Fresh Pennsylvania Fishing Reports

Presque Isle Bay & Lake Erie Fishing Report – Week of April 13th, 2025 Spring is slowly but surely taking hold here in Erie, PA on Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie. We’ve had some beautiful days teased in between those classic reminders that winter isn’t quite ready to let go—yeah, that “unnamed” white stuff still flying around here and there. But you know what really tells us spring is here? Big prespawn Lake Erie smallmouth bass showing up hungry and ready to eat. The last couple of weeks on guide trips have turned up some thick, healthy prespawn females and plenty of fired-up bucks, too. This time of year brings some of my absolute favorite ways to fish, and clients have been loving every minute of it. Blade bait jigging (can’t beat the Fish Sense Lures Binsky), swimbaits in shad patterns, and treble-hook favorites like jerkbaits and cranks have all been putting fish in the boat. We’ve seen a ton of personal bests lately—21 to 21.5” smallmouth that are ridiculously fat and clearly not skipping meals. One trip that really stood out was with Destiny and her boyfriend Chris. I honestly don’t know who had more fun—her catching fish, or me watching her light up with every smallie she hooked. That pure joy is what it’s all about. Check it out here. Big thanks as always to all of my awesome clients: Destiny and Chris, Jeff, Brian, Randy, Crist and crew. Some are longtime regulars, some brand new, and I appreciate every one of them for jumping aboard the Big Fat Bass Guide Service Phoenix 21 XE. Looking ahead, the fishing is only going to get better as the weather settles and the water warms. Expect fresh waves of fish moving into the Bay, and big Lake Erie smallmouth starting to show up in force as the main lake catches up temperature-wise. Perch fishing is still solid too, with a chance at some last-round “Jumbolinas” before they head back out. Availability Update: We still have April 18th (1:30pm–7:30pm) and April 23rd open if you want to get in on the early spring action. May is filling up fast with just a few early-to-midweek slots left. Don’t wait—contact us today and come fish with a pro this spring on Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay! Tight lines, – Captain Destin DeMarion

As consistent as the sun rising and setting each day, each spring, big Lake Erie smallmouth make their pilgrimage to their temporary home in Presque Isle Bay in Erie, Pennsylvania. The timing largely depends on the severity of the winter. If the winter is mild and the water begins warming sometime in February, smallmouth usually arrive in the Bay in good numbers by March. However, if it’s a harsh winter with heavy ice coverage that lingers, it can be early April before we see a strong push of smallmouth into Presque Isle Bay. This year fell into the latter category. Over the past week, though, smallmouth bass from the main body of Lake Erie have started to funnel in to feed up and prepare for their spawning rituals, which will take place over the next couple of months. April is generally the most consistent month for fishing; when you find them, they usually have quite a few friends with them. During this prespawn period, smallmouth bass group up around structures like hard-bottom areas and flats near drop-offs. It’s a great time of year not only to catch good numbers of fish, but also to have a real shot at landing a trophy bass. The big females are carrying extra weight with their eggs and, just like in the fall during the pre-winter feed, this is when they weigh their heaviest. In Presque Isle Bay, a six-pounder is a big fish, but there’s definitely potential for seven-pound-class bass and even larger. The fishery is loaded with three- to four-pound fish, with plenty of five-pounders mixed in as well. It’s truly a world-class smallmouth fishery—and often one of the first places in the Northeast to warm up and become fishable, thanks to its shallowness and relatively southern location. It also offers some wind protection from spring’s volatile weather patterns, but like any cold or big water, always use caution and check resources like NOAA before heading out. We just wrapped up a trip with one of our favorite clients, JD from Ohio. The action started fast—we quickly boated ten fish up to five pounds and kept at it until we tallied sixty bass for the day. The air temps were cold with some scattered flurries early on, but the winds were light, and the sun eventually broke through, making for excellent fishing conditions. Some of the most effective presentations during this time include swimbaits, jerkbaits, blade baits, spoons, tubes, and a variety of other plastics and hard baits as the water warms. If you're looking to get in on some of the most exciting early-season smallmouth fishing around, come join us at Big Fat Bass Guide Service! We still have availability on April 18th (1:30 p.m. to dark), April 23rd, April 30th, and select weekdays in May. Come experience what Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay have to offer—book your trip with us today! Tight lines, – Captain Destin DeMarion

Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie is slowly warming up and the big perch bite on fire this spring. March has been a terrific month to tangle with these trophy class perch and early-mid April should be another terrific time to target them as well. I am primarily catching them with artificial baits, utilizing my sonar to efficiently target schools and the biggest fish available. Fish are moving shallow some, but a vast majority are still staging in 10-30' of water a ripe for the picking. The smallmouth bass bite in Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie is starting to emerge following a hard winter, but I predict the bite to be excellent within the next couple weeks. I only have a couple weekdays left for bass in April (the 23rd and 30th), but could squeeze in a few perch trips in the upcoming week, so make sure to contact us to book now! Tightlines! - Captain Destin DeMarion

Got out for a couple hours this morning on the Bay. It was a bit chilly, but the perch seemed to not mind too much. We fished mostly deeper the other day, but today had the best luck in 10-15' dropshotting plastics with a 1/4 oz tungsten for more feel. Caught a lot of really good keepers. Tightlines! -Captain Destin DeMarion

Open water season is finally here! Like most of us, the cabin fever was very strong up until this point. I used to spend my winter’s guiding in Florida at the St. John’s River and at least breaking up the cabin fever fishing tournaments across the country in the winter, be it when I was on the Bassmaster Elite Series, fishing the Bassmaster Opens, or even the Bassmaster Team Championship. The open water fishing on Lake Erie is largely seasonal, and this “hardwater” period was especially long for us diehard open water guys. The ice fishing on Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie can be killer, as I used to partake, especially when I was in college at Gannon University right downtown. Now, I take the winter to be more involved with my family, friends, church, and prepare for the open water season. Yesterday, after repacking the boat, checking over safety equipment (definitely check those flares for expiration dates), charging batteries, treating fuel, and rigging a couple Douglas XMatrix rods, it was finally time to get the Phoenix 21 XE out on Presque Isle Bay. The intent was to mostly just check gear and run the engine, but I had to partake in some of the excellent early spring perch fishing Presque Isle Bay offers, too. Surprise, surprise. When I cranked up the Yamaha (first turn, thankfully), I began idling around to listen to the engine and dial back in visually with my graphs. The 250 SHO purred nicely all day and the graphs were as crispy and dialed in as our last trip on December 28th - if you want to dial in your graphs and learn how to interpret them to the highest level, book an electronics trip with me. After getting on plane, I decided to start graphing some no-man's land type areas and eventually settled in to do some perching. Lake Erie jumbo perch are something special. Both Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie proper offer some excellent perch fishing, and trophy perch at that. Right now they are about ready to pop as they make their way to spawning areas early on after the ice is off. Both deep and shallow areas play, depending on the phase of those particular fish. I mostly focused deep with artificial trying to dial back in on my FFS game with my Active Target 2. It didn’t take long with my drop shot to start picking off fish. They were a bit finicky, but even with all artificial I was able to pluck some nice eating sized fish out of the depths, 15-30’. Some guys were talking about catching some shallow as well, as expected with the 80 degree air temps! It was a beautiful day to be out and there were a few other boats out enjoying the nice day and coming out of winter hibernation here in Erie, PA. My first bass guide trip will be at the end of March, but if you’d like to come catch some perch for dinner, learn how to use both artificial lures, and your electronics to target them, reach out and book a perch fishing trip while that bite is still hot. I can’t wait to get after the bass here in the next week or so. Tightlines! -Captain Destin DeMarion

Spent the morning fishing with my wife. We totaled 25 smallmouth. Great weather and the fish are bitting.