This Week @ Bass Edge

Big Water Smallmouths

Ever since I was a kid, seeing on the map the size of the great lakes made me wonder what fishing these massive bodies of water would be like. More recently, stories of the huge catches of smallmouths had further piqued my interest. When the planning began for BassEdge’s second season of taping, I made sure Lake Erie was on the list.

But before tackling a body of water so different from those I had fished before, I hooked up with FLW touring pro Sean Hoernke, who has a lot of experience on the big water.

“Fishing on the Great Lakes is different from other traditional inland reservoirs,” Hoernke explained.  “There are so many factors that influence your success. It can be overwhelming to the point that it paralyzes your ability to make proper decisions.”

Venturing out onto a horizon surrounded by water in a bass boat can be intimidating and demands a special respect.  Normal lake conditions sport three-foot waves that can easily reach seven-footers.
Conditions can change in a hurry. 

“A slight shift in the wind direction or a building of intensity can turn a 30 minute boat ride back to the ramp into a three-hour tour,” Hoernke said.  “In addition, given the lakes size, there is often a large discrepancy of wave action from one area of the lake to the next.”

Hoernke always checks the wind forecast before going onto the water, and carries a weather radio and cell phone in a sealed waterproof container. He understands that there is no quick way to run rough water. A self-talk prior to the start of his fishing day re-emphasizes that the journey both to and from his spot requires total concentration and a lot of time to traverse the waves safely.

Boat preparation also ranks at the top of veteran angler’s priorities. Steve Clapper, recent FLW Tour winner on Lake Erie, refers to it as “Erie proofing” his boat. 

“There are certain things anglers have to do to their equipment if they want to be able to fish once they arrive at their first spot,” Clapper said. 

He goes the extra mile, with two 1,000-gallon-per-hour bilge pumps along with spares stowed away, a secondary fastener system for his trolling motor and electronics as well as beefed-up rod fasteners and a long shaft trolling motor.

“Bottom line is you have to know what you and your equipment are capable of and never exceed those limitations.”

On The Water

Since the infestation of both the Zebra Muscle and the Gobie back in the late 80s, many questioned the future of this great fishery.  Almost 20 years later, many argue that the introduction of these species have helped fuel the Lake Erie smallmouth bass factory.

“The Zebra Muscles have definitely made a difference in the water clarity on Erie, and the Gobies have provided an abundant food source for the smallmouth,” Hoernke explained. 

With the invention of the soft-plastic Gobie, companies such as Poor Boys have helped anglers put more bass in the boat.

“Having success on Erie requires essentially two rigs: one a drop-shot and the other a tube rig for dragging,” Hoernke said.

Fluorocarbon line in 6- or 8-pound test provides the low visibility and anti-stretch properties needed.  The drop-shot is effective on a 7-foot, medium-heavy spinning rod. Hoernke uses an 18-inch leader with a 3/8-ounce cylinder weight to get a Gobie into the strike zone.  The tube rig is fished with a 7-foot medium action baitcaster with a ½ - ¾ oz football head inserted into the 3 ½ inch tube.

Since Erie’s bottom is predominantly soft, the smallmouth tend to be found on the limited hard structure.  Any change on the graph in the composition of the bottom is likely to hold bass.

“Once I have found an area that has rock or a hard bottom present, I will drift over it dragging my tube or drop-shot,” Hoernke said. 

On days when the water is rough or the sky cloudy, smallmouths are likely to be spread out.  On blue-bird, calm days it is often necessary to find the sweet spot because the fish are likely to be tighter to structure.

Another prime smallmouth hangout is a shipwreck.  There is a tremendous amount of structure on Erie from centuries of nautical traffic.  Serving as shelter and bait attractants, these often low-pressured bass dormitories can produce tremendous action.  Through navigational books available in the library and the Internet, anglers can obtain the GPS coordinates to such structures.

Equipped with Dramamine, fully charged batteries, and two drift socks, Hoernke gets his sea legs under him and goes to work.  He throws out the drift socks to slow his speed over the structure as he drags his baits.  Once at the end of the structure, the drift socks are collected and the process is repeated time and time again. 

Hoernke stresses the importance of having locations saved via GPS waypoints in advance so that a marker buoy can be deployed as a point of reference.  The buoy helps Hoernke concentrate on detecting strikes instead of staying on a spot with the graph.

Sean and I fished Erie recently using these techniques, and we caught more than our share of big smallmouths. Erie is one of my new favorite lakes, and it might become one of yours after watching the show we taped there.

Don’t miss this episode of Bass Edge in early 2008 as Aaron and Sean take the Lake Erie Challenge!