JACK WOLLITZ For excellent fishing, head north to Lake Erie

With the weather sagging, fishermen can hardly be blamed for turning their attention south.
But those anglers who look north to Lake Erie in the next week or two will be rewarded with excellent fishing for a variety of species.
Steelhead are ganging up around piers, breakwalls and beaches. Perch are schooled just off shore and the smallmouth bass are feeding on the rock piles and humps.
Those three species get much of the attention of late-autumn anglers.
A few hardy souls, however, are quietly expanding the frontiers of Lake Erie walleye fishing with knowledge that big fish are roaming the shallow water and willing to strike.
Walleyes are on the move as they take advantage of the rapidly cooling Lake Erie water. They often are tight to the bank, where the waves are breaking and splashing spray on anglers' boots.
Reports from the lakefront indicate action can be located around a number of piers, jetties and harbors -- from the western areas around Port Clinton, Marblehead and Sandusky, east to downtown Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut.
Autumn pulls the walleyes toward the shallows where they feed voraciously on Lake Erie's abundant forage fish -- shiners and shad mostly.
When the day is done
Those who want to explore Lake Erie's fall walleye run should concentrate their efforts in the after-dark hours. Known to be light-shy, the walleyes get active on dark nights when the wind is creating current around the numerous walls, harbor entrances and tributary mouths.
This is largely a cast-and-retrieve game. A relatively simple selection of lures will get the job done.
Half-ounce Rat-L-Traps, Cordell Spots and other lipless crankbaits are good choices. Because anglers can control the depth at which such lures run by the speed of their retrieves, they avoid hang-ups on the rocks and other junk that wedges into place along the walls.
Large hard-body jerk baits -- Rapalas, Smithwick Rogues and Bomber Long A's, for example -- also get the job done.
Anglers make long casts as they search for the walleyes, fanning areas until they make contact with the fish.
When one is hooked, it's likely that others will soon follow. The fish tend to move in groups, which sometimes hold off the structure before swimming in toward the rocks.
Breakwalls and piers with lights are good places to try. The lights provide enough illumination for anglers to see what's happening and also attract baitfish, which in turn lure in the walleyes.
The fish tend to run big this time of year. It's not unusual to hook up with fish in the 25-inch class and many fish topping eight and even 10 pounds are taken by autumn's night-time anglers.
Use caution
After-dark fishing also has its dangers, so fishermen are advised to exercise caution.
The mossy rocks on breakwalls are extremely slippery and can cause nasty spills for those who misstep. Nobody wants to finish their evening with a swim in heavy clothing or, worse, a sprained ankle.
The best places for night-time Erie walleyes also are potentially good for steelhead trout.
Savvy anglers stake out their locations in late afternoon and cast spoons and spinners for steelies, then make the transition to walleyes after the sun sets..
The trout migrate into the streams and rivers this time of year, but many have yet to make a major move because of low and clear water in Lake Erie's tributaries. That means the steelhead are present in good numbers around the river mouths and harbor walls, exactly the same places where the walleyes are feeding after dark.
Shore line walleye fishing is a great option for those who don't have a boat suitable for Lake Erie. While lots of big walleyes are caught off shore in October and November, fall's unpredictable weather tends to make main-lake fishing an iffy proposition.
jwwollitz@aol.com