Another title could be "Bloody Fish Butts and Sticky Slime," but I think I'll leave it with these two quotes by Noel:

"Dude, that fish is bleeding from it's butt!"

"I though that was fishing line, but it was a big stringy booger coming off that fish!"

I don't have any explanation for all the gross things that happened to me today, but it was all worth it. Even the bad case of the dropsies I had early in the day.

Noel Good called me yesterday to invite me for a day on Erie. It took all of 3 milliseconds to make the arrangements. The weather was perfect, light chop on the water receding to glass, and bugs everywhere. ERIE! I love this place. Reminds me so much of my home waters on Lake Ontario, but way better structure and much bigger fish.

We started with jigging spoons,with Noel boating a few fish fairly quickly. I had a few on, but kept losing them. I discovered a bent hook, then realized I was using my 6-8 m/XF jerk bait rod, not the slower, beefier 7' MH/M that suits my style better. Get a 3X treble on the spoon, attached to the right rod, and I was hooking up.

The fish we marked stopped responding to the spoons, so we both switched to drop shot rigs. This is where we really started picking the fish off. Action was fairly slow, but with flourishes of catches. Many of the fish we caught we're spotted on the graph, and we would watch them come up to the baits, and then we'd really sell the bait. Sometimes two or three fish came right up to the bait. Most fish the came up off the bottom to the bait ended up on the hook.

Had I caught all my bites, we'd easily had a 50 fish day. I had plenty of technical issues, but was having a ball. Deep fishing in open water is one of my favorite ways to fish. Hook them, and Hang on!

Size wasn't all there, but we had two significant fish. Noel had a nice fish that was about 4 lbs.,and I set a new personal record for smallies that has stood since the mid 90s. I really didn't think it was a PB, until I got it on the scale, and the numbers kept going up and up, LOL.

"Noel, you just put me on a PB smallmouth!"

Erie smallmouth are like a different species of fish. Heavy, surly, and thick. Even their mouths are strong as hell. I bent hooks trying to get them unbuttoned for a quick release back to the depths.

Gear:

Spoons, St. Croix Avid AVC70MHM, Daiwa Alphas, 10 lb. Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon.

Drop shot, St. Croix Avid AVS63MLXF, Shimano Stradic CI4, 6lb. Seaguar InvisX.

Thanks to Smooth Drags Carbontex replacement washers for controlling those beasts!

Now the part you're all waiting for.....pics!

A decent fish finally, after fixing my "technical issues."

Noel with a pretty little chunk.

Look at the belly on this fish!

Here's what they were eating.

They are never ready to come in boat.

Noel: "This is the type of fish we want more of!"

5 lbs. 12 oz. Awesome fish, but I'm gunning for a 6 now!.

Another view of that fish.

Another great day on the water with a great host. Noel is a VERY good stick, and an even better host.

Thanks for the great day!

Awesome pics!!! thanks for sharing!

Great Report and Awesome Pic's  WTG

Big O

www.ragetail.com

Out-Standing !

Looked like a fairly nice day on the water, especially for November. Those bass are FFFAT !

A-Jay

Nice smallies. Congrats and thanks for sharing.

We had a good day on Dale Hollow yesterday too. We did not have the numbers but my wife picked up one great fish. It was also 5 lbs 12 oz. It was an absolute hog. I will be adding pics later.

J, what is that baitfish?  Alewife?  Smelt?

J, what is that baitfish? Alewife? Smelt?

Alewife, I think.  That upturned mouth says alewife to me.  Looked A LOT like a sexy shad in the sun, LOL.

Dude, nice fatties man! Sounds like a fun day to me!

                                WOO-HOO!

Looks like a great day and Congrats on the PB!

You two had one heck of  a day.  Gotta love it!!!

Nice J!

I think that preyfish is a troutperch -Percopsis. I remember trawling up some in Oneida. Some years they were an important walleye food, esp when perch, or shad, #s were down.

Seems like perch are the go to on Champ and the Fingers and it changes when you get to the bigger waters.

Nice J!

I think that preyfish is a troutperch -Percopsis. I remember trawling up some in Oneida. Some years they were an important walleye food, esp when perch, or shad, #s were down.

Troutperch?  Maybe.  Seems way too laterally compressed for that.  Also note, there is a big chunk missing from that baitfish's face.

If it had a spiny dorsal I'd say white bass, but ... I can't see fins by the photo. Don't see an adipose fin either -which troutperch have. It's not a Clupeid though.

I was thinking white bass myself, too.  No fin spines left to tell, though.  The other fish that looks close is a ruffe, but I don't think they're in Erie.

That doesnt look like any alewife I've ever seen but it looks a little roughed up so I guess it's possible.

Nice smallies J, excellent report!