Maumee River And Lake Erie Report- October 11, 2018- Lake Erie Shiners in Stock

Resupplied with lake Erie emerald shiners Yesterday 

Fishing and Hunting Licenses

There have been a lot of questions concerning the new licensing rules, prices and options. As a licensing agent the State of Ohio gave us a heads up a few weeks ago so I have had a chance  to study up a bit on whats being offered. Feel free to give us a call with any questions or stop in and we can help you figure out your best option.  Remember that all the rules , regulation and pricing options were written by lawyers, so you have to read the fine print. Let me say it again -you have to read the fine print.  I get a ton of calls from fishermen and hunters  that have just read the headline or skimmed a rule –the correct answers are all in the fine print.  And if you “heard it from a guy” well then its probably not right -come in,  grab a regulation book (they are free ) and verify for yourself.

We here at Maumee Tackle  are here to help you go through the rules, keep you legal  and save you money when possible, so that you can go out  hunt and fish with out any worries.

Maumee River

Well seems like the near 90 degree weather may finally be past us and true Fall is at hand.  At least for the next 10 days looks like the nighttime temps are going to be in the 40s so this will significantly cool both the river and Lake Erie.

The crappie bite it getting better . Small baitfish have had an entire summer to grow. So have the crappie that feed on them. That’s why many experienced anglers use larger baits when crappie fishing in the fall. In the  fall crappie respond to cooling water and will follow many of the same patterns in the fall as they do in the spring. It’s basically a reverse migration, they’ll start out in deeper water, but as the water cools, they move into creeks and eventually end up in many of the same places we find them in the spring.

If a spot that surrendered a few fish goes cold, don’t keep fishing it. There’s a good chance the crappie that remain on a shoreline or brush pile are spooked and won’t bite. They may settle down and start biting again after an hour or so.

Lake Erie

Surface temps in the western basin are between 64-66 degrees .

We are hearing good reports of the walleye night bite picking up . All along the shore of Lake Erie – The Lakeside pier, camp Perry, Catawba state park , the piers and rocky shore near Huron ohio  Luna Pier Mi,  are all traditionally good night fishing spots. But I do know some fishermen that have lake cottages along the shore that have also been doing very well on the night walleye. So just about anywhere that you can get along the shore of the lake is a good place to try. Just because there arent 20 guys standing there fishing doesn’t mean it there are no fish.

Sounds like the trolling bite out on the lake is till good (wind permitting) using the deeper diving baits and spoons.

Perch bite has been touch and go ,again wind permitting, with a lot of nice big fish being caught and not too many small fish. With the temps dropping the perch should continue to feed for awhile. Remember that Perch are typically a schooling fish, which move from place to place seeking food sources. When found, they like to thrive in the bottom portion of the water column, especially at or near the bottom of the lake. Their natural diet consists of small fish, fish eggs, insects, crayfish, snails, leeches and worms. They are very active daytime feeders for most of the year, but tend to feed in short spurts. Moving often is suggested (every 30 minutes or so), until you locate an active school of fish. Perch are also very attracted by color and flash, add a small colored bead just above the bait on the main line. The bead acts as a beacon to find the natural bait.  Sometimes this will increase catch rates greatly, especially in stained water. Another “old timer” trick is to add a colored plastic flag to the anchor rope. The current will wave the flag to attract the school of fish.

Have fun , be safe and good luck fishing.