Maumee River and Lake Erie – October 22, 2018- Emerald Shiners in Stock.

Maumee River

Water is at a good temp for these fish to be feeding.  I took a quick hike down the river yesterday and saw one angler pull in a nice walleye after about fifteen minutes of fishing.   The small mouth bass have been active , I’ve seen some white bass pulled out and a few catfish as well. Fishing pressure is very light this time of year so head out to Bluegrass island for some small mouth bass, walleye or maybe even a steelhead.  Try Bend view metro park ,or head up towards Grand Rapids Ohio .  This is also a great time to get out and do some pre-walleye run research  as the water is low and all those  honey holes are visible.

Lake Erie

So anyone that reads our report regularly knows that I am a fishing optimist . I think that its possible to catch fish on just about any day on the water.  Adapting to water conditions , location,weather ,barometric pressure,  bait fish , whats in the tackle box  etc.. all have some impact on the level of success during your fishing trip.  Last night conditions for some night shore fishing out on lake Erie looked pretty  favorable, and I was inspired by the walleye I saw caught in the river earlier in the day.  Beautiful night as you can tell by the above picture, Light south west wind for just the right amount of chop, some clouds, water temps between 54-56 degrees and a tackle box full of fresh lures. So figured I was gonna kill ,em.     Nope .. I got skunked .  So that lead me to today’s topic.

Reasons Occasionally Getting Skunked is Good

-  It reminds us and confirms that there is skill in our sport.  The fact that we have access to a body of fishing knowledge that spans thousands of years, yet still occasionally can’t catch fish, reaffirms the fact that our sport requires skill and grace.  If not, we’d be able to catch a fish every time without trying. I like the challenge and when I catch a fish, it seems more rewarding.

-  It makes good days feel even better.  If we did catch tons of fish every time we went out, I think the luster would wear off.

-  It forces us to re-evaluatue our techniques.  A fishless day is a good time to rethink and improve our techniques.  What could I have done differently that might have worked?  What did I learn?  Sometimes, learning what didn’t work is just as important as learning what did.  I have run through the play by play of  skunked days, returned to the same water later with a new game plan, and succeeded.

-  It keeps the sport fresh.  If you catch fish every time you go out without even trying, I think something is lost.  You begin to approach the water as a know-it-all .  Instead, I think taking a humbler, beginners approach is more enjoyable and tunes us into the environment .   I learn something new every time I hit the water with this mindset.  I learn nothing when I approach it with overconfidence–even if I catch a lot of fish.

Hope somebody caught something last night ..wasnt me.

Conditions look good tonight as well –get out there and give em hell.

Have fun be safe and good luck fishing.