Holiday angling

Labor Day angling outings could be productive for both competition entrants and those just out for a fun run.

When planning a holiday outing, put together a program more akin to early August angling than the first week of September for both places to fish and tackle to try.

Erie’s walleye and perch have set up in early- August patterns. Ontario’s trout and salmon are staying out deep in areas they swim sometime in early-to-mid-August.

Perch dominate inland lakes catch counts. Trout have yet to make their moves up Great Lakes feeder streams. To up the odds for a good batch of fish for grilling on Labor Day, think like it’s midsummer when going for warm-or cold-water species this weekend.

Lake Erie

Not only have walleye begun showing in good numbers, some spectacular sizes have shown on days when trollers can get out to Erie’s open-water areas.

Friday afternoon, Tom Chesebro of Eldred, Pa., headed out of Barcelona and boated just two walleyes while trolling a Dipsy Diver over 70-foot depths. His biggest passed the 12-pound mark on his scale, measuring just over 31 inches with a 21-inch girth. A black and purple spoon accounted for the monster ’eye. After getting it to shore, Chesebro wrote, “Needless to say, it is going on my wall.”

Farther east, catch numbers improve. The moving school west of Dunkirk Harbor continues to feed at 70-to 90-foot depths. Winds and wave action move these ’eyes daily, but bait schools and comforting temperatures have kept these fish relatively close to shore.

Even farther east, trollers off Sturgeon Point began seeing good walleye numbers before the weekend winds. Worm harnesses with black and purple or watermelon blades set close to bottom in 60-70 feet have been neat.

Perch, too, behave as though it were Aug. 2 instead of Sept. 2. Boaters make runs to depths just below or above 70 feet off many land sites. Good catch reports have come from just west of Cattaraugus Creek, directly off Point Breeze, and along the Wendt Beach to Sturgeon Point drop-off of Evans-Angola Bar.

Drifting to pinpoint perch schools is a must when initial runs show little activity on the sonar screen. More often, the screen is too clouded with bait schools to view prospective perch packs.

Smallmouth bass have dug deep, showing among perch schools down 50 to 70 feet. But check out shoreline structures that hold bait at 25-35 feet. A video of 25-foot rocky shoals from Buffalo Harbor to Seneca Shoals shows bottoms covered fin-to-fin with round gobies, but an abundance of bait schools has put all kinds of fish well off bottom to find forage, including yellow perch.

Lake Ontario

Include the Lake Ontario trout and salmon run in that midsummer-mood mode. Lake Ontario Derby entrants and recreational runners have had to travel 8-14 miles off shore to connect with salmon and trout of late.

Oak Orchard Point offers a slight advantage for trip distances. Some good numbers have come in areas less than 5 miles off the point. Rigs run 20-50 feet down have been most effective for a variety of trout and salmon. Deeper rigs can often account for not only big Chinook salmon but bigger browns and steelies.

Derby leaders have come from ports all along the New York shoreline. Currently, the top 10 kings weigh more than 30 pounds, with the leader a 34 pounder taken at Port Ontario.

Western New York waters have been best for lake trout. Most of the top 10 lakers have come from deeper drop-off waters between Fort Niagara and Irondequoit Bay.

Winds caused a rollover that sent cold water shoreward and pushed some kings and browns close enough for pier casters to reach them at both Wilson and Olcott Harbors. In that push, a few big northern pike moved in and began feeding on panfish in the harbors. A 14-pound northern was weighed in at Olcott and many 10-pound-plus pike have shown at Wilson Harbor.

When the big predators move away, bass and some nice crappie begin biting at Wilson Harbor. Shore anglers here have a chance for a good pail full of panfish. Spinners, spinner baits, or a grub on a small jig head under a bobber/ float can be deadly any hour of the day.