Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2022 - 9

In addition to perch anglers in early winter, charter boats
and private boats will be trolling for steelhead and Brown
Trout, which have also entered Presque Isle Bay. Trolled lures
generally include slender stickbait plugs and spoons run near
the surface. Local anglers also know particular piers and
shore spots where steelhead or Brown Trout may be caught
by casting spoons.
With an increase of Walleyes in Lake Erie, some Walleyes
now follow the Emerald Shiner schools into Presque Isle Bay,
too. Therefore, during late fall and early winter a handful of
anglers will troll for these fish.
Until ice covers the sub-bays, a small cadre of anglers will
be chasing Largemouth Bass located close to drop-offs and
sink holes on the flats. More than once, I have broken thin
ice at a ramp in order to launch near a key wintering area for
Largemouth Bass. Suspending jerkbaits, lipless rattle baits,
swimbaits, and jigging spoons are employed.
The first safe ice will form in Misery Bay, Horseshoe Pond,
and Marina Lake, followed by the furthermost section of
Head-of -the-Bay. These areas will produce a mixed bag of
Bluegills, Pumpkinseeds, and Black Crappies-species that
are using weeds as cover and to feed.
Incidental catches of Northern Pike are routine by ice
anglers targeting panfish. If interested specifically in pike,
Tomlin advises using an underwater camera to locate a carpet
of weeds that rises several feet above the bottom but does not
grow all the way to the surface. Pike cruise above the weeds
searching for meals.
If sufficiently cold temperatures are reached, the main
part of Presque Isle Bay will acquire safe ice by mid-winter,
allowing anglers to reach larger-sized perch, which seem
to hold in slightly deeper water. However, in recent years,
Presque Isle Bay has not achieved a complete safe ice cover.
And, ice that does form may not be uniformly safe. A
mid-winter warm up often weakens the ice. Use caution on
Presque Isle Bay ice.
The shipping channel is the narrow gateway from Lake
Erie into Presque Isle Bay with a strong current that prevents
A rare daylight catch, a Burbot, from the end of the South
Pier during January. Burbot inhabit the deep waters of Lake
Erie, coming shallow only to spawn during the winter.
it from freezing. But, ice chunks often fill the channel by
mid-winter, preventing fishing opportunities for Yellow
Perch, Walleyes, and Burbot.
If you want to try for Burbot, Tomlin recommends anglers
dress for the worst weather and fish at night from the South
Channel Wall. " Anglers use a chunk of cut bait or three Emerald
Shiners on one hook. Due to the current, the bait must be held
on the bottom with a 3-ounce sinker. Burbot is good tasting
when prepared properly. However, it must be eaten within a
day or two after capture. Many people think the
quality of the meat degrades upon freezing. The
window to catch these fish is short- typically late
December to early February, " said Tomlin.
" Last winter was the first time in 4- or 5-years
that massive schools of smelt showed up in
Presque Isle Bay. Smelt are highly prized by Great
Lake anglers who generally fry the entire small
fish in oil and eat them whole, " said Tomlin.
Erie's Rainbow Smelt can be caught on tiny,
unbaited gold hooks lowered into the school or
tiny micro jigs with yarn bodies.
Winter's closing act is a rush by anglers to
Ice fishing activity on Misery Bay, Erie County.
FishandBoat.com
get on the late ice to target the largest Yellow
Perch of the season as more and more perch
assemble in Head-of-the-Bay and sub-bays for
an ice-out spawn.
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * January/February 2022
9
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2022

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