If you're a dyed-in-the-wool walleye angler, you probably have about 13 tackle boxes, all well organized, crankbaits by color, and so on.  Why? Because walleye fishing is a complicated issue that usually requires a finicky presentation to match the finicky walleye diet. Right now on Lake Erie, the solution to catching walleye may be easier than you think. The answer amidst all this heat, is the simplicity of worms! Just ask Paul Stoos, a local walleye specialist that has a nose for the usually secret location of these wily walleye.  Says Stoos, "with all the bait populations out here, smelt, alewives, emerald shiners, and now . . . round goby, matching the right stickbait to the forage is not an easy job. It's easier to draw walleye attention with an obvious counterbalance, WORMS".

While Stoos monitors the local angler traffic on VHF channel 68 just like everybody else, he chuckles when he hears that "angler-X is catching them all on a special color, special size stickbait at a particular depth in a particular location.  "The next day, everybody out there has that same lure and guess what? No one catches any fish on that special lure that day. Why? The fish being caught the day before where in a specific location at a specific depth and the angler had found that one species of forage that matched his lure for the moment with a school of walleye that was hungry".  It's hard, if not impossible, to do that two days in a row. Forage schools are plentiful. So are the walleye. Put those two factors together and the reason why many anglers are complaining about not catching walleye on Lake Erie this year is easier to understand.  For the most part, lure-washing anglers hesitate to use spinner - worm combinations. When traditional walleye catching activity is dominated by overabundant forage, worms are the answer. Using worms with a variety of presentation methods to offer the bait at 45 to 50 feet down in 56 to 62 feet of water, Stoos hooked 18 walleye in 5 hours of fishing last Saturday. PWT walleye pro's, may want to pay attention here. Fishing between Evangola Beach and Sturgeon Point (obvious landmarkers), boat speed was maintained at about 2.0 - 2.2 miles per hour.

Stoos admitted to varying the vertical position of the presentations by making lots of turns in both directions. He used trolling motor speed variation in combination with wind direction (waves) for triggering strikes. Being sure to stay within the state bag limit of five fish per angler, or 15 (or less) for his boat, he took advantage of the unusual warm water conditions by high-tech traditional deployments.  He used one downrigger, two dipsey divers, and two large sideplaner boards deployed from a fixed high-mast location in the boat. The boards were running 100 feet from the boat and were the primary tools used for delivering jet diver (model 40), large and dipsey's, and spinner worm combo's to the 40 foot plus levels of the fish. The rigger was set to hit bottom and raised 5 feet. Using 20 pound braided "Tuff" line (Rainbow Sports), the large dipsey trail distance was varied around 165 feet back. The jet's were set 300+ feet back using 15 pound line. Yes, that trail distance sounds ridiculous, but you can't knock success. Colors? Do they matter? Always on Lake Erie! Monkey Puke and Christmas Tree were the hot dipsey colors and jet-diver colors. Blue/white/orange with number 3 willow leafs in silver, all custom-taped with Stoos' patented die-cut myriad of tape colors, did the trick.

Stoos, his brother Greg, and one guest, just took their time catching fish after fish amidst dozens of nearby boats that simply wound up washing lures.  Stoos offers advice for anglers fishing but not catching: "vary speed, turn frequently, change spinner and bead colors, modify until you identify a presentation system that works for you.  Then use GPS to work the winning numbers of that particular school of fish. Worms only interest the fish, speed and variations make the fish bite." Don't argue with a full cooler!!   

Stoos offers one more word of advice to all anglers, "please take a compass, or VHF radio, or GPS." When you leave the visible shoreline, Lake Erie could become your coffin without these tools.  The heavy fog last Saturday limited visibility to 100 feet at times.  Stoos was flagged down twice by lost boaters asking for directions to shore. Each time, an older angler and a youngster, and no compass. It's not logical to spend 10 grand on lures, lines, rods and lures and not buy a $6 compass. It could cost a life! Get a compass or better yet, a VHF radio and a low cost GPS, these new units for under $100 work great.  

Stoos and his team were fishing in the annual "Battle of the Points" on Lake Erie. These teams home port from Foxes Point near Cattaraugus Creek, Point Breeze nears Evan's, and Sturgeon Point. Some 40 plus boats were entered. For the year 2001, Sturgeon Point won the "Battle". Teams from Sturgeon won every major category, including the five  biggest fish and the most fish. The biggest fish was caught by "Farmer Tom", second place went to the "Outlaw", and "Me-N-My-Boat" won most fish with 14 (tournament release tactic). Many boats caught one, two, or none. Sharp hooks, depth control, multiple turns, spinners and big healthy worms all equal healthy Lake Erie walleye on your line this year.  With the walleye pro's fishing out of Dunkirk this week, it will be interesting to observe how the best in the country catch walleye when forage is dominant in the area. We will watch and learn, but I'll bet that spinners and worms will take the most and biggest fish this time. This year.

Good luck out there . . . and carry a compass!