Phish

I've owned this tackle bag for 10 years, maybe longer. Possibly the older version but nearly the exact same. I used to take it on club tournies as a non-boater. It is a beast and has withstood a beating. It is pretty cumbersome hauling around though, especially if bank fishing. If I had my own boat I'd still be using it exclusively. I got a backup Okechobee Fats for shore fishing, about half the size. It's been great as well for probably 6-8 years. This large version does have a built in light, just a small red LED type light in the main compartment. Pretty cool but I rarely used it. Just this week however I switched to a backpack - tired of killing my shoulder with the single strap when beating the banks. I'll keep both Okechobees as backups for storing extra tackle in my car for long trips. The backpack fits more than the small Okechobee and is better suited for most of the fishing I do. it's an Okuma and it is a great value at $60 - if it lasts a while. Only drawback is it doesn't fit a Plano Hook & Sinker box.

I'm sure you're talking about Lake Arthur, it's the only lake I ever see referred to as the "Dead Sea" in this region. Maybe there are others in central or eastern PA? For Arthur, it has nothing to do with "crappy anglers," though there are a fair number of anglers who fish for crappies there. I see results from the weekday bass tournies there every year and there are definitely big bass being caught and some decent limits. I've only fished Arthur a handful of times without much success during the day, I did have a couple decent trips at night for striped bass or hybrids from shore. I haven't fished it in over 15 years, but the last time we did my buddy caught a 5# large mouth in the pads. Wish I could give you some tips but I was pretty young when we fished there last. I believe the lake has a bad rep now because it was supposedly a phenomenal big bass and numbers lake in the '80s, then received a ton of pressure and has never been quite as productive. It's the biggest lake within an hour's drive of Pittsburgh, so it gets a lot of pressure. On a dedicated PA forum I read, it seems more people are targeting the excellent striped bass/hybrid fishing it offers, and even Muskies and pike, perhaps more so than the largemouth, and the limited smallmouth.

This thread on the same topic was just posted this past week and should help: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/156911-anybody-fishing-presque-isle-bay-lake-erie-pa/#entry1773104 We fished yesterday after a cold front earlier in the week, one in which temps dropped 18-24 degrees within two days. Definitely made it tougher. You'll be facing effects from near freezing temps overnight tonight, so I'd have to expect another very light bite tomorrow and potentially several days after.

Shoot me a direct message or email. There are some great areas within a mile of the bay, but I don't need to post them here. Some are common some, not so much. I was stuck to the bay today. Hope to get out on the lake tomorrow and should at least be able to tell you how they're biting near shore on main lake.

Thanks for the link, missed that post somehow. And I agree, I feel like people could use a refresher course not just in fishing etiquette, but boating and safety. I don't even own a boat, but I still took the PA course for a boaters' license just for when I rent boats. Although I will say despite the insane number of boats, this past week in the Bay most people seemed pretty respectful about giving us and others space. At least from what I saw. Only one or two pissants zoomed right in on us - the worst was when I was shore fishing at Perry Monument and had some dolts in a bass boat pull up right on top of me after they saw me land a bass. Honestly within 25-35', coulda popped one in the head with my spinnerbait. Lucky they didn't get our lines stuck in a prop. Last note, fished PIB again today. A little better action, about 25 total for 2 people in only about 4 hours. Lost two pigs - had one leader come undone and another knot come undone, plus a 3rd one over 4# smallie one threw the bait right at the boat. Must be trying poor knots. Regardless I was happy to see some better action despite the temp drop and high winds. Got blown off the bay around 1pm. 2' waves with 15 MPH winds and up to 25 MPH gusts were more than I wanted to deal with. Got soaked out there! Never felt comfortable enough to check main lake - maybe tomorrow.

I fished the bay this past weekend and Tuesday. It was disappointing to say the least. We averaged 10 per day per person, even mix of smallies and LM. Average size was very low with only one 3.5 smallie and a few 3s. Fished the main lake Monday and a bit Tuesday and saw much better numbers and average size. I don't know what to make of the spawn. I do believe some fish have already spawned and some appeared to be prespawn. Some on the main lake had eggs but nothing we caught in the Bay appeared to have them. We caught a few large mouth with sore / red irritated tails that probably already built beds. Too stained to see beds in the bay right now though, so I have no idea. Perhaps the majority haven't moved in to spawn yet, but I'm skeptical on that. I'm worried many have completed the cycle and moved back out, but I'm not too knowledgable regarding the spawn. Hopefully it's just the variable weather and rain that's slowed it down in the bay. Hopefully it does take off again later this month. But if given the choice I'll be sticking to the main lake the rest of this week and weekend. Also, the boat traffic in the bay, at least around common smallie areas was absurd. Gets worse every year. One more reason to learn how to fish the main lake, if wind and wave conditions are favorable anyway.

It always depends on timing and the main lake will almost always be better. If you hit the spawn right in the bay, then it's comparable. In my experience at least. From my experience and from everything I've read over the years, the main lake is of course the best for smallies. Average size on main lake is also far better than the bay, save for a small window in spring where perhaps the bay can fish almost as well as main lake, at least for numbers. And there are plenty of opportunities within just a mile or two of Presque Isle. I hope to try some areas in that section tomorrow. I'm on vacation at Erie now and the bay has been a complete dud compared to many years. It's also an absolute zoo on weekends with tons of boat traffic / pressure around common smallie staging and spawning areas. It was on fire in mid-May but has since cooled. Perhaps it's the rain and temp drops, but it's possible many have spawned already and started to migrate back to main lake. I was catching largemouth already with red sores in their tails, a sign they've even started prespawn bedding. I typically average 25 a day in the bay in June, after the peak bay fishing has typically passed, but so far this week it's been 10 a day, per person, biggest one was 3.5 pounds and only about 3-4 around 3#. If you follow pro Dave Lefebre on Facebook he was posting 75-125 fish per day results a few weeks ago in the Bay. Maybe it will pick up again with some steady weather. One last note, that bay is very stained. 1-2' visibility. Main lake around North East on Tuesday was clear. Can't stand seeing the bay so murky. We did much better for numbers and size in main lake.

Hope so, I'll find out this weekend and more so next week. Last year it was pretty slow by the first week of June, but by then water temps were higher.

How did you do? I heard the Bay is on fire right now from multiple reports. I've read they really starting hammering them about 2 weeks ago. So I'm worried by the time I get up there the last weekend in May, the Bay won't be quite as hot as it is now. Should still be good numbers but the average size, probably not as good as these last few weeks. Might spend most of my time on the main lake.

Thank you all for your replies and advice. I'm checking into the suggestions and I emailed the that guide service too. Anyone else have a suggestion?

I take an annual bass fishing vacation with family every summer in Ontario, about 4-5 hours north of Toronto. Unfortunately our usual destination is not an option this year so we're looking for somewhere new to try. I'm asking for some suggestions from forum members who have experienced a great smallmouth bass fishing vacation, please! After hours of research I just can't decide between a few options. I know there have to be some hidden gems out there that aren't coming up in search results. Specifically, we're looking for a complete fishing package for 3-4 days (referred to as an American Plan by most Canadian fishing lodges). We need cabins and boats/motors on or near the lake(s), accommodating 4-6 people. Preferably 10 hours or less drive from Western PA - which probably limits us to Michigan, NY, parts of Ontario and Quebec (I'd personally just go to Lake Erie and rent a vacation house and boat myself, but that won't work for this trip). My family also prefers to have local guides provided as they're not comfortable on their own. I'm really looking closely at Michigan lakes and esepcially Traverse City area, but I'm not finding anything similar to the complete fishing packages offered by many Ontario outfitters. Thank you for any info you have!

4.5 Smallmouth out of Lake Erie in Conneaut, Ohio on Sat., April 27th. Not much compared to everyone else but it's my best in years. OH Record SM: 9, 8oz. (9.5) 72oz. / 152oz. X 100 = 47.37 Caught on a charter trip; only caught two smallies over two very tough days.

I'm in.

Presque Isle can be great for smallmouth, but there's a smaller window of opportunity in the bay. They will come in to spawn and some do stay all year, but very few. After the spawn and early post spawn, you've got to get on the main lake. I've had 100 fish days in PIB with a 3+ average and over 5# on a few. It's rare as I can only get on Erie so often each year and if main lake is an option, I'd rather fish the big water. There is far better fishing main lake year round. Lots of largemouth in the bay too, not that that's a bad thing. I've heard of some nice sizes but I've never hit 5 pounds personally on LMB at Erie. Seen plenty pics of them though. Just a backup option if you can get on the main lake. And it's still worth it in the summer in my opinion. Caught a few near trophy pike and plenty of 30+ days on largemouth in the early summer before it's too choked up with weeds. My current favorites are D-shot, Jerkbait, Spinnerbait, Tube. I'm far from the vet on Erie other guys on this board are and I've still got a ton to learn. But I'm proof that anyone can get on this lake and hit triple digits with a buddy, as well as catch (and release) a few trophies. Last note, gotta respect this lake, as I'm sure you've heard. Your best day on the water can turn into a nightmare with the weather and wave conditions. Main lake is serious and you must know forecasts. I check my apps on iPhone every hour and keep an eye on the sky as they say. Interestingly, I've had days on the main lake fishing 1-2 footers with no issue, only to return to the bay and find 4 footers. Not fun in the little 14' aluminums we sometimes rent. Anything over 3' on the main lake and we usually head in. I've read plenty of horror stories about those fancy $40K flat bottom bass rigs ending up as structure on the bottom of Erie. If I can find a solid 17-18' deep vee by April, I'll be out there much more often and I'll post some reports.

I won't get out until it's in the mid/high 50s for a few days in a row, maybe low 60s. Looks like that's at least 2 weeks away based on current 10-day forecast.

Here's that article from "the Wilkeborough Leader or something like that" http://www.timesleader.com/article/20130216/news/302169998 Wish these writers would first establish that these not being the biggest fish caught each year, just the "best estimates" reported by random people without requiring jack for proof. I'm sure there were dozens of Erie smallies that could legitimately occupy the top five nearly every year, if anyone cared to report them.

Same for me. Clapton 1st, then B.B. King a distant 2nd. All the other I've seen, just don't compare. Will be my 4th Clapton concert this tour. Gotta get as much of these living legends as I can.

Wait... what?

I used to fish all over Pittsburgh in the 3 rivers. I still fish them a bit in the spring. Plenty of decent smallie fishing opportunities on all 3, at least for numbers. I rarely break 2-2.5 pounds on the rivers. Most of the lakes in SW PA leave a lot to be desired. Arthur is tough and has a ton of pressue. Cross and Crooked Creek Lakes are hit or miss, I haven't touched them in years though. Getting further away, Wilhelm used to be solid for large mouth, and 3-4 pounders I've read were fairly common, with plenty of 5s each year. I had a few very good days numbers wise, and average fish was a good 2#s. I understand it's gone down hill thanks to over-population of gizzard shad. Pymie is supposedly pretty good, even great at times, but again that's not SW PA. Really for me in SW PA it's 3 rivers or bust, and the further North you go on the Allegheny, it seems the better the small mouth fishing gets. I guess overall bass fishing is SWPA is tough. I'm sure there are some nearby creeks and smaller rivers with better fishing - the Yough was mentioned - I've heard good things but only fished it once or twice. French creek I hear can really produce nice smallie and muskie. Given the option, I'd rather take the 2 hour hike to Erie than spend anytime anywhere else... within 500 miles. 1000 miles even. Probably rather fish Erie than anywhere in the U.S., even if I had unlimited funds. In fact if I have a boat this year, I might fish nowhere but Erie, regardless of the travel time and expense. But on those weekdays after work or when the weather at Erie doesn't cooperate, it's still worth putting in a few hours on any of the rivers in spring in fall. Nothing wrong with catching 20-30 smallies up to 2#s in a few hours, just a few minutes from home and within city limits. And it's awesome to fish with that gorgeous city skyline as as a backdrop, especially dawn and dusk. Even fishing near PNC Park during Pirates games can result in some solid small mouth action and incredible atmosphere. In the hottest months in the summer, I strongly recommend traveling far away from SW PA if you want a good chance at a productive day of bass fishing. I don't even waste time on the rivers anymore in the summer. I'm sure well-experienced fisherman can still find active fish and have a nice day, but I'd much rather have a shot at multiple trophy smallies on Erie, and nearly guaranteed 30 fish days with 2-3# average.

Ebay sure can be tough, especially for someone just looking to unload some items on occassion. I've never heard of payment being frozen like that though, sounds sketchy to me. If that's what PayPal is doing now it's just one more thing that will prevent eBay from enouraging commerce and growing. Unfortunate. I personally have sold and bought for years, and just recently opened an eBay shop to support a small part-time hobby / business. You really can only make money on large marins and you need every strategy and cost cutting tool possible to do well long-term. Definitely ship using eBay / PayPal shipping tools, I see no reason not to. If you're not selling large quantities or large shipments often, USPS is the best method. And it's likely the best method period - Priority Mail or 1st Class for under 13 oz. And there's never any reason to waste gas or time with Post Offices, unless perhaps you need to ship something balloon rate. I get all my shipping supplies delivered, and all shipments picked up, almost all for free. Factor shipping costs and the asinine eBay fees on shipping cost into the item cost. But then again, if you're an occassional seller looking to unload unwanted items, then I don't think you're depending on sales for income. Ebay tends to prey on the little guy like this. It's too bad. Amazon I hear is even worse for small businesses, not sure but I've yet to research it. Craigslist is a crapshoot of scammers and bargain hunters and it's tough to get noticed by a large audience.

I was also a victim to the early spring last year, and I doubt your problem was leader length. I had a 3-day trip on Presque Isle in early May and had couple friends fly in. I had talked up Erie to these guys for years and they finally made the trip, expecting the best fishing they'd ever seen. I felt so bad. 3 days on the water = 9 fish. Couldn't even get on the main lake. The water was stained and I was told the majority of bass were spawning, but we saw little bedding activity thanks to the water clarity - or lack of. I'm off topic - just wanted to let you know I sympathize; you can probably chalk it more to something other than leader length. I've caught plenty of tube smallies and LM in Erie on straight braid before I even knew what fluorocarbon leaders were (however I do use them now). For what it's worth, we've planned the trip again. This time within the last two weeks of April and that's based on expectations of a normal spring. So, I use an extra long leader for the drop shot, up to 16' sometimes so I can retie constantly - I want that connection knot to last an entire day. I also use the crazy alberto / modified albright. But for jerk baits, I've been using straight Yo-Zuri Hybrid for as long as I can remember. I am far from a jerkbait guru like some guys here but I've caught plenty of Erie bass with them since the late 90s. I'm a bit nervous about the lack of stretch in braid and treble hook lures, but I might give it a try soon with 4-5' leader because I won't retie as often. Also FYI we had success on jerk baits through June. Most years depending on water temp they have worked well through the end of June, but d-shot, spinner baits and tubes eventually take over.

Sure, then why click on the post? And If you didn't care for one reason or another, why did you feel the need to share your spite? Always comical when non-fans of a particluar sport or hobby feel the need to put its fans down. I love that entire ad campaign! Some great commercials they came up whether you're a Bruins fan or not. I read an article about the ad agency who produced those and created the concept. Wished they'd take over marketing for the league.

For spinnerbaits I recommend Pepper Custom Baits at TW (best prices are at TW). There are tangible reasons for my suggestion. I've gone through about a dozen different brands over the years. There were many that had lower grade hooks and it resulted in poor hookup ratios, or blades didn't consistently run true, or wire that quickly became damaged by aggressive small mouth strikes. There are plenty of SBs that will draw strikes when a SB bite is on. But not many last or have ideal hookup ratios. I had read a solid review on many SBs hat led me to Pepper Customs. Then I caught well over 100 smallie and LM on one single SB as well as two pike, at about 28" and 38" during a fishing vacation last year. That hook point remained ultra sharp until the day I lost it - that's what sold me. I now have a binder full of Pepper Customs. Major advantages for me: Gamakatsu Hook is key, durable steel wire, incredible value at $4.50 - $5.50, chip resistant coated paint and I believe the blades are strategically sized and aligned for better rotation at slower speeds. Regardless, I recommend checking the Tackle Tour 2010 Spinnerbait Shootout. I've linked the the final page with results, but IMO it's worth reading the entire article: http://tackletour.co...rshootout6.html . I'm not done experimenting myself; I'll be trying Komanchi, Gann's and more Revenge next year.

I would provide a full list of benefits to potential contributors. Namely, what kind of exposure will they receive? How many people are fishing the event? How many could attend? Will there be a weigh-in with an audience? Any signage? Will there be any publicity opportunities - local newspapers with an outdoors section? Photo or video opporunities? If anyone handles PR for the school they could pitch a local outdoors beat writer or human interest type writers/reporters and get some quality exposure. I could send more detailed tips on that - how to write and distribute press releases and pitch reporters. I would start locally, since it's likely going to be a pretty small one-day event right? And because local companies will be more inclined to support their communities and deserve a shot to contribute. Local tackle/bait shops, if you have any area lure manufacturers, rod builders, a sporting goods store even if it's a national chain, for example. Consider non-fishing related too if needed but I'd start with fishing. Any local boat dealers? Also are there any local BASS or other clubs you could affiliate with? If so they may have local sponsors and could help with outreach there. Just a quick Google and I found Bass Resource has a nice directory of tackle manufacturers, but I didn't see any in MD - worth combing through though when you have time: http://www.bassresource.com/bassfish/bass_tackle.html Research for lists of local bass clubs and shops.