by Capt. John “JW” Welch

Sometimes they almost resemble a football. You can expect nothing but mean from one tip to the other of these Lake Erie “footballs.”

Some of the best action is in the fall when the water temperature starts to drop and they put on a feed to help carry them over the winter. Book a charter for just smallmouth, or try a combination trip with perch and smallmouth. Your captain can offer you a choice of bait which includes soft craws, mixed craws, minnows and artificial baits. Tube jigs are very popular.

Soft craws are probably known as the favorite bait for smallies. They are usually double the cost of mixed craws. You will have to make a decision as to how much to invest in bait. Despite their high cost, soft craws very often produce the best action. You will have to pay for the bait at market price.

There are times when tube jigs work very well and they can produce smallies without spending as much on bait. However, they can be hung-up on the bottom and are not a bargain if a lot of them get lost.

Whatever the bait, make sure your medium or medium-heavy action rod has a reel with good line. If it is old or nicked, the fish will let you know real fast that he found your weakness. Many captains use 10 lb. test or heavier because of all the jagged rocks and zebra mussels on the bottom. The slightest nick quickly reduces the lb. test of your line. It is wise to check a rod’s length of your line often so you can retie if there are nicks.

The most common live bait rig used on Lake Erie bass is a “Carolina” rig. It consists of a leader of 20 lb. test (or heavier) line with a snelled hook at one end and a barrel swivel on the other. It’s length is approximately 14-18” and it is tied to the free end of your line. Before tying the leader on the free end of the line, slide a egg sinker on the free end. The weight of the egg sinker is determined by drift conditions. It is usually 1/2 or 3/4 ounce. The crayfish or minnow is placed on the hook and the rig is dropped in the water until the sinker contacts the bottom. It is then necessary to raise it off the bottom the length of the rig to keep from being attacked by zebra mussels and/or gobies. If the boat is drifting, you will have to play out enough line to contact bottom and lift your sinker off the bottom after it makes contact. Repeat this action each time your sinker touches. This sawtooth lifting of your bait will keep you from being easily snagged and also keep your bait at the level the bass seem to prefer. Set the hook any time you feel something different as you lift the rod tip. There is a good chance a bass could be at the other end.

Tube jigs are lifted in a very similar manner as the boat drifts and the lure bounces off the bottom. The tubes have become very popular in Lake Erie. The tube jig comes in a goby color and the round nose goby has become a food source for bass. The tube jig can be very productive at certain times.

The long term effect of the goby to the bass population has not been determined. It is known that when the male smallmouth is removed from the nest for a period of a few minutes, gobies will quickly enter and eat the eggs. For this reason, Ohio has closed the season for smallmouth during the spawn. This move should insure continued great fishing for these acrobats of Lake Erie. Many parties like to practice catch and release. The state has set a limit and if you wish to keep your fish, it is up to you. There are many good bass recipes out there!

Don’t miss out on this action and a smallmouth trip in combination with perch can be a perfect way to spend a late summer or early fall day.