# Erie Dearie Lures



## gunnysargent12 (Jun 3, 2014)

Anyone have any kind of depth chart/curve for trolling Erie Dearies or do most guys "bounce" them close to the bottom. Looked in the "Bible" with no luck on an Erie Dearie. Running 12lb test. Lures are the 5/8 and 3/4 oz in weight. I know this may sound crazy as it seems the Erie Dearie lure is phased out of most guys arsenal but they are a proven lure for not only eyes but for other fish also. Thanks for the help in advance.


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Cast n count down...never tried trolling em


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## gunnysargent12 (Jun 3, 2014)

Saugeye Tom said:


> Cast n count down...never tried trolling em


OK?? Don't think I'm stupid by asking this, but count down to what? I'm sure that there's some formula as far as count (1) equals, what? 5', 10', etc?


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

gunnysargent12 said:


> OK?? Don't think I'm stupid by asking this, but count down to what? I'm sure that there's some formula as far as count (1) equals, what? 5', 10', etc?


Thousand one, one foot, thousand two, two foot and so on


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## gunnysargent12 (Jun 3, 2014)

Angler Ron said:


> Thousand one, one foot, thousand two, two foot and so on


sounds good, thanks for the help


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## Still Hookinn (Oct 24, 2013)

I would start with a half ounce Erie deary and a 1 and a half ounce in line weight then run it like you would a 2 ounce worm harness on the chart. Its a starting point, when he says count down i think he means cast out count the seconds before you start reeling and vary the time you let it sink until you get a fish then remember that number. That is the number or depth that the fish are at.


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Back in the mid-late 70's, when we first started fishing Erie(way Before it was the "Walleye Capital of the World"!), I got pretty good at "counting down". Three walleye between 16-20", was a "Good Day's" fishing! Remember well those days of the D-A's who would run their drift, fire up the engine, and run half throttle(at the least!) straight back upwind thru the middle of the pack!(Some things NEVER change!) Duh


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## RJohnson442 (May 14, 2013)

usually counting to 30 will do the trick


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Saugeye Tom said:


> Cast n count down...never tried trolling em


Never fished Erie when the Dearie was in it's heyday, but did use them on inland lakes like Skeeter and Pymy. Heard the cast and countdown method as well. I also heard that on Erie some guys would cast them into the drift. In other words they would put their back to the wind and cast in the direction the boat was drifting. Don't if this is a myth or not, but that's what I heard.


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

years back while drifting we,d let them out till you touched bottom then crank them up 5turns on the reel you want the dearie just off the bottom. some times I,d just lift the rod till it was off the bottom. took my share .


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## Ron--Mar*Lu Sportfishing (May 11, 2015)

gunnysargent12 said:


> Anyone have any kind of depth chart/curve for trolling Erie Dearies or do most guys "bounce" them close to the bottom. Looked in the "Bible" with no luck on an Erie Dearie. Running 12lb test. Lures are the 5/8 and 3/4 oz in weight. I know this may sound crazy as it seems the Erie Dearie lure is phased out of most guys arsenal but they are a proven lure for not only eyes but for other fish also. Thanks for the help in advance.


Erie Dearies are a favorite of mine, but I'm primarily a drifter. I don't troll them. Generally at a drift of say .5 mph the 5/8 will sink at about a foot per second and generally maintain that depth with a slow, crank per second retrieve with a spinning reel. The lure will typically climb back toward the surface in the latter 1/3 of the retrieve. 

I know some guys trolling with bottom bouncers ranging in size from 3/4 oz to 2 oz. Maybe some of the data they use for lighter weights could be extrapolated to help you. Good luck!


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## Ron--Mar*Lu Sportfishing (May 11, 2015)

buckeyebowman said:


> Never fished Erie when the Dearie was in it's heyday, but did use them on inland lakes like Skeeter and Pymy. Heard the cast and countdown method as well. I also heard that on Erie some guys would cast them into the drift. In other words they would put their back to the wind and cast in the direction the boat was drifting. Don't if this is a myth or not, but that's what I heard.


I typically fish the lee side of the boat when drifting. Without the extra drag of drift pulling on the lure it will sink faster, stay at depth longer and give you a better feel of the hit. You need to retrieve fast enough to just let the lure get just a little under the boat. Short hits are common, right in the shadow of the boat, only a few cranks from the surface. I typically get the better sticks among my charter crew to work the lee side or cast downwind off the lee corner and middle spot at the stern... generally end up being the most productive spots on the boat, out catching the windward side 3 or 4 to 1. I really stress the lee side hard when working skinny water, casting ahead of the boat before we drift over the spot and the fish may be spooked by the boat. I was taught most of this by my dad working as his 1st mate, and have been successful guiding this way for the last 31 years myself. I really just lately started trolling on a limited basis. But if there's a drift, and the weeds aren't too bad, I'll always try the skinny first. Take care and good luck guys!


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Wow, I heard right! I also heard that when fishing the lee side, that when the Erie Dearie would get near the boat, the retrieve would cause it make an abrupt move upward, and even reverse direction if it got a little under the boat. This was what was supposed to prompt strikes if you were on fish.


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## Ron--Mar*Lu Sportfishing (May 11, 2015)

buckeyebowman said:


> Wow, I heard right! I also heard that when fishing the lee side, that when the Erie Dearie would get near the boat, the retrieve would cause it make an abrupt move upward, and even reverse direction if it got a little under the boat. This was what was supposed to prompt strikes if you were on fish.


Absolutely. When the lure gets just even with the boat and flutters a little then changes direction and speed, you get a lot of hits. I had a client pull 30" walleye out of 12' water on the north arm of Gull Shoal last June. It hit right under the boat, and broke water in about four or five cranks, then dove for the shadow. Skinny water fish are insane, they fight way more rigorously then open water hogs. Its a lot of fun.


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## gunnysargent12 (Jun 3, 2014)

Don't take offense to this as it "may" hurt some guys feelings, but I want to get back to the "grass roots" type of fishing as some ole' timers did years ago. I think too many guys got to have the latest lure out and flood the market with propaganda with the latest lures and colors. Dearies have been around for years and it's real hard to find guys still using them. I'm the first person to say that I don't know everything there is to fishing, as some guys "THINK" they do. Will I abolish my divers, harness', fancy electronics, etc, absolutely not, but doesn't hurt to get back to lures and techniques that got "US" to where we are now. I appreciate all the helpfulness and replies that has been posted. I can thoughtfully add something to my arsenal. Just wish these next few months go by fast so I can get the boat out where it should be, not hibernating!!!!


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

gunnysargent12 said:


> Don't take offense to this as it "may" hurt some guys feelings, but I want to get back to the "grass roots" type of fishing as some ole' timers did years ago. I think too many guys got to have the latest lure out and flood the market with propaganda with the latest lures and colors. Dearies have been around for years and it's real hard to find guys still using them. I'm the first person to say that I don't know everything there is to fishing, as some guys "THINK" they do. Will I abolish my divers, harness', fancy electronics, etc, absolutely not, but doesn't hurt to get back to lures and techniques that got "US" to where we are now. I appreciate all the helpfulness and replies that has been posted. I can thoughtfully add something to my arsenal. Just wish these next few months go by fast so I can get the boat out where it should be, not hibernating!!!!


I can appreciate this thinking. How long have jigs been around? They still catch fish. Next time my BIL and I hit Erie, I'll be sure to have my Erie Dearies on hand. I still have plenty! I also have some lures called "Bar Bumpers". They are a weight forward spinner similar to a Dearie, with a slightly different shaped head and a piece of heat shrink tubing where the hook joins the wire body. This serves to keep the hook riding straight rather than letting it swing free like the Dearie. Don't know if that's an advantage or not, but it's something else to try.


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## OSUdaddy (Oct 18, 2010)

Back in the day we would set a drift, cast out (erie dearie tipped with crawler, adjusting the weight of the erie dearie based on Lake conditions/drift speed) and sit back. Most often used chartreuse color and most often came back with at least 2 keepers per man.

I realize that the walleye population has since decreased and I have tried drift/cast those lures last year without any success, having better success with my homemade worm harnesses.


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## percidaeben (Jan 15, 2010)

Are you asking how to fish/will they work? To answer second question, heck yea. They are weight forward spinners ( Erie Dearies, Big John/John L, Silver/Golden Nugget and West Sister Twister to name a few) and are designed for Cast and Drift method, which all I do. Not a troller. Here's a few things that are important to me. When first casting, stand/sit at either the Bow or the Stern, then cast straight straight out. Not behind, not ahead of, straight out from stern or bow. This allows lure to sink properly. When hits water begin "countdown". If you see fish on graph at 17 feet. Count to 17-16. Lure sinks at approximately 1 foot per second. Now you have to find what they want in retrieve speed. This will of course vary. And when casting straight off bow or stern it will cause lure to curve and sped up during retrieve. This is called "Fishing the Break". Very effective. Also I'll "Drop Back" if I feel I missed a strike, open bail and point rod tip right back at fish, click and most of time bam. There's a great drift casting sticky at the top of the Lake Erie Discussion board by hearttxp right now.


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

When I used to drift cast I would count down 5 seconds on first cast. 10 seconds on second cast, 15 seconds on third all the way until i got to water depth plus 5. (35 fow last count would be 40) then repeat until I found out where they were. ( we did not have fancy fish finders or none at all. (Used land marks to get back to "hot spots" on next trip) I like to retrieve only fast enough to keep the spinner moving. If retrieving I detected any change in feel I would take rod tip toward the fish about a foot and then rear back and set the hook! Fish on!
For trolling weight forwards, since they are all an ounce or less, (I think), I would use a dipsey or jet etc to get lure to desired depth. They are no different than today's worm harnesses except the weight is much closer to the hook than on a harness. Some days this might be more effective and other days maybe not.
One of my favorite times were when there was a good wind blowing. We would simply let the wind" troll" us and we set the rods in back of boat and watched for strikes.
Promising myself to do some drifting this year. We will see what happens.


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## FAB (May 26, 2013)

buckeyebowman said:


> Never fished Erie when the Dearie was in it's heyday, but did use them on inland lakes like Skeeter and Pymy. Heard the cast and countdown method as well. I also heard that on Erie some guys would cast them into the drift. In other words they would put their back to the wind and cast in the direction the boat was drifting. Don't if this is a myth or not, but that's what I heard.


Not a myth, I used to fish that way a lot, gave you better control of the speed and depth also you could feel the take a lot easier. Weight forwards are still my favored way of fishing. Danny Galbencia the inventor of the Erie Dearie was a good friend of mine. Before the Erie Dearie our best and most productive lure was a thing called a Heddon Spin Fin. We caught fish on them but the little spinner blade was way to small and underslung like a roadrunner lure. Danny started working on an improvement to that lure and came up with the Erie Dearie.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

FAB said:


> Not a myth, I used to fish that way a lot, gave you better control of the speed and depth also you could feel the take a lot easier. Weight forwards are still my favored way of fishing. Danny Galbencia the inventor of the Erie Dearie was a good friend of mine. Before the Erie Dearie our best and most productive lure was a thing called a Heddon Spin Fin. We caught fish on them but the little spinner blade was way to small and underslung like a roadrunner lure. Danny started working on an improvement to that lure and came up with the Erie Dearie.


If I don't miss my guess, wasn't Dan the proprietor of Causeway Bait & Tackle at Mosquito Lake for many years?


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## FAB (May 26, 2013)

buckeyebowman said:


> If I don't miss my guess, wasn't Dan the proprietor of Causeway Bait & Tackle at Mosquito Lake for many years?


Yes he surely was,


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## baitguy (Dec 17, 2013)

I've always like drift and cast better than trolling, and back in the 60's - 80s, weight forward spinners were all the rage on Erie, there were a bunch of manufacturers making them in a lot of different styles and most of them caught fish. Haven't bought many recently but still have a good selection of various different kinds. It takes a while to get the hang of fishing the "swing" but it's productive ... we would rotate spots


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