Photo by Tom Berg

There's absolutely no better time to be on Lake Erie than when the lake's spring run of overweight smallmouths begin moving into the shallows to prepare for their annual spawn.

As any bass angler knows, Lake Erie is one of the world's most productive bodies of water when it comes to catching numbers of big bass.

A closed season remains in effect from May 1 through June 23, during which all black bass (both smallmouths and largemouths) must be released immediately. After June 23, the daily bag limit is five fish, with a 14-inch minimum-length limit.

Lake Erie is an amazing body of water. It borders not only New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, but also includes an international partner in the mix: Canada.

OHIO
Mark Turner, a fisheries biologist with Ohio's Department of Natural Resources, said that 2007 should be a great year for fishermen.

The shoreline of Lake Erie is every angler's bread and butter. Areas to target in the Ohio region include the Lake Erie islands, the western basin reef complex, Sandusky Bay, Ruggles Reef and harbor break walls from Lorain to Conneaut.

Turner said that when fishing for smallmouths, the islands are always a good choice, as is the mainland coastline.

Travis Hartman, another fisheries biologist, with the ODNR agreed:

"The best areas in western Lake Erie are the Camp Perry reef complex; the shorelines of the Bass Islands; west reef; the Gull Island shoal, the Kelleys Island shoals; the Kelleys Island shoreline including the airport reef; and the Catawba, Marblehead and Cedar Point shorelines. East of Huron, the Ruggles Reef area is a near-shore hotspot."

The Ohio section of Lake Erie is a strong draw for tournament anglers, and some nice fish are caught each season.

"We picked up a lot of young smallmouths in our samplings this year, which is good news for the future," Turner said. "And we still expect to see good fishing this year."

As with all of Lake Erie, the key to finding fish is location. Work slowly over dropoffs, long flats and wherever baitfish can be found.

The late-spring frenzy requires a little effort and understanding of which lures to use, and when.

Drop-shot rigs are deadly once the fish are found. Because Lake Erie has been inundated with gobies, lures that mimic them can produce some amazing results. Another sure-fire way to catch smallies is to use crayfish or their imitations. Smallmouths gorge themselves on these crustaceans at every opportunity.