On that note, I was recently invited by Tom Beritot and Gerald Brydalski to join them for a Saturday morning fish trip from Sturgeon Point Marina. Fishing with Tom, Gerald had limited out on the last four trips, vying for lines and lures from Tom’s 16-foot Alumacraft fishing boat. When I learned about the size of the boat, I admit that I was a bit skeptical that three grown men could be comfortable and effective fishing from a smaller boat of that size. But as an adventurer, I was thrilled to hear Gerald’s stories about the thrill of hooking up with multiple walleye at the same time, and the skill that Tom provided in controlling the boat and positioning the lines in the fish pods for immediate action.

We fished about 5 miles out toward the Canadian line, and in under three hours, we filled the cooler with our daily limit of six walleye apiece. Most of my fishing in Lake Erie had always been done in boats 21 feet in size and larger. Tom and Gerald provided a Buffalo-centric look at successful fishing for the eastern basin of Lake Erie for walleye in a small boat (less than 16 feet). There are so many practical advantages and specifics on storage, fuel, and portability with a smaller boat. I learned a lot.

First of all, the boat is easy to trailer to any port of this world-class summer/fall fishery. The eastern basin of Lake Erie includes Buffalo, Sturgeon Point, Sunset Bay, Dunkirk and Barcelona, where stacks of big, clean, suspended fish from roughly late June through October have prevailed. Add good water clarity, adequate forage, cooler, deeper water, and for anglers, that means a consistent trolling bite. With a smaller boat, it is easy to make short runs on the right launch day if you trailer to Sturgeon Point, Cattaraugus Creek, Dunkirk or Barcelona. You can be over fish in 2-6 miles instead of making long boat runs from Buffalo.

Smaller boats mean lower overall cost vs the big rigs — Tom’s 60HP outboard sips less fuel than a 300HP unit on professional angler boats. Fishing remains affordable. Notably, you need to carry less gear on most small boats, but Tom has engineered rod holders for nine rods/reels, an inline planer board (four), holders for the boards, leadcore, snap-weights, live bait and lures. On the flip side, Lake Erie is big water with short-period waves. Lake Erie is shallow, and the water chop stacks up fast, especially with a southwest wind, so a 16-footer can get out-gunned pretty fast. So you need to pay attention to the wind and weather.

Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher Well-equipped smaller fishing boats, such as this 16-foot Alumacraft, work well on the big water of Lake Erie — provided the crew keeps an eye on the weather and understands when to head back to port.

We ran three rods per side with two board lines per side and two three-way bottom bouncing rigs using a 12-ounce weight and a 5-foot leader to a spinner and worm. For lures, Tom used one easily accessible box for his crankbaits and spoons. We ran five-color leadcore as each outside line and seven-color on the inside lines each displaced between 40 to 75 feet from the boat. Tom had a long, extendable net holder positioned for effective and easy use of netting the fish, and a cooler filled with ice. The fish were all bled out in the live well before entering the cooler. Small boat fishing does require “deck discipline.” Tom had carabiners with leashes for pliers and cutters.

The actual process of our trolling required forward motion from a small 7.5 HP outboard on the stern, with steering provided by a remote-control electric bow-mount motor. So, Tom had three batteries on board, one 12V for the main engine, and two 12V units for the bow motor.

One important thing is safety and weather, which are non-negotiable. I was pleasantly surprised when Tom requested that I put on an inflatable life vest as we got on board earlier. All three of us were prepared and would be safe, if for some reason, we went overboard. In addition, Tom wore his clip-on motor kill-switch cord to be extra safe. For electronics, there was bottom scanning sonar and a VHF radio, though everyone also carried a handheld cellphone.

The bottom line on small-boat fishing the big Lake Erie waterway from a 16-foot boat? The eastern basin is very doable and will yield high rewards if you pick your weather and travel to wherever the bite is hot. With Tom’s experience and guidance, we kept our line spread compact, kept our deck tidy, and our fuel plan conservative. We encountered nothing but fun with no problems, but when the wind stacks, don’t force it. There’s always another calm morning ahead, and the walleyes will still be there.

Gotta love the outdoors.

Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher Hot lure colors fished from lead-core line with a 25-foot fluorocarbon leader has been a hot ticket on Lake Erie for walleye fishing this year.

CALENDAR

Aug. 28: 3-D Archery, West Falls Conservation, 55 Bridge St., West Falls, 4 p.m. start, 15-hillside target course. Spaghetti dinner options. Indoor/outdoor practice ranges. Every Thursday through Oct. 1.

Aug. 30: Labor Day Shoot, Hanover Fish & Game, sporting and 5-Stand, NSCA registered, 780 Overhiser Road, Forestville, NY; 716-934-4028.

Aug. 31: Hanover Fish/Game, Invitation from the Fredonia Trap Team, clay shooting open house. Students from grades 7-12 are invited to learn about trap shooting. Cost is $10. Club is at 780 Overhiser Road, Forestville. Info: https://www.hanoverclays.com/.

Sept. 1: NYS Squirrel season opens (gray, black and fox) for Western New York.

Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher Little fish and big fish have been providing Lake Erie walleye anglers with exciting, fish-catching fun from Buffalo to Pennsylvania.

Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher Compact lure storage is a must for small boat fishing on Lake Erie.