# What's wrong with Berlin& wb?



## ballast (Sep 15, 2011)

Been out 4 times and the fishing has sucked. Where is the shallow water bite?


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

Musky fishing been good since ice left for the last time at Branch, bass guys haven't done that well from the ones I talked too, most say it's a better summer lake.


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## Mooner (Feb 12, 2017)

ballast said:


> Been out 4 times and the fishing has sucked. Where is the shallow water bite?


I agree. It's been tough going, except for those darn muskies, which tend to eat walleye like candy.


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## ballast (Sep 15, 2011)

Are they still stocking eyes in wb? You guy's will love this one...no b.s. either. My dad crappie fishes wb all summer long. Last year he caught 2 muskies on his crappies. He was only about to boat the one. Last 2 years its been a great lake if you're a muskie guy.


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## Grizzly Adams (Mar 31, 2012)

Went to Berlin twice this week. One walleye. Tough bite for me.


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## TRAPPERBECK (Mar 23, 2010)

Berlin aint warm enough yet FUR a good bite IMO .


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## ballast (Sep 15, 2011)

She's late!!


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## TRAPPERBECK (Mar 23, 2010)

With this weather earlier that we had I agree . Thats why I fish the swallower lakes first , than fish Berlin .


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## ballast (Sep 15, 2011)

How's Atwood?


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## FishIgo (Apr 21, 2011)

With the weather being colder than normal the last couple weeks the lakes temp is not were it usually is at this time so fishing is slow will pick up once lake temps go up !!!


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## TRAPPERBECK (Mar 23, 2010)

Well Atwood was the same way with water temp , last time we were down it was 63 . I want to go down this weekend but won't be till later in the day .


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

Mooner said:


> I agree. It's been tough going, except for those darn muskies, which tend to eat walleye like candy.


I do too!lol


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## Simon14 (May 7, 2013)

I fished Berlin til dark last night. Water temp was low 60's and it was starting to clear up for Berlin but still no luck. I saw about 6 other boats and only one guy caught a small walleye. Everyone looked a bit puzzled but misery loves company. I'd be ready to give up fishing if I came in and would see everyone with coolers full.


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## ballast (Sep 15, 2011)

Well I feel better it's not just me what the Berlin thing


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## FishIgo (Apr 21, 2011)

Went today all I caught was a couple bluegills , there was schools of shad everywhere especially near RR tressel


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## ballast (Sep 15, 2011)

I got laid off that month. This is the 1st year in 5yrs i can do some real fishing. So if the water temps could warm up, that would be nice....


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## triton175 (Feb 21, 2006)

Mooner said:


> I agree. It's been tough going, except for those darn muskies, which tend to eat walleye like candy.


DNR did a study a few years back on what the musky in WB eat. They concluded that the musky primarily eat shad, which are extremely abundant in WB. They eat some, but very few, crappie, black bass, sunfish and walleye.


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## triton175 (Feb 21, 2006)

ballast said:


> Are they still stocking eyes in wb? You guy's will love this one...no b.s. either. My dad crappie fishes wb all summer long. Last year he caught 2 muskies on his crappies. He was only about to boat the one. Last 2 years its been a great lake if you're a muskie guy.


Walleye have not been stocked at Westbranch since 1989. All of the walleye in there are naturally reproducing. I throw back any walleye I catch at WB in order to keep the population viable. There are plenty of stocked walleye in Berlin and Mosquito that I prefer to keep, and Lake Erie is right up the road.


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

FishIgo said:


> Went today all I caught was a couple bluegills , there was schools of shad everywhere especially near RR tressel



Glad you said RR bridge,,,,,,,, We were thinking of heading that way, but stayed East all day.
Dead shad floating all over,,,,, many 'wounded' ones hobbling around. I even netted a few & put them under a slip bobber for the cats.
I'd say that we hit 50 'snags' & a bunch of them were 12'-19' deep. NOTHING THERE!?????
On/ near the shallows/ banks, we caught about 8 crappies, 5 keepers one 14", 2 or 3 whites, couple'a gills, & 2 bass.
THE CATS ARE 'STILL' hitting like CRAZY!
Ended up with an over full cooler! (time to fire up the smoker!)
We kept 14,,,, with 3 between 20" & 27". 2 were flatheads.

If we fish our baits deeper than 16"-2', we didn't get a hit!
90% of the cats were caught in less than 7' ow, just outside of the brush,,,,,,, the others were caught out in the middle, floating 2' down,,,,,, where all of the shad were jumping! ;>)

Crappie eggs were VERY VERY small! CAT eggs were ripe.?
Here's the pic;


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## FishIgo (Apr 21, 2011)

Doboy said:


> Glad you said RR bridge,,,,,,,, We were thinking of heading that way, but stayed East all day.
> Dead shad floating all over,,,,, many 'wounded' ones hobbling around. I even netted a few & put them under a slip bobber for the cats.
> I'd say that we hit 50 'snags' & a bunch of them were 12'-19' deep. NOTHING THERE!?????
> On/ near the shallows/ banks, we caught about 8 crappies, 5 keepers one 14", 2 or 3 whites, couple'a gills, & 2 bass.
> ...


Were did you catch the bass?


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

One of them cats is a flathead. Eastern Ohio saugeye club had a walleye tournament at Berlin today. Only two boats were able to get a limit.


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

"One of them cats is a flathead"
Ya,,,,, we weren't sure on the 2nd one,,,,, it filleted kinda like a flattie?????? 

Haven't really kept many,,,,, or targeted them through the early years.
like since I started smoking them about 5 years ago. 
NOW I'll go way out of my way for them cats.
Plus, now I'm older & lazy-er! 
Chill'n, anchored, sitting in a comfortable arm-chair seat, is a nice way to fill a cooler!


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## ballast (Sep 15, 2011)

We kept the cats from Tuesday.
Im probably gona blacken them today


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## JB123 (May 4, 2017)

It looked to me like the 2 fish on the right side of the table are flatties... if you could explain which is not a flat head and why, that would help me identify them better. Thanks


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

JB123 said:


> It looked to me like the 2 fish on the right side of the table are flatties... if you could explain which is not a flat head and why, that would help me identify them better. Thanks


The easiest way is just look at the tail, channel cats have forked tails flathead have more of a paddle looking tail. The largest fish is definitely a channel cat, the tail in the pic dose not looked forked but if you were to spread the tail open you would see that it is.


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

triton175 said:


> Walleye have not been stocked at Westbranch since 1989. All of the walleye in there are naturally reproducing. I throw back any walleye I catch at WB in order to keep the population viable. There are plenty of stocked walleye in Berlin and Mosquito that I prefer lto keep, and Lake Erie is right up the road.


Yes, they are now supplementing the natural walleye population Annually through stocking. Several years ago, a friend contacted the Div 3 Fisheries Supr and told him we were catching smaller walleye that indicated there was natural reproduction going on. They(Div 3) were skeptical that there were any fish left over from the stockings in the 80's And early 90's so they electro shocked the lake looking for young walleye. Several young walleye were collected and they've been stocking since to maintain a fishable population. Not sure of quantities but normal walleye stocking rates are 100 fish per surface acre yearly.


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## JB123 (May 4, 2017)

Ok. Thanks for the explanation ducky... looks like a fun time either way doboy!


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## ballast (Sep 15, 2011)

So they do stock wb?


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

ballast said:


> So they do stock wb?


Well, Yes.


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## ballast (Sep 15, 2011)

I thought so...


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

ballast said:


> We kept the cats from Tuesday.
> Im probably gona blacken them today


Mine were soaking in brine all night,,,,,, I'll fire up the smoker as soon as I'm done doing my thing!
Then, when the sun starts to come out, we'll be heading to Berlin or maybe Shanango,,,, I just heard good things! ;>)
Later


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## gbourne (May 21, 2008)

Doboy said:


> Glad you said RR bridge,,,,,,,, We were thinking of heading that way, but stayed East all day.
> Dead shad floating all over,,,,, many 'wounded' ones hobbling around. I even netted a few & put them under a slip bobber for the cats.
> I'd say that we hit 50 'snags' & a bunch of them were 12'-19' deep. NOTHING THERE!?????
> On/ near the shallows/ banks, we caught about 8 crappies, 5 keepers one 14", 2 or 3 whites, couple'a gills, & 2 bass.
> ...


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## gbourne (May 21, 2008)

Nice report. Thanks


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

2 of us went to Berlin Yesterday,,,,,,,,, Very VERY bad day!
SO, I hope to hear that someone found some keeper fish!?

We hit about 20 crappie snags, started deep 19'-22'. NOTHING,,,, barely a mark on the screen.
Then we went way back & tried the 2'-5' stuff,,,,,,, NOTHING but 5 shorts! 3 crappies & 2 whites.
NO cats this time,,,,, no shad jumping, NO fish jumping anywhere??????
LIKE A DEAD SEA!
WINDS OUT OF THE EAST?
TOO MUDDY???

AND everything went wrong with the boat!!!
Pert-near SUNK HER! (found leak, CRACK or maybe blown rivets dead center bottom, mid-ship, inside of center bottom keel???? wt! How does that happen? friends BassTracker 17' deep 'V')
Sump pump was on,,,,, NO WATER COMING OUT!
Made it back to the dock,,,,,, just in time!

Like I said, BAD,,,,,, Very Bad day.


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## Mooner (Feb 12, 2017)

Geez, sorry to hear about your troubles. You reminded me of that children's storybook, Alexander and his Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. 
I've been looking forward to getting out on Berlin this summer (probably during the week to avoid most of the crazy weekend warriors) since I've heard so many interesting stories about this lake. Hope we hear some good and productive stories about Berlin soon!


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## TRAPPERBECK (Mar 23, 2010)

Wow that is a bad day & glad you made it back safe . Berlin imo just hasn't turned on yet {its this weather } but sooner or later it will .


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## KrappieKyle (Apr 1, 2017)

Berlin or WB to find some eyes? I can't decide


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## Simon14 (May 7, 2013)

KrappieKyle said:


> Berlin or WB to find some eyes? I can't decide


I'm having better luck at Milton. Berlin seems to still be the Dead Sea.


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## shore warrior (Apr 5, 2015)

Berlin isn't the lake it used to be. I don't know why. Tons of catfish and gills, crappie are there but not like a few years ago. Walleye and bass, good luck! Might be because they drain it so low in the fall, fish just go with the water flow.


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## blueguy140 (Jan 5, 2016)

from what i saw in the nets this spring there should be plenty of nice eyes seen a ton of them got to go with dnr alot of 20+ inch fish dont know where they r but they r in there


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## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

Walleyes have been stocked in West Branch in the last few years. For more information on this call Phil Hillman Fish Management Supervisor in district three on 330-644-2293. He'll give you the straight skinny on this stocking.


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