With huge smelt numbers this year expect the big girls to be on the bottom. Keeping one worm harness line on a rigger just off bottom is always a good idea.
Trilene XT for main line that would be placed in a release repeatedly. Trilene XL for leaders off rigger rods, or leadcore because I think it might help the action of spoons to have a limper line.
It would seem based on price Rule would be best but I keep reading poor reports on various sites regarding the Rule automatics. Seems like such a simple mechanism but MAN is it an important one.
I had enough of winter. With boat launches still locked in ice I decided to cure what ails us all by booking a drift trip. We were greeted with 15 degree air temp with a stiff 15 mph N wind all morning. Despite the cool temps, the sun was shining and the sights, sounds and smells of being on the water for the first outing of the year kept us smiling (or we froze in that position). Today was a grind day, but we managed a mixed bag of steelhead, brown trout and walleye. And so it begins.... another year of fishing. If you are thinking about trying a drift trip and are worried about the run being almost done.....I would say it is just getting started. Do it. Very reasonable cost. Vince has a nice 22' boat with high gunnels (safer for tall fishermen) and he will work hard to put you on fish. Capt. Vince Pierleoni 585-615-1197
There are all kinds of divers down below the peace bridge dragging up mussels from the bottom. In speaking to a bird watcher down at the water, the gentleman stated there is a huge die-off in Dunkirk harbor. I don't believe the power plant is operational so no open water. One of the interesting things that can be witnessed now is a large group of Bald Eagles picking off the weak starving birds sitting on the ice at Dunkirk. Ice fishermen are confirming a huge die-off of Gizzard Shad, but at the same time a huge population of large smelt are being caught thru the ice on Erie. The food web appears to be evolving year to year.
Agree with others, there is a movement of the food chain upward at night. Kings will often make inshore feeding movements under the cover of darkness. Start in closer.....say 40' and start setting high lines of leadcore or surface line so by the time you hit your intended zone you are fully set up or you may discover the early bite is close to shore in the process.
If you keep walking past the end of the paved sidewalk and onto the cement breakwall, you are out in the lake. May to June fishing out there. During the summer "kids" like to hang out there so......take something with you esp. if you go alone.
You have to look at the temp transects of the two lakes to compare. Superior stays cooler all summer so it starts cooler come late fall cooling period. There was 48 degree water mid-lake as late as early January on Ontario.