# Lake Erie Crappie



## jrfish (Nov 12, 2010)

Was wondering if anyone is catching any crappies at Lake Erie? Thanks


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## FISHAHOLIC85 (Apr 22, 2011)

Haven't really been out lately but based on the water temps, it's probably a bit early yet. You may be able to pick up some heading towards the western basin using pre spawn patterns but the central basin is still a bit cold. Only exception is if you can target some around the power plant out takes where the water is warmer and around structure. Depending on where you are close to, my first place to try would be the bridge and rocks by the 72nd street out take. But it's worth a shot where ever. Good luck, let us know how you do out there


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

I'll buy that, but what I really want to know is where the heck do they go after spring?


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

FISHAHOLIC85 said:


> Haven't really been out lately but based on the water temps, it's probably a bit early yet. You may be able to pick up some heading towards the western basin using pre spawn patterns but the central basin is still a bit cold. Only exception is if you can target some around the power plant out takes where the water is warmer and around structure. Depending on where you are close to, my first place to try would be the bridge and rocks by the 72nd street out take. But it's worth a shot where ever. Good luck, let us know how you do out there


Head West....!  I was sworn to secrecy but this post is right on.


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## Tailchaser (Feb 5, 2009)

That's a good question. I have fished for crappies for many years ,& have had no problem catching them in the back waters & marina's of Lake Erie. The spring fishing being the best. Pre spawn, spawn, & fall, ice fishing. My fishing friends & I have wondered were they go in the warm months of Lake Erie. I have never caught one out in Lake Erie, walleye or perch fishing. I even asked a ex commercial fisherman, that have fished the s/w shorelines in the Reno Beach area, with various nets , & have never caught any. I know you will catch one, bass, or bank fishing once in awhile ,but no great numbers. With all the boat traffic in the marina's & noise , it's hard to believe they would still stay in the marina's. With Lake Erie being short on structure, it just amazes me were these fish call home in the warm months. Don a oldtimer.


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## FISHAHOLIC85 (Apr 22, 2011)

My best guess is that the crappie follow a pattern similar to the walleye. pre spawn and spawn finds more action on the western basin docks and back waters. As summer sets in and post spawn comes to a close I would imagine the majority of the crappie start heading east, still holding in back waters and docks but in deeper water and close to the deeper part of the lake where water temps are a bit cooler. If what is being said, that they are all but barely there in the western basin once summer hits and not in the open water, this would be the most logical explanation IMO. Can any one back this theory up or pose a different one?


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

Tailchaser said:


> That's a good question. I have fished for crappies for many years ,& have had no problem catching them in the back waters & marina's of Lake Erie. The spring fishing being the best. Pre spawn, spawn, & fall, ice fishing. *My fishing friends & I have wondered were they go in the warm months of Lake Erie. I have never caught one out in Lake Erie, walleye or perch fishing. I even asked a ex commercial fisherman, that have fished the s/w shorelines in the Reno Beach area, with various nets , & have never caught any. I know you will catch one, bass, or bank fishing once in awhile ,but no great numbers. With all the boat traffic in the marina's & noise , it's hard to believe they would still stay in the marina's. With Lake Erie being short on structure, it just amazes me were these fish call home in the warm months.* Don a oldtimer.


 YEP, UUHHAAA, RIGHT!?
I THINK IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER LAKE ERIE OGF FORUM!
"SCUBA & FREE DIVERS, SPEARFISHING FORUM!"  

The way Erie is clean'n up,,, They'd be able to answer alot of our questions!???

(Hey, is it LEGAL to spear a limit of 'Game-fish'? As a kid, I did pretty good on the Largemouth quarry BASS!  )


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## Hardtop (Nov 24, 2004)

I have been chasing them in west harbor since the early 1960's and still get excited everytime that float dissapears under a dock, last may I had one of the best seasons in a long time. I actually left the 24'er tied up several times and just fished for specs instead of running across the lake for eyes.
Where do they go in the summer......? I would like to know too, there are always a few small straglers around the marina, but the nice adult slabs move out after spawn. My Dad and I ( before we had boats) used to walk out the jetties at the south end of East Harbor from the beach, and fish for bass, rock bass, and very early each morning we would pull a few nice crappies too. This would be with minnows deep under a float around the big boulders.
I havenot fished hose jetties in the last 20yrs, but it would be interesting to know if the crappies were still there after spawn. HT


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

It's the same here in the central basin - giant slab crappies in the spring and then they disappear!
I thought maybe the boat traffic keeps them down til late night, but that hasn't proved true. Looked around with a camera through the ice last year - no crappies, just a few sleeping bass and a ton of huge shad.
If I were a 16" crappie, where would I go in the summer? or fall? or winter?
It's like they materialize out of nowhere in the spring. . .. .


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## honey (Oct 13, 2006)

I'll let the cat out of the bag a bit. We catch them good throughout the summer. Use your graph and search between the channel markers. They move a lot and can be anywhere between the greens and reds. Best method by far is to spider rig them. Gotta do it on weekday mornings or evenings though bcs boat traffic makes it impossible and also shuts them off completely. The channel just off the coal docks in Sandusky are absolutely loaded btw. Be advised they r harder to catch than walleye during the summer!!!


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Hmmm. So the channel off the coal dock at Whiskey Island might be worth a look. Thanks, that's the best info I've heard -will check it after the crappie disappear this spring!


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## Tailchaser (Feb 5, 2009)

Crappies ? The Sandusky Bay area might have fish form the harbors & marina's in that area, but we fish a larger area then just the bay. We fish back waters & marina's from Erie Metro park in Michigan, all the way to Sandusky, & then some. There are hundreds of shallows & marina's along the lake ,so all those fish I don't think move to the Sun. Bay.They may move into deeper channels off the rivers & bays & hold there till cooler water. Oh well, good luck. I just hope we have a early & nice spring for a change. Don.


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## DeathFromAbove (Oct 21, 2008)

creekcrawler said:


> I'll buy that, but what I really want to know is where the heck do they go after spring?


They probably do what they do in any inland lake or big reservoir - Suspend out over deep water. The lakes so big youre not gonna find them


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## honey (Oct 13, 2006)

Just using the bay as an example


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## Alwsfishin (Apr 5, 2004)

Sounds like one for the Linder boys...I'll email them and find out what they think.


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

I haven't been to Erie in years but a friend asked me to go this year and our plan included spending at least some time fishing some of the bays/harbors for crappies. Not knowing what to expect we picked the 2nd weekend in June. I was specifically interested in dock shooting which we don't get much of a chance to do down here locally.
I think his plan is to stay at East Harbor State Park. It's plenty early to change our plans and we're both really flexible so time is on our side.
I do have a couple of questions maybe someone can help with.

How does our timing look for the crappie to be around the docks, too early or too late?

What about places to stay. We prefer camping. Is the park okay or should we look for private? We tent camp and not all places or set up for tents.

Thanks in advance for any help. PM if you don't want the info on here. You don't have to worry about me keeping all the fish. I usually only keep fish a few times each year and I can get a meal together almost anytime. I'm just looking for something different to try.

I don't have experience with Erie but around southern Ohio once the spawn is over (or the fish pull off the banks) I would look in 10-25 fow and they will suspend in or around bait fish. If there is any cover available, it can be a magnet.
It actually seems to me that not all fish head to the banks to spawn. I regularly catch females with eggs at the end of May and even into early June out on the flats in 12-15 fow.


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

crappiedude said:


> I haven't been to Erie in years but a friend asked me to go this year and our plan included spending at least some time fishing some of the bays/harbors for crappies. Not knowing what to expect we picked the 2nd weekend in June. I was specifically interested in dock shooting which we don't get much of a chance to do down here locally.
> I think his plan is to stay at East Harbor State Park. It's plenty early to change our plans and we're both really flexible so time is on our side.
> I do have a couple of questions maybe someone can help with.
> 
> ...


From my experience I would say June is to late. However, a lot depends on the weather. Typically, we get into them in April & the first part of May. This year may be earlier if the current weather pattern holds. I have a buddy that lives up there and he said a couple weeks ago when the weather was in the high 50's they were already getting them. He figured out some very good early and late crappie spots around 12 years ago when moved from Southern Ohio to the Toledo area. However, as noted they seem to disappear in the summer. 

I also love to fish docks as it is nice break as I troll most of the year.... even for crappie. However, a slip bobber with a emerald shinner or tube jig is by far my favorite way to catch crappie. 

Good Luck!


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

triton189 said:


> From my experience I would say June is to late. However, a lot depends on the weather. Typically, we get into them in April & the first part of May. This year may be earlier if the current weather pattern holds. I have a buddy that lives up there and he said a couple weeks ago when the weather was in the high 50's they were already getting them. He figured out some very good early and late crappie spots around 12 years ago when moved from Southern Ohio to the Toledo area. However, as noted they seem to disappear in the summer.
> 
> I also love to fish docks as it is nice break as I troll most of the year.... even for crappie. However, a slip bobber with a emerald shinner or tube jig is by far my favorite way to catch crappie.
> 
> Good Luck!


Thanks
I normally swim jigs or use slip floats and around here there just aren't any docks to fish. If there isn't ice some fish will succumb to jigs year round. We do get a shallow jig and cork bite going on and I have to say it is a favorite time of the year to fish. The only bad thing is I find out just how slow my reflexes are getting.


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

crappiedude said:


> Thanks
> I normally swim jigs or use slip floats and around here there just aren't any docks to fish. If there isn't ice some fish will succumb to jigs year round. We do get a shallow jig and cork bite going on and I have to say it is a favorite time of the year to fish. The only bad thing is I find out just how slow my reflexes are getting.


I love flippin docks and stick ups. East Harbor is a good place to camp and has some good spots for early crappie. Although, some of the hot spots there are not even around the docks.  However, any of the bays or marinas as noted can be good. It doesn't appear this cat has been let out of the bag yet.... don't forget the portage river............!  

I have received a lot PM's in regards to "specific" spots. I will direct people to good areas but can't give away exact honey holes as most of them were not discovered by me!


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

triton189 said:


> I love flippin docks and stick ups. East Harbor is a good place to camp and has some good spots for early crappie. Although, some of the hot spots there are not even around the docks.  However, any of the bays or marinas as noted can be good. It doesn't appear this cat has been let out of the bag yet.... don't forget the portage river............!
> 
> I have received a lot PM's in regards to "specific" spots. I will direct people to good areas but can't give away exact honey holes as most of them were not discovered by me!


My one friend want's to fish for smallies and ha know I'm addicted to crappie so he dangling this "crappie carrot" in front of me to get me to go to Erie and I'm going to bite.:

I understand not giving out others secrets. I don't blame you a bit. I took a guy fishing once and showed him a spot where we caught bass after bass. I explained to him it took years to find this spot and asked him to keep it a secret which he assured me he would. I found out from his neighbor (who's big in the bass clubs) that he and some of his buddies really liked my spot and they had been keeping limits there every night for a week. The spot has never been the same and this is probably 10 or 12 years ago.

I am going to assume that we are talking about mostly black crappie up there but I guess some whites are possible too. Even just general hints (in a pm of course could be helpful) like look at channel edges in 12-15fow, fish pads with jigs or look for sections of broken seawall.
I know down here, the blacks seem to be shallower and like rocks and structure changes. The whites seem to like timber. At Ky lake I like fishing rock and gravel points for blacks. Of course we get some bonus smallies mixed in as well.

again thanks for posting and keep them coming


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## Tailchaser (Feb 5, 2009)

Crappiedude:
I agree with a earlier post. June might be a little late for crappie, at least in the shallows & docks. April & May should be the prime time. Even March could be hot. Some of the females we caught this winter already had orange eggs. I could not believe how dark there egg sacs were. I'm sure some of those girls will be dumping eggs very early. Also, LM & smallies will be right in there spawning. While crappie fishing we have caught several bass with jigs & minnows. This past year has been anything but normal , & maybe we will have a nice spring for a change.


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

crappiedude said:


> My one friend want's to fish for smallies and ha know I'm addicted to crappie so he dangling this "crappie carrot" in front of me to get me to go to Erie and I'm going to bite.:
> 
> I understand not giving out others secrets. I don't blame you a bit. I took a guy fishing once and showed him a spot where we caught bass after bass. I explained to him it took years to find this spot and asked him to keep it a secret which he assured me he would. I found out from his neighbor (who's big in the bass clubs) that he and some of his buddies really liked my spot and they had been keeping limits there every night for a week. The spot has never been the same and this is probably 10 or 12 years ago.
> 
> ...


PM Sent! Let me know if you did not recieve it as I was having a computer issue.


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

Tailchaser said:


> Crappiedude:
> I agree with a earlier post. June might be a little late for crappie, at least in the shallows & docks. April & May should be the prime time. Even March could be hot. Some of the females we caught this winter already had orange eggs. I could not believe how dark there egg sacs were. I'm sure some of those girls will be dumping eggs very early. Also, LM & smallies will be right in there spawning. While crappie fishing we have caught several bass with jigs & minnows. This past year has been anything but normal , & maybe we will have a nice spring for a change.


My buddy who lives in Toledo was begging for me to get up during the week we had all the warm temp's. He said they were doing very good on the Black crappie! Thanks for the post as it confirms what he was stating! Strange year.... I hope we do have a nice spring.


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

Finally, the sites back running again. I'll did get some PM's I'll answer them soon and thanks for the replys & pm's so far. Keep em coming.

I guess one things for sure, I'll have to discuss that date with my partner.

So if we move the time to mid May it looks like that should be better. Are there any perch nearby at that time of year. My wife loves perch and has been telling me to go to Erie for years so I can get some.


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## guppygill (May 8, 2004)

End of May, beginning of June, I have caught some nice ones off shore at Huron Pier. Right against the pier halfway to the light house, and then, right at the end of the light house against the rocks. Not many, but everyone one of them are large. Casting for white bass, I get them every time I go out there, but only a few, as in three or four.

Rich


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## Harbor Hunter (Aug 19, 2007)

I know of one spot that is well offshore that I pick up sometimes good numbers of nice sized crappies while bass fishing.It's called Middle Harbor Shoal,it's a fairly large area that has a lot of weedbeds,and a few gravel and rock areas.I normally pull up within a few yards of a shallow rise,and fish slowly back to the boat letting the bait go deeper as it goes.I normally get into the crappies when I'm using a drop-shot bait,such as a 3" Gulp Minnow.Being as I don't target them,I'm not sure on numbers in that area,but some days I may not catch one,and other days,I may get a dozen or more.


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## fishcoffin (Nov 10, 2004)

Another idea is to do a search of post by user JimG......He does alot crappie fishing in the bay. He has alot of great info out there about all seasons. You could also shoot him a PM.

This is his user page.

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/member.php?u=34


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## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

Ive been wanting to do a lot more crappie fishing in bigger water.....bay...east/west harbor etc.....we do a lot of crappie fishing in some local ponds and reservoirs and do really well...its kind of been hard to leave area's where we know the fish are to find some elsewhere!!!!

In the summer trolling upground reservoirs we do well trolling small cranks around on crappie.....especially on picking up the 10-14" slabs.....seems like you will catch 4 keepers to 1 throw back! Never mad at that!!


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## mpog (May 10, 2009)

Question: In the marinas, are there any restrictions in fishing the slips?, I am closer to Ashtabula. Thanks for the input


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## Tailchaser (Feb 5, 2009)

Almost all marina's are private except for state parks, & is getting harder each year to fish. Because of vandalism,littering, & liability a lot of marina's are off limits. It's getting so bad that some places won't let you fish off your own dock that you rent. You can fish them by boat as long as you stay off there property. The best thing you can do is if you find a marina that looks appealing to fish , go to the office & ask permission. If you get lucky & can fish a place, & the boats are in. Don't I mean Don't, go on docks that have people on there boats. People pay good money to rent those dock, & sure don't need people fishing off there dock. I remember yrs. ago , I was fishing a marina in West Harbor & about half the boats were in the water .All of a sudden 2 guys camped out on this guys dock. The guy shows up to get on his boat & he can't even climb aboard. If the guys had any intelligence they would have said , sorry & moved off the dock. This is the mentally that were dealing with today. Good luck fishing & just use common sense.


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## percidaeben (Jan 15, 2010)

On Kelleys during the summer I drive around and,at night, hit any still protective water that has some light source to attract the shinners. Usually use a mepps naked aglia number 1 or 2 but this year going to also try vibees. Never get more then 1-3 in any same area though. Always moving. But the ones I do get are usually 12-15 inches and need two hands to get around them. Probably close to 1 1/4 pound on weight.


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## Fishers of Men (Jul 29, 2005)

You can catch crappies
all summer long, along the wall in the Ashtabula river along with smallies and everything else that swims there.


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## mikmrnd (Mar 16, 2011)

When I leave Hot Waters in Lorain, there are always people shore fishing along the pilings and rocks. However, I dont know what species they are trying to catch.


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## Fishtank133 (Feb 19, 2012)

I'm thinking about next weekend (last weekend in Feb.) about hitthing up whiskey island marina and backwaters for some of these little tasty guys. emerald shiner under a slip bobber is going to be my method. i'll take pics if any success. I have heard of guys accidentally hooking into Pike using this method early in the season


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Had a doofus buddy throw am Erie Dearie of the docks a few springs back.
Wouldn't you know it, the dummy caught a nice pike.
Might see you at Whiskey in a week or two, we'll be in a Wrangler.


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

mpog said:


> Question: In the marinas, are there any restrictions in fishing the slips?, I am closer to Ashtabula. Thanks for the input


Ditto This,
"You can catch perch, crappies, large & smallies, red-eyes & pike all along the wall in the Ashtabula river, along with everything else that swims there".

Hello mpog,
I/ WE, kinda LIVE inside & around the Bula & Conn breakwalls from late April to the 4th. After that, and the bugs,,, we head out for perch & eyes.

I can answer most inner-breakwall questions resonably well. Just PM

Close to ASH,,, Where-abouts you live?


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