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43 walleye and a nice batch of perch: Our annual fishing trip to Lake Erie, and more Manitowoc-area outdoors news

bob schuh
·4 min read
Bob Schuh (left) and Rick Schuh show the 18-fish limit of walleye they caught with their fellow fisherman, Bill Mecha, who snapped the photo. Besides the walleye, that day’s catch included six jumbo perch that also bit on the crawler harnesses we were trolling with. We fished in Lake Erie’s western basin near Kelleys Island.
Bob Schuh (left) and Rick Schuh show the 18-fish limit of walleye they caught with their fellow fisherman, Bill Mecha, who snapped the photo. Besides the walleye, that day’s catch included six jumbo perch that also bit on the crawler harnesses we were trolling with. We fished in Lake Erie’s western basin near Kelleys Island.

On May 19, Rick Schuh, Bill Mecha and I hooked up my 19-foot Alumacraft (INSTIGATOR) and headed to Lake Erie for our annual walleye fishing trip.

Our destination was Port Clinton, Ohio, where we would be launching the boat to fish near Kelleys Island in Lake Erie’s western basin.

After the eight-hour drive, we started fishing about 3 p.m. Over the next six hours, we boated our 18-fish limit of walleye and a few jumbo perch that bit while trolling crawler harnesses.

Monday morning, we got out and caught five walleye, but a nasty thunderstorm had us headed to the mainland. We waited about three hours, then went back out. This time, we only caught two more walleye and a few more perch before the next thunderstorm came through, again chasing us to the mainland.

Tuesday morning, we started early, but it took quite a while before we got our first walleye. We figured that was because the storms had the lake whipped up. When the bite finally started, it only took about six hours and we had another limit of 18 walleye and six jumbo perch.

We originally planned to fish on Wednesday as well, but with the forecast of very high winds, we decided to call it a vacation.

All told, we brought home 43 walleye and a nice batch of perch, so we were again well pleased with our annual trip.

We also threw back lots of undersized walleye, so the future of walleye fishing on Lake Erie looks very good for years to come.

Read last week's column: Take a hike on National Trails Day, and more in your latest Manitowoc outdoors report

Ice cream social at Camp Sinawa June 5

Camp Sinawa, 9113 Sinawa Road, Valders, will hold an ice cream social from 5 to 8 p.m. June 5.

After a year off, it is back and better than ever. Not only will there be delicious ice cream and toppings, but co-chairman Greg Stebnitz has arranged for local dairy dignitaries and giveaways.

Plus, Cory Geiger, author of “On a Wisconsin Family Farm,” will talk about his experiences and writing his book.

Cost of the ice cream social is by donation.

Take County Road J 4 miles south of Valders to Camp Sinawa.

Spring Bloom Walk at Van der Brohe Arboretum June 9

Van der Brohe Arboretum & Bird Sanctuary, 3800 Lincoln Ave., Two Rivers, will hold a Spring Bloom Walk from 1 to 3 p.m. June 9.

Explore the grounds and immerse yourself in the colorful display of blooming flowers. Participants can stroll scenic pathways, take in fresh air and enjoy the peaceful ambiance of nature in full bloom. Admission is free.

Learn more at vanderbrohearboretum.org or email coordinator@vanderbrohearboretum.org.

Two Rivers’ Coast Guard station unstaffed this summer

Mike Hafertepe, of Coast Guard Station Sheboygan, has reached out regarding changes to staffing. He said the Coast Guard wants to get the following message out:

Due to the Coast Guard personnel shortage, we are no longer able to man our small station in Two Rivers. This means, from Memorial Day to Labor Day when we would normally have a crew with assets ready to respond up from Two Rivers, we will no longer have that luxury. With that, if we receive any search-and-rescue or law enforcement calls up that way, it is still our area of responsibility, but with a much longer response time.

Fish and Game offering $2,500 scholarships

Manitowoc County Fish and Game Protective Association will be providing two $2,500 scholarships for the 2024-2025 school year. This continues a history of helping bring local students into careers involved in hunting, fishing, conservation and related programming.

For undergraduate students to be eligible for the scholarship, the student must be entering their junior or senior year of college.

For graduate students to be eligible for the scholarship, the student must have completed their undergraduate degree by June 30.

Deadline to apply is June 14.

Scholarship applications can be obtained by visiting mantyfg.org and clicking on scholarships, or by contacting Dan Cichantek at 920-901-9449.

More Bob Schuh: Click here to read more Scoping the Great Outdoors columns

Manitowoc Salmon Derby just around the corner

We went down to the Manitowoc Marina just to check things out and found that lots of fish were being cleaned. That is a very good sign to start the season.

Mark your calendars for July 5-7 as those are the dates of the Manitowoc Salmon Derby put on by the Northeastern Wisconsin Great Lakes Sport Fishermen. I will have more details as I get them regarding the derby and the entertainment.

That’s it for this week, so have fun in the great outdoors.

Outdoors columnist Bob Schuh’s “Scoping the Great Outdoors” column appears each Sunday in the Herald Times Reporter. He can be reached at 920-682-3106 or bobschuh@lsol.net.

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Lake Erie fishing trip results in 43 walleye, nice batch of perch