| Tim Braun, from Braun's Outdoors invited me for a day on Lake Erie for some fall smallmouth bass fishing.
I met Tim at the marina at 7 am, just after sunrise on a chilly October morning. I had heard many great stories from fellow anglers about the smallmouth bass fishing on Lake Erie, but really never had much success on my own outings. The weather forecast was calling for bluebird skies in the high 60's (+20C) with light winds and water clarity near 10-15 feet. A perfect Indian summer day, well known by avid bass anglers as the perfect recipe for catching fall smallies, feeding heavily and chunking up for the winter. |
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It was still early in the day and the short boat ride to the first spot was a bit brisk, but I wasn't worried, as I was well prepared for fall fishing with my many layers of warm clothes. We reached the spot and Tim started slowly zigzagging the boat around the area, and explaining the underwater structure we were going to fish. It was a large rock pile which peaked at around 25 ft of water, dropping down into 35-40 ft of water, on the edge of the drop-off Tim marked a school of bass and then decided on our approach. He brought the boat up wind of the school and we casted out some 4” prowler tube jigs and slowly dragged the bottom with them into the school of waiting bass.
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On the first drift, within 15 minutes of arriving at the spot, I felt a bump on my jig, moments later another bump, this time I set the hook and the first smallie was on... It surfaced immediately exploding out of the water in the distance with a huge head shaking leap, it was a big Lake Erie Smallmouth. I fought it to the boat and Tim quickly netted it, confirming it as a 4lb+ chunky fall smallie, first fish of the day... What a start! We continued to drift and hit 2 more smallies before the boat drifted off the shoal. We wind trolled another 5 or 6 times over the same area and landed over 20 bass, another one over 4lbs and a whopper over 5lbs. |
What can I say… the stories of the monster Lake Erie smallmouth bass weren't stories anymore, these fish were real and Tim Braun knows where they are and how to catch them. With over 25 years of experience fishing the waters of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the Niagara River, Tim has extensive knowledge of the area. Tim Braun's fishing résumé is impressive with two New York State Smallmouth Bass records in 1993 and in 2005, as well as angler's choice, angler of the year, and northeast regional champion, plus a long list of tournament wins, you're not just fishing; you're fishing with someone who really knows what they are doing. Tim doesn't just want his clients to catch fish, but he wants them to learn how to catch fish. Whatever your skill level, he is patent and will work with you to help you catch more and bigger fish, so when you leave, you won't just have big fish stories, but you'll be a better angler.
| After wind trolling over the area a few times and landing some nice smallies, the wind just died, it was midday now and the sun was high in the sky, I had already removed half my layers and the bite was slowing down, so it was time to change presentations. Tim brought the boat right over the school and with no wind the boat sat quietly over them. Tim explained the vertical jigging technique to me, dropping your tube straight down and lifting it slightly off the bottom, and with your rod tip just above the surface of the water, you simply shake the rod tip up and down. |
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Tim humorously referred to this technique as “Shake n Bake”, well I tried it, sunk my jig straight down to the bottom gave a few shakes and Bake! Thump I had a smallie on, as I pulled it up from the depths, we both looked over the side of the boat, and yes again, another hefty 4lb+ smallie was on. Tim not only taught me a new technique, but put us right on their noses... No small feat since Lake Erie is a huge body of water, with so much water and so many places to fish, Tim fishes the high percentage areas, to ensure an enjoyable outing for all his clients from novice to expert.
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We continued vertical jigging and pulled a few more bass out, and then the bite slowed again. Realizing that we had over stayed our welcome here, we motored to a new spot. A few anglers where already fishing this area, but Tim was confident there were still a few active fish to be had. It was another large rock pile in 40 ft of water peaking this time up to about 30 ft. The underwater structure was strewn with many rocks and boulders, a classic fall smallmouth area. The smallies congregate here to feed on crayfish and gobies, which hide among the rock piles in the many cracks and crevices. |
On the deep edge of the drop-off, Tim marked some fish, it was still dead calm and we started vertical jigging again, first drop and bang, another bass. Tim marked the spot with a buoy and we jigged here for another hour or so and landed a pile of bass, another 20 or so fish. The wind picked up again and we started wind trolling, dragging the tubes through the schools, the bite really turned on and I landed another 5lb+ fish. Moments later Tim hooks into a hog as well and lands a huge Lake Erie Smallie, near 6lbs.
I'm not sure what the other anglers nearby where doing, but Tim and I were just hammering these fall smallies. We landed so many fish in the 2-3lb range; I lost count, with quite a few double headers. Totals for the day were near 60 fish between the two of us. We were using 7 and half foot medium action Carrot Stixs, equipped with 8lb fluorocarbon line on Pflueger spinning reels. Yes, these rods are actually made from carrots, new on the market in 2007 and a whole other story. These rods are super sensitive, with feather tips and stiff backbones, making them the perfect smallie outfit. Once again Tim put us right on the dinner table, boat position and presentation can really make a difference in your fishing success. These Lake Erie lunker smallies are real! Give Tim Braun a call today and book your fishing trip of a lifetime. Tim Braun operates a charter service, fishing for trophy smallmouth bass on Lake Erie and the Niagara River from April to November. Tim will put you on the fish, teach you new techniques and help you land that lunker bass of a lifetime… Spend the day fishing with Tim Braun, from Braun's Outdoors and trust me, you won't be disappointed.
For more information, visit Braun's Outdoors www.braunsoutdoors.com .
Brauns Outdoors
Bass Charters
391 HARRISON,
BUFFALO, NEW YORK
14223, USA
(716) 837-5649
OR (716) 860-5564
www.BraunsOutdoors.com
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