# I have a fishing question...



## rockinmichigan

Hello everybody, especially for those that fish the Great Lakes. I live in Lambertville, Michigan, a couple miles north of the Ohio-Michigan border, near Toledo, Ohio, and about 25 minutes driving west of Lake Erie, and about an hour south of Detroit. I fish in this town on the shoreline of Lake Erie, called Luna Pier, Michigan, in which there's a pier that comes out into the lake. I've only been fishing there for a couple years, but can tell you that on one side of the pier there's rocks and plenty of catfish, bullhead, carp, white bass, amongst other fish, and on the other side is shallower, probably four to five feet deep at its deepest point, with a lot of vegetation. I've caught bullhead, seen a couple pike but haven't caught those, and both large and small mouth bass on that side, channel and flathead cats, and pan fish too like bluegill and pumpkinseeds. On that side with the vegetation this past April I was doing some late night fishing, and about 1 AM I caught something that I wasn't able to land, and ever since then its been puzzling, and that's what I'm curious about, and perhaps someone reading this can give me an idea on what it was. I had my pole resting on the cement pier, and all of a sudden with no prior warning, my pole flies off and lands in this sand bank directly below where I was sitting, so I jumped down and picked it up, pulled it back and began to fight with whatever it was. The fish was fighting like hell, going from my left and to the right, and I would walk to the left and right with it. One mistake I think was that I didn't let any line out, but I hadn't had a fight like that in years so I didn't think about it. It eventually snapped my 10# line after a couple minutes. I've caught my fair share of cats, but I'd say it was too cold for them or bullhead, since it was mid-April and the water temperature couldn't have been more then 35 degrees. There was ice on it a couple weeks prior, a fine thin layer. A week prior to the fight with the fish I saw carp spawning on the other side (both sides of the pier are connected at the end of the peir) along the rocks, so my question is this: Would a carp fight like that, going from one side of me to the other at a high rate of speed, or would they spawn and then leave for deeper water out away from shore? I've basically have it being either a muskie, pike, or a carp, and I'm leaning more towards pike. I was using a live nightcrawler with a sinker, probably an ounce size on it. Any questions feel free to respond on here


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## dblkluk

I dunno, but I've caught some very large carp (not to brag :lol: )that have fought very hard. Stronger than the biggest northerns. They can really put up a fight. Not to mention how high they get your hopes(Big walleye!!) only to have them come crashing down when you see those beautiful bugle lips!! :x


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## rockinmichigan

[email protected] lips Yeah, I've had some good sized carp before. They ain't worth a darn eating, and they ain't pretty, but I tell ya they do fight. Somebody has a thread that I replied to a little bit ago on the "Other Species" section that said that pound for pound carp were the best fighters. I say they are right up there, but catfish, bullhead, and sheephead put up good fights too. I said on there and I'll say it again, a sheephead's fight is underrated. Going back to my question, I've never had a carp zig zag like that before. It could've been ya know, which sucks because I never got it close enough to even see it and identify it. At least I wanted that. Been a couple years since I've caught a carp, and by saying that I'm automatically jinxing myself for the rest of the year LOL


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## stevepike

I would say it was a cat. The big ones do have that bulldog side to side kind of fight.
Carp will do it too but not as much. With all the species you mentioned, I would put my money on it being a cat (either species). 
Pound for Pound? Imagine a 15 lb bluegill? or a 15 lb smallmouth? I think they beat carp in the pound for pound category.


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## rockinmichigan

I've caught my fair share of cats and carp, haven't caught anything carp-wise though in a couple years though. Not by habit, because I've do mostly bottom feeding at night when they lurk with the mighty catfish and bullhead. Just have ended up catching channels, yellow bullhead, and sheephead. I don't know, in that original thread for this forum I mentioned the one side with the rocks, looking out into the body of Lake Erie. I would cast out say 70 or so yards out, and I'm guessing its anywhere from 15-25 feet deep, not certain exactly how far down it is, though. Last year doing just that I caught a lot of white bass, more white bass then I've ever caught last year. About my question though, I've had catfish, bullhead, sheephead, and carp fight pretty good, and they'd average out at around 2 pounds for the most part with your few exceptions being spring hatchlings that I caught later in the summer. I've had the ever so slight zig zag, but nothing like what I had that day this past April. Could've been a cat, I almost doubt it though. For some reason I wanna say the water could've been too cold, because I wanna say it couldn't have been any warmer then 35 degrees. Can catfish hang out in water that cool, with it being like 4-5 feet deep?


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## stevepike

Yep, we catch them through the ice. They can handle it they just don't feed as much when it is cold out.

I am thinking 12+ lb fish not your average 2 lber. Also based on when you hooked it and on what. Go back and try to get him again.


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## rockinmichigan

Yeah, I'd be willing to say it was a good 12 pounder or so. You bet your butt I'll be out there to get him, cat or otherwise. Can't wait until April, the ice should be thawed by then and I'll be ready for him during the spawning season.


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## WhakGreenie03

I have had a few good catfish fights but i dont believe that it was a catfish. I love catching northerns and well, through those temperatures the fish are pretty lathargic. Sure every now and then you will get into a good fight in cold weather, but it is sort lived. _*Thats just my .02 so dont spend it all at once. *_


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## rockinmichigan

Whak, I wouldn't think it was a catfish. I've had carp and catfish fight pretty good and hard, but the whole zig zagging is what throws me off. Like I was saying before, whatever it is/was I'll be after it more sooner then later.


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## WhakGreenie03

i believe that it was a northern. I caught a 22lb. on July.4.2003 offf shore and thats all the thing did was zig zag back and forth through the weed bed that was there. Half the fun is not knowing what it was though. !tight lines!


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## fishhook

Did you look at the line? If it was cut, it was probably a northern pike. The teeth on those things will cut through line like butter. IF it was pulled, and tension broke it, it was probably a carp or catfish. Then again i could be full of bs!!!


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## WhakGreenie03

fish hook is right. If the line had a bunch of swirls in it, maybe it was your knot or maybe tension. However if it was a clean cut, it was a northern. I have cuaght some big northerns on 6lb mono and a spoon with no leader, just depends on how they hit it and how the angler fights. My answer~ too many variables to come into play to come to a conclusion


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## rockinmichigan

Actually to look at my line at the time was the last thing I thought of. All I know is that I was fighting this like I was David fighting Goliath, then I couldn't feel anything, so I looked at the end of my pole and saw my line hanging down and snapped, so out of frustration I slammed my pole on the ground, threw it back up on the pier, and started to cuss and swear every word under the sun, errr, at 1AM I was swearing out every word under the moon  Didn't really pay attention to how the line looked, all I noticed was it being snapped and getting T-ed off. Wondering what it was has been fun, and doing the research over the winter with all the crappy weather has been fun. That's why I think it could've been a northern, but I can't say for sure because I've never landed one and I never got it close enough to the shore to see what it was. Guessing games are fun unless you're David getting his butt kicked by Goliath :wink:


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## christopher

I would say a big lake eel when you get one on thats what the like to do
they will even try to jump ,roll in the line they are ugly as h#ll but they fight hard. :sniper:


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## rockinmichigan

Wow dude, I've posed that question on quite a few forums and you're the first person that's brought up a lake eel. I've never caught one before, but I'll have to take your word on the fight. I've heard they are pretty ugly, never actually seen a freshwater eel.


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## christopher

I have caught the lake eels too many times to count.One time I was fishing for coho's the place was packed with people .I don't think any body
didn't catch a catfish or eels on roe bags :sniper:


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## rockinmichigan

I love catfishing, they're fun to bring in because they fight hard. Don't lake eels also go by another name or two?


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## christopher

I love channel catfishing but I am not sure if the have another name or not. There is different kinds of eels like grass eels they are only about 12 inches when they are mature.The lake eel can grow up to 4 feet easy.


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## rockinmichigan

Friday morning some guy where I fish caught a whole bunch of channel cats and yellow bullhead. One channel was around 10 pounds and another was about a fifteen or so pounder. Fat son of a guns. Don't hear too many eel stories out this way but I'm sure there's a couple here and there.


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## christopher

the channel cats here don;t start to hit good entill may.Thats when the big
ones start to spawn.


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## rockinmichigan

They spawn around then here too, more around mid-May or so. I'm actually surprised the bottom feeders like the bullhead, channel cats, and sheephead are biting right now. Usually they don't bite good or decent for another month or so.


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## christopher

we catch some bullheads but not that many .the channel cat I notice change there feeding habits every 2or so years we have spots thst they hit during the day and won't hit at night .then the next year they hit at night and won,t hit during the day. this happens at a least one of my spots.


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## rockinmichigan

They don't altar too much here, if they do its just little bits here and there. Might be the weather and water temps that change things up some.


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## christopher

any way I am going to try around the mid april time .


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## rockinmichigan

Good luck with it Chris, catfish and bullhead can be tricky sometimes.


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## christopher

Thanks I will need it.


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## rockinmichigan

Hard to tell, you might need all the luck you could muster but then again they were biting well out here last week so you may just have to throw the ol' chicken liver or nightcrawlers or whatever your bait of choice is and wait for the biting to happen. Hopefully they'll bite early and often for ya.


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## christopher

rockinmichingan

do you do any hunting in the off season or strictly fiching?


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## rockinmichigan

Right now I'm strictly fishing but I'd like to get myself together and into hunting this year. I'd like to do some boar and small game hunting, but would also like to go for deer too. Just need the equipment and the money to get the equipment.


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## christopher

I hunt for small game ,deer,turkey,ducks and geese. :sniper:


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## rockinmichigan

I'd like to do some duck and geese hunting too. I used to have a blast going into the woods with my uncle in his backyard, back when I was around 10 or so. He used to ping the squirrels in the trees and I would be the retriever and get them for him. Used to bring in 6 or 7 squirrels in less then an hour.


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## christopher

I shot a few squirrels. this fall .A I was running into a lot of turkeys but couldn't shoot any of them due to us not having a fall turkey season plus
I have to take the turkey course on april 24.When you do start to hunt I found a squirrel call made by h&S has the bushytials running right to you.


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## rockinmichigan

That's cool Chris, once I get my stuff together I'll look into getting the squirrel call. I'm learning up on things by watching the hunting shows on The Outdoors Channel, so hopefully they'll pay off in the field when I'm ready.


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## christopher

you are lucky because we don't get any hunting shows anymore.I use to watch them on spike t.v but they cancelled it.but I like the fishing shows that are on.with me doing shift work I can't watch them all the time. :sniper:


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## rockinmichigan

At least there's the internet to connect with forums like this website. If you can't have the fishing and hunting programs at least you can get your fishing and hunting reports right here or any other forum.


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## christopher

As we where talking about lake eels I found out there real name is the american eel I seen on a web site that the us/canada are putting a stop to commerical fishing for them. also anglers can't fish for them either.this year they where put on the endangered species list. I will look for the website for you.


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## christopher

this is the website on eels www.mnr.gov.on.ca hope this helps :sniper:


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