New York State Wild Turkey Season also started Thursday — there are so many birds here, and the spring season runs through May 31. It’s the right time for anyone coming to visit to become an honorary Chautauqua Sportsman.

The jumbo yellow perch off our Chautauqua Lake Erie shoreline have started their massive feeding spree; it’s happening now. Where else can you catch a limit of 1.5 to 2.5-pound perch, then go shallow as sunset arrives to catch your limit of walleyes (six per day)? Then, return the next morning to Dunkirk Harbor for enormous smallmouth bass, where thousands of bass hold springtime gatherings. The bass are also on our near-shore Lake Erie habitat and in other harborfront waters. Most of the bass are 2-3 pounders, but there are also giant bass to 7 pounds and more. Complete your “monster bass” dream this year. The Chautauqua Lake crappies are in full spawn mode, and they can reach 18 inches in length, 11-12 inches is typical. There is no time like Maytime-Playtime in Chautauqua County.

The big fish are hungry, and the big tom turkeys fight with each other to satisfy the sweet purrs of the lady turkeys. Mouth, slate, and box calls are effective; bring your turkey decoys too. Chautauqua County is a great place to spend time in May — significant savings for lodging, with many pre-season, low-cost, comfortable lodging options. Local wineries and brewpubs make their home here, too, for after hours.

How to Fish for Lake Erie Yellow Perch: Anglers will discover that Chautauqua County fishing in May can provide impressive opportunities for trophy adventures. The 2025 yellow perch fishery in Lake Erie has been on fire. Anglers typically use two-hook crappie-style rigs above a sinker (½-ounce to 2 ounces, depending on lake currents) at the bottom of the line to fish with minnows for the perch. Emerald Shiners and Fatheads both work, with emeralds the slight favorite.

Photo courtesy of Devin Pleace Ashton Laird of Lime Lake Marine is pictured with a few nice Lake Erie yellow perch.

The Lake Erie average perch runs about 1 pound on the scale, but about 10-15% of your 50-fish daily bag limit will be near 2 pounds each, with occasional fish near 3 pounds. With water temps in the 40s, the perch are schooling in 35 to 55 feet of water. The Sunset Bay area is popular with anglers, but the perch are also in heavy schools at the same depth near Barcelona Harbor in Westfield and Chadwick Bay in Dunkirk. New York State Lake Erie Yellow Perch rules: no minimum size, 50 per day, per angler.

How to Fish for Chautauqua Lake Crappie: At Chautauqua Lake, over 42 miles of shoreline provide more than 13,000 surface acres of fishable water to offer access to perfect sunrise and sunset moments. In between the daily light transition periods, spring crappie fishing is heating up with no closed season here. Giant white and black crappie schools are gathering right now along weed bed edges and in boat canals all along the lake. A bobber and a minnow work well for crappie anglers here, but so do hollow 2-inch tube jig baits fished on a 1/32-ounce jig head under a weighted bobber. Dark-colored (black/gray) weighted bead-head nymphs can be a killer bait fished the same way. With minnows or the lures mentioned, cast out, let settle, then reel very slowly back to you, stopping occasionally. Watch for the bobber to simply slip down under. That’s what crappies do. They slurp their food. Set the hook. Fish time. Two years ago, one angler landed a 4.33-pound crappie from Chautauqua Lake, but that fish has yet to be officially recognized. The point is, there are colossal crappies here. New York State Crappie rules: 10-inch minimum size, 25 per day, per angler.

How to Fish for Lake Erie Smallmouth Bass: In May, monster smallmouth bass in Lake Erie are hungry after their winter siesta. The early trophy season catch-and-release bass fishing is open in New York state, with some fish pegging local digital scales at more than 7 pounds. The special early catch/release-only black bass season (with artificial lures only) is open through June 14. The regular bass season on Lake Erie is June 15 through Nov. 30. Chadwick Bay will provide the most accessible access to pre-spawn trophy bass, the giants, making it easy for anglers to toss small flip-tail jigs and tube jig baits using 6-10 pound test braided line with a 4-foot fluorocarbon leader of 8-pound test. Bring the two lines together with a double-uni or Albright knot. Drop shot rigs with plastic minnow or goby imitations work best in deeper waters. Lake Erie pre-season bass rules: one fish daily bag limit, 20-inch minimum.

How to Fish for Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake Walleye: The walleye season opened Thursday at midnight for all New York state waters and runs all year long, through winter, ending March 15 of the following year; ending then to protect the spring spawn. The near-shore Lake Erie night time walleye troll with lighted planer boards is famous from Dunkirk to Barcelona in May. Stick baits resembling smelt or alewives usually score early. Most of the walleye caught in Lake Erie in May are males between 18 and 24 inches long, weighing 3 to 6 pounds. Trophy fish exceeding 30 inches and 10 pounds are not uncommon. Lake Erie walleye rules: 15-inch minimum size, six fish per day, per angler.

At Chautauqua Lake, early-season walleye action is good from boats and shore. Shore anglers in waders use thin, braided lines with lightweight fluorocarbon leaders to cast 3-1/2 to 5-inch stick baits. Rapala’s (sizes F9 and F11), Rebel’s, Storm Thinfin Shad, and similar baits resembling the spring forage here are practical. A light-action, extra fast-tip fishing rod filled with a 6-pound braid will ensure a long cast with plenty of “hangtime” as the lure wobbles above the emerging weed beds. Cast out, reel, stop, wait, reel a few feet, stop, jiggle, stop. Reel. WHAM! Variations are invited in the retrieval process. That’s how it goes here, typically starting 20-22 minutes after sunset. Chautauqua Lake walleye rules: 15-inch minimum, five per day, per angler.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

May 3: SWA One-Day Perch Derby, Lake Erie, $40 entry, Southtowns Walleye, Info: Paul Sanchez, 716-228-6520

May 3: Kids & Adults Fishing Clinic, Free, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Gowanda Volunteer Fire Dept., 230 Aldrich St., Gowanda; Register: https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/225644; Info: gowandafirerescue@gmail.com.

May 3: Backcountry Hunters/Anglers, NYS spring turkey kickoff seminar, 2-4 p.m., w/Brad Cimino, Rusty Nickel Brewing, 4350 Seneca St., $20, West Seneca, Tickets: https://www.backcountryhunters.org.

May 3-4: Tri-County Trout Derby, $30 registration fee for kids or adults, 400 tagged trout, cash prizes $25-$1,000, visit www.arcadeareachamber.org for details and registration.

May 3-4: NY ASA Archery Federation multi-state qualifier, Bear Lake Rod/Gun, registration starts 730 a.m., breakfast available, 4391 Stockton-Cassadaga Road, County Road 58, Stockton; Info: Rudy Abersold, 716-397-9717.