Although hair jigs have come to the forefront of Lake Erie walleye lures in the spring, old school stuff still works – and works well. Jigging blade baits casting Hopkins spoons are not only fun methods – they’ll also whup up on the fish.
“We almost put down the blades because of the hair jigs,” says Capt. Tom Straus of Erie Drifter Charters (419-349-1129) in Oak Harbor, Ohio. “But I’ve got a blade tied on at all times. When you have no wind and are working the edges of the reefs, the blade works real well up and down.” The attraction of a blade, which vibrates violently, possibly calls fish in from farther away. Coupled with flash and a fish profile, the blades can sometimes out-fish any thing else
As a charter captain, Straus heads to the upwind end of reefs and the shallow beach waters stretching between the Davis Bessie power plant (stay 1 ½ miles away or incur Coast Guard wrath) and Turtle Creek. He turns his big SportCraft 302 Express Hardtop.
Sideways to the wind and puts a few clients on the downwind side of the boat and a couple others at the transom. The downwind folks make short casts of about 30 feet and work the lure back to the boat. Those at the back “work the swing” by casting farther and working the blade bait until the boat’s drift takes it past the blade and it “swings” behind the boat. Many times, fish hit just as the blade changes directions.
The downwind anglers get about three lifts between casts, but are encouraged to jig up and down for as long as possible before the boat’s drift causes the blade to go under the hull. Straus said it’s important that the blade hit bottom each time it is jigged.
“Pop it, let it drop, hesitate and pop it again,” he says.” The hesitation is to let the fish eat it. Most of your fish are going to come when that blade is straight up and down.
Straus said the best line for a blade is 20-pound Clear Blue Stren, which is visible and thick enough to let the blade fall slowly. The downside is that bait casters are required for handling the heavy line. For anglers more comfortable with spinning, Straus spools with 8-poundFireLine and 18-inch leader of the 20-pound Stren to help “parachute” the blade bait. Blades work great when the water is muddy, Straus says, and adds that there is no need for bait-tipping with minnows ruins the action.
Three more tips: Keep your hooks sharp, even if it means replacing them every couple of trips, and flare them out a little with a pair of pliers.
Blade types? Straus prefers the Lit’l Nitro and another locally made model, both exclusives for Happy Hooker Bait & Tackle near Oak Harbor, Ohio.
"They’re heavier than a lot of other models,” says Straus. “You stay in contact with them and can really feel the vibration.”
EYEING THE HOOK
Casey Clark of Berrien Springs, Michigan, is a Hopkins spoon chucker from way back. He always adds an eye to the hook end of the spoon. “Fish eat baitfish head first and attack that end,” Clark told me during a walleye trip to Michigan’s Little Bay de Noc. “I believe sticking an eye near the hook end of a Hopkiins spoon gives fish a target and encourages them to hit the business end of the bait.” – D.M.
ERIE ETIQUETTE
When lots of boats concentrate on the reefs, tempers can be tested. To ensure everyone gets along, keep a few things in mind.
• If you use a sea anchor, stay out of the way of boats that don’t. Smaller boats often use them, but large charter boats with multiple lines in the water usually don’t – there’s too much a chance that inexperienced anglers would let fish get tangled in them. Set up so that you can stay out of the way of larger boats. • Never run back upwind over the area you just fished. Run out and around the shallow water to avoid spooking fish. • Respect other boats with your casts. One reason charter captains encourage short casts is to stay away from other boats. Sure, you might contact more fish with longer casts, but remember, the fish are there and you’ll catch them with short casts, too.
COVERING WATER
Casting blade baits a short distance and then hopping them back to the boat, leaving them in the water for as long as possible and working them up and down is a top tactic for charter boats. It certainly works no matter what size boat you’re drifting across Lake Erie’s Western Basin reefs. But when fishing a smaller boat, long casts allow you to cover more water and increase your odds of contacting fish. Two lures shine exceptionally brightly for this tactic: Reef Runner Cicadas and Hopkins Spoons.
Cicadas aren’t always the best choice for a crowded charter boat’s vertical approach. They can spin and sometimes tangle the rear hook around the line. However, they rule for casting. First of all, they vibrate at slower speeds than most other blade designs do. They are excellent for working back over the bottom almost like you would a Texas-rigged worm for largemouth bass. Slight pulls of the rod tip make the blade vibrate just a little- “thup-thup-thup.” Lower the rod tip and let the lure fall, then b ring it up again for the same vibrations. Another productive retrieve is the “slow roll”. The object is to keep the Cicada just barely vibrating as you slowly retrieve with the lure close to bottom.
Hopkins Spoons can be cast a country mile, and sometimes this is a good thing. Different jigging patterns catch fish, but always be ready for a strike when the spoon is fluttering down. Watching the line helps- if it stops sinking before the lure should hit bottom, set the hook.
Rod combo choice for casting blades and spoons is all personal preference. Cicadas can be jigged and retrieved on line as light as 8 pounds – thinner line helps keep the lure near bottom when slow-rolling.
For casting a Hopkins, 17- to 20 pound test mono helps the lure fall more slowly and is easier for the angler to watch. Bait casters are best for handling the heavier line. Many spoon aficionados opt for easy-to-see Clear Blue Stren or even brighter line in 8 pound test to more easily cast spoons on spinning tackle.
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