Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2020 - 18

Presque
Isle Bay
in the
Late Fall
by Darl Black
photos by the author
Presque Isle Bay, Erie County, offers
outstanding fishing year-round,
providing a different species lineup
for each season. In the late fall, anglers
have the opportunity to catch steelhead,
Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike,
Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, and even
the occasional Walleye.
Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike
are year-round residents of Presque Isle
Bay. Even so, late fall is arguably the best
time to catch numbers of above average
size bass and pike.
As the water temperature drops through
the 50s and into the 40s, steelhead,
Yellow Perch, and limited numbers of
Smallmouth Bass follow main lake baitfish
schools into the Bay from Lake Erie.
According to local fishing expert Kirk
Rudzinski, arriving Yellow Perch will
linger until the spring spawn. During the
late fall, perch will school up at key deep
water areas in the Bay. Boat anglers often
focus on edges of the shipping channel
in about 40 feet of water by the turning
buoys as well as in front of Liberty Park

18

in roughly 25 feet of water. Shore anglers can reach perch at Dobbin's
Landing in 20- to 30-feet of water, the old Border Patrol Dock in 25- to
35-feet of water as well as from Liberty Park.
Wanderlust steelhead follow bait all over Presque Isle Bay and may
be caught just about anywhere. To pinpoint a steelhead, watch for
surface disturbances of baitfish.
Smallmouth Bass are a bit mysterious. In the spring, Smallmouth
Bass pour into the Bay in great numbers to spawn, then leave. In the
fall, a few schools of Smallmouth Bass follow the Emerald Shiners into
Presque Isle Bay. Angler contact with Smallmouth Bass is limited to
a handful of weed points and humps relatively close to the shipping
channel. However, bass do not stick around long before returning to
the big lake.
In recent years, more Walleyes are being caught in Presque Isle Bay
from spring through fall than 20 years ago. This is likely due to the
overall higher population of Walleyes across Lake Erie.
Bass initially drew me to Presque Isle Bay in the late fall. Fishing
with friends, we gradually figured out the progression of the

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2020

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