basserdan-- ~OT~~ NOPE, anyone can fish the Lakes. Many fish the piers & shoreline. Small boats are in the bays. Other than Erie, which can turn into a whores nightmare in less than an hour, an 18' boat with a 40hp can fish about anywhere. It's all in where one lives. I ran charters in the Atlantic, gulf, & Great Lakes for decades. This time I only bought a Lund Barron (22' alumin I/O) that I can handle alone. Those piching to bass or drifting for perch are in the same water-- just closer to shore, as those going for kings & eyes-- ALL are ordinary folk. When it comes to eating a catch-- perch (same with crappie) are great but a pain to clean. Bass are not edible compared to walleye,, same with kings & steelies. The smallmouth in Erie are overly aboundant,,, largemouth are scarce except in the local reservoirs, still not really tasty. The taste difference between bass & eyes has a lot to do with their preferred water temps and that also makes the meat less mushy. Additionally, eyes (like yellow perch) do NOT smell when being cooked. The filet from a 9# eye will be the size of a 12oz steak. Easy & quick to clean and remove all bones. I suggest to cook a king-- wrap it in foil along with butter inside & out. Add all prefferred flavorings. Cook on the grill-- 15 min per #. Then remove from the grill, unwrap, throw the fish away & eat the foil. Stuff is terrible. Yes-- we eat 9# walleyes. Those over 10# or 12# are often mounted.
Well,, <<"The average fisherperson, properly equipped and crafted, and all other things being equal and
while using artificial lures would doubtlessly catch their fill of kings and eyes. ">> not always. At times even charter captns come back without full tickets. The past few years have been real tough to fill the tickets on a charter with eyes. The average fisherperson will not be COMPLETELY, even if properly equipped. Experience and time spent on the water makes a huge diff on eyes. Kings-- one just must be properly equipped with less assortment. Have you priced 4 Cannon Mag 10 downriggers lately? Ya gotta be dedicated & not avg.
One problem-- I never go farther south than the Carolinas. I hate the heat. Two years in SEA took all that from me (no AC on the boat, but fans are required,LOL). I've seen Roach on some of the tourneys. Until I got my masters ticket & guides license it was possible to play as an amature. Rarely had the bux to play in the pro ranks,,, plus those guys do it for a living & all equip & fees are provided. There are many pros fishing bass & eyes now-- mostly by pitch & crank. I'm much more into trolling with dipseys, riggers, steel, leadcore, and/or flatlines. Less work- more fish.
I have a pair of Canon masts-- the singles. Prefer them as they mount to the gunnells instead of the bow. They are really appreciated when in waves over 5'. Not interested in equipment at present. My brother is a distributor / wholesaler of strictly fishing equip,,, a rather lg operation. Prices there are -- well lets say your local baitshop (and those from the distributor up to him) are all getting a huge slice of the pie.
Yes-- beads & spinners on crawler harnesses, but lots of plastic lures and metal spoons too.
Now-- let me know the next time you are coming north. Maybe we can get on Erie or Ontario, weather permitting. Since I'm retired I will hit the weekdays and leave the crowds as much as possible, therefore I'm often all by myself-- lotsa fun trying to keep boat control, cranking, netting, hardware, LOL! Always looking for company.
BTW-- ever see the size of any fishes brain? None are smart,, just instinct & reflex.
Now-- drop me a line & maybe I can give ya a call,, much more fun talking fishing than beating the keys until my (one) finger hurts,LOL!
Luck on the water & in the mkts
Cap
