This year Dave sent an almost identical email (I didn't realize this until I was cleaning out old emails at work and found last year's) a few weeks ago. I didn't take it seriously at first, but after some thought decided it could be fun. Dave told me the boats were filled but one spot was ambiguous due to the participant possibly needing to go to a Little League tournament. Little League it was for "Mr. Anderson" and I was in.
So late in the AM last Sunday, I put a cooler, a small bag of clothes and a few fishing sundries together and headed to Dave's house. We chatted a bit and from there we went in Dave's car to the organizer, Phil's house. Most of the group congregated there and we split into cars for the ride up to Lake Erie. Some of us were planning on leaving Monday after fishing, the rest staying until Tuesday morning.
I ended up in the back seat of Dave's car with Dave and Phil (a different Phil, not the organizer). Phil pleasantly gave me the back seat, "It is safer for you." Phil, Dave and I all work for the same company as do many others on the trip - plus a few retirees. I have worked some with Dave and very briefly with Phil many years ago, but didn't know either of them well. Dave is an avid outdoorsman who fishes and does some hunting. Phil is an effete Chicago-raised suburbanite. He was pleasant enough if a bit of a talker. He is probably the only person I've ever known to take a fly rod on a chartered Lake Erie Walleye trip. Walleye are not known for their top water activity in the middle of the hot Northern Ohio summer.
The trip up was nice enough. I learned quite some about both Dave and Phil until Phil decided it was time to read. Dave and I continued to converse while Phil read and murmured occasionally.
Once we got to Port Clinton, we found our set of three condos for the 18 people fishing. There was ambiguity about who was sleeping where and I ended up scrounging for an open bed, finding one in the very hot loft of a condo without a working ceiling fan.
The group chatted and BSed as the afternoon stretched into evening. Those who knew eachother talking loudly, while those of us less connected to the group got to know others. There was a considerable amount of drinking which makes me feel a little awkward since quitting. I don't crave the booze, I just feel out of place when there is copious beer being consumed. When I was drinking, I never realized how boozy a room can smell when most people are actively consuming.
Dinner that night was ribeye prime rib grilled by Lou. Along with the other parts of the meal, it was very good, especially the outer crispy out bits. A few of us threw lures into the pond by the condos, but nobody caught anything. There are fish there, but likely the pressure is intense as the sole purpose of the condos is to cater to people fishing on Lake Erie.
Monday morning came early as we got up for a simple breakfast of donuts and bagels. Weather forecast was for hot conditions with little wind and a slight chance of thunderstorms late in the day. Good weather to not get seasick but not the best for mid-summer walleye.
We were appropriately at the dock well before 6 AM and on the water shortly after. Sammy was our Captain and seemed a nice enough fellow. As we headed out, the sun rose over the water creating a great start to a day of fishing.
With recent hot weather, the walleye fishing was likely best in deeper Canadian water so we all bought Canadian fishing licenses. We only motored out, NW for about an hour and were likely nowhere near Canadian waters. I only found out later that many on the people fishing did not have an Ohio fishing license. Whether the chartered guides new something of the fishing or simply didn't want to spend all the fuel to get farther out, we all made the best of the situation.
It was interesting to be fishing in the shadow of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant for most of the day. Granted we were quite a distance off shore, but there was always the hope of the Simpson-esque three eyed fish being caught.
Fishing was done by way of "the weapon" on open face rod reels and relatively lightweight rods. The lure consists of a heavy weight on a swivel with a few beads and a blade. Immediately behind the blade are one or two hooks to include part of a night crawler. Most of the fishing was done at or near the bottom of the lake.
After stopping we all started fishing. The boat was a little close but nobody hooked anybody else (although we did come close at times).
The charted fishing brought back memories as a child of some family vacation, I think to the east coast. My parents put me on a chartered fishing boat alone since I really wanted to go fishing in the ocean but nobody else in my family had any outdoors interest. The boat was wall-to-wall people and I was left wedged next to another younger kid and his overly-aggressive dad. Every time his kid got even the hint of a fish, dad started cutting the lines of the other nearby poles. As I recall I was intimidated by this. The few times I was sure I had a fish, my line was cut by the mean dad or the staff. The boat was so packed, that lines were constantly tangled. It was not a positive experience. I never did bring a "blue" into the boat. Much like the fishing lines, this memory is so hopelessly tangled that I sometimes wonder if it is real.
The walleye fishing was much better. I quickly brought in a walleye and ended up catching more than anyone else on the boat. This was only due to luck as it was my first time fishing on Lake Erie. Others chalked it up to my fishing position at the back of the boat, but with the lack of any wind and any drifting, I remain very skeptical of this. If there was any difference in the way I was fishing it was that I always kept my line in the water and several people fishing were casting precariously close to the boat.
We fished until early afternoon. As the day heated, the fishing got slower. Everybody in the boat caught walleye in addition to drum (sheepshead), white perch, yellow perch, catfish and almost a water snake. What a water snake was doing in the middle of Lake Erie is a bit of a mystery.
Of the other two boats, one limited out rather early, while the other turned in early. The sun with a lack of wind was merciless. As we headed back to the dock the predicted rain showers could be seen to the northwest.
Once back at the docks, our fish were quickly cleaned and split into a bag for each of us. It was impressive how quickly the fish were cleaned. Dave and I headed back to the condos to clean up before heading out. Phil had already left earlier in another car.
It was a nice ride back south to home. As opposed to hunting trips, a one-day fishing adventure only takes a short time to clean up after. Overall it was a very fun trip. The fishing was good, but not great. Hanging out with an eclectic group of guys was also fun. Perhaps this may need to be repeated?
