Local Sports

Spinner rigs just keep catching walleyes

Lake Erie is swimming with walleye these days -- an estimated 85 million of them -- and while today's anglers have enough electronics aboard to guide a trip to the moon, one of the best fish-catching rigs on the lake hasn't really changed since Harry Truman was in the White House.

Long before sonar, forward-facing sonar, downriggers, leadcore line, diving planes, planer boards, GPS mapping and electric trolling motors, Lake Erie anglers had one dependable way to catch walleye -- and blue pike, too. They tied a spinner-and-worm harness behind a three-way swivel, clipped on a 1- to 4-ounce sinker, and drifted wherever a gentle Lake Erie breeze decided to take them.

That was trolling in the 1940s and '50s.

If the wind blew harder, they simply tied on a heavier sinker to stay near the bottom. Pretty high-tech, wasn't it?

Their rods were short and stout. Their level-wind reels held a very visible Dacron line. Most folks owned one fishing rod because everything they had was bought with hard-earned cash. There were no credit cards, no 12-rod spread across the boat deck and certainly no online shopping cart arriving on the porch every other Tuesday. You took care of your gear because it had to do everything.

Funny thing is, Grandpa's favorite spinner rig still catches fish every bit as well today.

The difference is how we fish it.

Today's crawler harness can ride behind a bottom bouncer, inline weight, diving plane or downrigger. We can pull it over reefs, along deep shoals or through suspended schools with speed controlled to a tenth of a mile per hour. Wide turns and slight speed changes often trigger savage strikes because the spinner suddenly changes pace and direction.

The old-timers would probably smile and say, "See ... I told you so."

The real magic remains in the spinner itself. Colorado blades are the workhorses for slow trolling, creating heavy vibration that walleyes can feel from several feet away. Indiana blades offer a nice blend of flash and vibration, while Willow blades shine in clear water when flash becomes more important than thump.

Then come the beads. They aren't just there to look pretty. Chartreuse and orange brighten things up in stained water. Purple performs remarkably well in clear, deep water because walleyes see it exceptionally well. Glow beads earn their keep at dawn, dusk and deeper depths, while metallic beads sparkle like tiny mirrors under bright sunshine.

And don't overlook the nightcrawler. Hook the nose lightly, pin the second hook halfway down the body and let the tail wiggle freely. A straight crawler swims naturally. A twisted crawler looks like it just lost an argument with the lawn mower.

If you're tying your own harnesses this winter, here's a dependable starting point. Use a hammered nickel No. 3 or No. 4 Colorado blade on a metal clevis, alternating 6-8 mm chartreuse and orange beads, two snelled No. 2 or No. 4 octopus hooks, and a 48-inch leader of 15-20-pound fluorocarbon. Fish it behind a 1- to 3-ounce bottom bouncer or inline sinker at 1.0 to 1.9 mph in 15 to 50 feet of water. It has fooled countless Lake Erie walleyes and will likely fool plenty more. Stop in to see Geri Begier at Bill's Hooks on Route 5 just a minute south of Dunkirk if you need parts or a tying lesson. Geri knows all when it comes to these spinner rigs.

Of course, Grandpa never had one modern advantage we shouldn’t ignore. Before launching, we can check the online Great Lakes Observation System Seagull Buoy off Dunkirk. Its temperature profile pinpoints the thermocline -- the depth where summer walleye often spend their breakfast and dinnertime. Visit https://seagull.glos.org and check it out. Knowing that depth before you leave the dock can save hours of searching and put your harness where the fish actually live.

Sometimes progress isn't about replacing the old ways. It's about adding a few modern tools to a time-tested idea.

After all, if a spinner harness could fool a Lake Erie blue pike in 1952, there's a pretty good chance it’ll fool a few of those 85 million walleye swimming around today. Just don't tell Grandpa his old rig is now considered "vintage." He'll probably remind you it still outfishes half the tackle aisle.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

Aug. 6: WNY Walleye Association, monthly meeting, Knights of Columbus, Hamburg, 6:30 p.m.; info-Dennis Young, 716-316-4974.

Aug. 8: Chautauqua Lake Association Dragon Boat Festival, Lucille Ball Memorial Park, Celoron; Visit www.chautauqualakeassociation.org/chq-dragon-boat, or call 716-763-8602 for info.

Aug. 9: Kids Fishing Derby, Elma Conservation Club, 600 Creek Road, Elma, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., sponsored by the Mary J. Tempski Foundation and WNY Walleye Association.

Aug. 9: Muzzleloader Shoot, West Falls Conservation, 55 Bridge St., West Falls, 10 a.m. start, $5 members/ $8 nonmembers, metal swinging targets.

Aug. 9: Ellington Rod & Gun, "Don't Know Partner Trap League," 1045 Hagerdon Hill Road, Ellington; Info: 716-287-3987.

Aug. 9: Introduction to Upland Hunting, Chautauqua County Bird Dog Association, 3974 Fluvanna Townline Road, 8 a.m. to noon; lunches and up to 125 rounds of ammo provided. Limited to 20 participants: must be at least 21 years of age; Contact Paul Steward at 716-397-2855. Will also include a mentored pheasant hunt in October.

Aug. 12-23: Erie County Fair, visit the Conservation Building, Erie County Fairgrounds, 5600 McKinley Pkwy., Hamburg. Info: 716-649-3900.