you feel it… nature’s call to head to the water? She calls to me every morning from June 1 until the end of September. I believe most humans feel this same biological attraction to water when the weather gets warm. Whether you are an angler, a recreational boater, or just a beachgoer, being on or in the water is where we feel the best. Our biggest problem here in Western New York is which body of water to head to. Having so many fantastic lakes surrounding us makes the choice tough.
If you enjoy catching big smallmouth bass as I do, I suggest Lake Erie (or Jurassic Park as some veteran smallmouth anglers refer to it).
You may have noticed I write about Erie a lot. The reason… Lake Erie is one of the top lakes to fish in North America, and it’s only a little over an hour away. Our bass season opens on June 19, and if you want to start it with a bang, head to Lake Erie, where dino bass roam. The lake is famous for its walleye fishing, but the smallmouth fishing is every bit as good. Erie is one of the few lakes in the country where it is possible to catch a six-pound smallmouth and a ten-pound walleye all in the same day. The (shared) New York State record smallmouth came out of this once considered dead lake, a Godzilla weighing eight pounds four ounces caught on a jig and grub in 1995.
The vast parking lot and eight-lane boat launch at Safe Boat Harbor in the heart of Buffalo is an easy hour drive down the Thruway from Rochester. After you launch, you are protected by a three-mile-long breakwall where you are sheltered from the main lake. In the early season, it’s a good place to fish if the main lake is too rough. But be aware, the pleasure boat traffic gets heavy as the day goes on, especially on the weekends.
Out in the main lake, you have all the room in the world. Once in the lake, look southwest and you will see a huge wind farm; you can’t miss the massive windmills. They built the wind farm on the old Bethlehem Steel plant property. Back in the day, the steel company would load all of their inferior scrap steel on barges and dump it out in the lake. Of course, this is something that would never be allowed in this day and age, but that scrap has actually benefited the fishery by creating some fantastic underwater habitat for all the fish in the lake. When you look at the bottom on your fishfinder, it looks like the surface of the moon with all its mounds and valleys. This makes for some great fishing.
The windmills are a great spot to catch bass. Try drifting across that area in 20 to 25 feet of water. Don’t stay in one place too long if you aren’t catching fish. I use the twenty-minute rule on Erie. If no one on the boat has hooked a bass in twenty minutes, I move. If the windmills aren’t producing, head west until you see a large red buoy. That is Seneca Shoals which too has good bass structure. Early in the season, look for the bass in 20 to 25 feet of water.
The D.E.C. has an online Lake Erie, Western New York hotspot report that is updated weekly. Or you can call 716-855-3474 for the same current fishing report.
If you are a live-bait angler, fish with crabs or minnows. Avoid worms because the gobies will drive you crazy by picking at them until your hook is clean. If you prefer artificial baits, tube jigs, drop shot, and the latest and greatest Ned rigs are your best bet. Productive colors are those that imitate the bass’s natural prey items: colors like smoke/charcoal with flecks and greens (baitfish) or browns (crayfish, round goby).
The drop shot rig is another popular set-up among Erie bass anglers. It can be used to fish live bait, soft plastics, and even tube jigs (hooked through the nose of the tube). The rig consists of a hook tied directly to the line with a Palomar knot, with the hook point facing up and a weight/sinker (one-quarter to one-half ounce) tied to the end of the line below the hook. The length of line between hook and weight can vary from one to five feet. Cast the rig or simply let it drop over the side of the boat. Reel in the slack line so you can directly feel the weight on the bottom and any strike on your bait.
Be aware that Lake Erie can often be in a foul mood. The geographical position of the lake sits more to the southwest than Lake Ontario, and I’ve seen days when Ontario was calm and Erie had three-foot waves. So, don’t make the run if the winds are over 10 knots from the west, southwest, or northwest. There is a free phone app named Windfinder that has become a game-changer for Erie anglers. This app will give you wind and wave height forecasts out to five days. Though extremely accurate with the wind direction and speed, we have learned to double the predicted wave height estimation to get a true idea of what to expect wave-wise.
If the winds look right, hook up your boat and go west, where you will have the good fortune to fish in one of the best lakes to fish in North America. If you like to tangle with big smallmouth bass, Jurassic Park will scratch your itch.
