Lake Erie and Maumee River Report -28 June 2017

Maumee River

“Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish , and You Feed Him for a Lifetime”

Many of us have heard this quote and  to me it all starts with teaching the youth of America to get out there and enjoy mother nature.

All the photos today are local boys out there on the  Maumee River this past week enjoying their summer .

River conditions have steadied out. Temp and clarity is good and we are getting good reports from  all access areas. These young guys that come in the shop have been out exploring different parts of the river and as you can see they are getting into some good fishing action. The faster water areas such as Bluegrass Island , Buttonwood  and up stream of Jerome Rd are producing some nice smallmouth action

Up near grand rapids we have seen some nice catfish being pulled out. Remember that flat heads love live bait. We have also seen some nice crappie and white bass being caught in that areas as well.

Some tips for taking young ones fishing

1. Kids need to catch fish
Instead of taking your two-year-old out swinging dry flies for steelhead, I would recommend bluegills at the local pond. Sure, you and your buddy fished from daylight until dark, caught two bass and had a great time. But your 8-year-old probably will not embrace your “it’s-just-fun-to-be-out-here” angling enthusiasm as readily. A weedy bank where bluegill and other perch provide fast action is what you want. A local park lake will be a good starting spot.

2. Size doesn’t matter
Everyone wants a 6-pound bass or 20-inch trout. For a youngster a 5-inch bluegill is a trophy.

3. Keep it simple
Rod, line, hook, sinker, bobber and bait. A cane pole remains a basic tool. For a big kid pole get a zebco 33  or 202  combo- There’s a reason they’ve been around, basically unchanged, for almost 70  years.

4. Bait up
The design, manufacture, and marketing of lures is a multi-million dollar industry. Worms catch fish. Buy a tub of worms.  Even better go help them dig em up.

5. Bring snacks
A hungry young fisherman is an unhappy young fisherman.

6. Keep it fun
Sometimes kids want to catch to fish. Sometimes they want to chase butterflies or throw rocks and catch crawfish. . Sometimes they want to text their friends—iPads and cell phones aren’t going away, but they aren’t necessarily the enemy, either. Bring the toys along.

7. Let the kid fish
The only rod needed is the one the youngster is holding is his or her hands. Your job is to untangle lines, bait hooks, remove fish and hollar as loudly as they do.

2nd fish of a lifetime! First one was a catfish that was too wriggly to pose with.

Lake Erie

I still get a lot of questions about the daily limits-for some reason rumors fly about limits all the time, dont believe the “I heard it from a guy ” type of information when it come to fishing or hunting regulations .

Per the Ohio Dept of Natural Resources

• The daily bag limit for walleye in Ohio waters of Lake Erie is 6 fish per angler. The minimum size limit for walleye is 15 inches.
• The daily bag limit for yellow perch is 30 fish per angler in all Ohio waters of Lake Erie.
• The trout and salmon daily bag limit is 5 fish per angler. The minimum size limit is 12 inches.
• Black bass (largemouth and smallmouth bass): The daily bag limit is 5 fish per angler with a 14 inch minimum size limit.

Surface Temp 73
Winds:SW 10~15 knots
Waves 1 to 2 feet.forecast for today.