Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard FD July August September 2023

Three reasons to try fishing in the Great Lakes of the U.S. northern border

by Andy Whitcomb, Take Me Fishing 18 Aug 2021 21:22 BST
Fishing in the Great Lakes © Take Me Fishing

There are five of these massive, ocean-like lakes along part of the U.S. northern border. I seemed to recall an acronym from an early geography class which was expected to help me remember their names but had to look it up. Oh, yes, "H.O.M.E.S." Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.

Here is why fishing in the Great Lakes is so awesome.

Variety

Whatever type of fishing you like, there is a Great Lakes fish species for you. Walleye and smallmouth bass may get most of the attention, but there are tremendous opportunities for yellow perch, white bass, muskie, or even kid-pleasing sunfish near shore with a simple bobber and worm setup. The rarely-targeted, hard-pulling freshwater drum, commonly caught by smallmouth and walleye anglers, also is worth noting. If you would like to try Great Lakes fly fishing, there are tributaries which offer excellent opportunities for steelhead, salmon, or brown trout. There are even anglers who enjoy wading shallow flats for the challenge of Great Lakes fly fishing for the wily "golden ghost," aka the common carp.

Quality

And when you find the fish in one of the Great Lakes, they could be big. While following a Bassmaster Elite tournament on Lake Ontario recently, former tournament angler, Davy Hite, shared that in the early '90's, anglers commonly weighed 2 half-3 pound smallmouth bass in competition. However, thanks in part to the arrival of uninvited gobies to the Great Lakes, anglers frequently land giant smallmouth in the 4-6 pound range. Salmon, lake trout, brown trout, steelhead, walleye, and freshwater drum frequently exceed double digit weights in the Great Lakes. And then there is a chance at hooking the biggest fish in the Great Lakes, the lake sturgeon, which may be 6-8 feet long and weigh a couple hundred pounds.

Space

These lakes are enormous. There are hundreds of miles of shoreline and lots of access points for fishing in the Great Lakes. Take off boating in open water, and one can find large areas with a variety of fishing structure such as reefs, boulders, flats, and aquatic vegetation. Because the Great Lakes region includes 8 states, (and Canada) fishing regulations vary greatly too, so make sure you have the right fishing license(s) and are following the correct state(s) regulations.

If you get a chance to try fishing in the Great Lakes, you too just might find yourself commenting that these lakes are awesome, eh?

Related Articles

Django Team to represent Italy at Admiral's Cup
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda launches two-boat campaign in historic return of the elite offshore race After a 20-year hiatus, the Admiral's Cup is back - and Italy is ready to make a bold return to one of offshore sailing's most legendary stages. Posted today at 10:23 am
British Keelboat League returns to Rutland
Second qualifier to be hosted at the club is in 10 days The British Keelboat League is returning to Rutland Sailing Club for another weekend of fast and fun racing at the premier inland venue. Posted today at 9:42 am
2025 EurILCA Europa Cup at Warnemünde overall
Favourable conditions on the final day for the 302 sailors from 32 countries The 2025 EurILCA Europa Cup GER concluded yesterday after four days of competition in Warnemünde, Germany. Favourable sailing conditions allowed all 302 sailors from 32 countries to enjoy the final two races in the ILCA 4, ILCA 6, and ILCA 7 classes. Posted today at 8:53 am
Rooster RS700 National Tour at Dabchicks
The large home fleet looked forward to welcoming visitors to their magical sailing facilities Back on the schedule for 2025 the large home fleet looked forward to welcoming visitors to their magical sailing facilities. With some visitors arriving in advance on Friday night, our hosts were ready to receive and ready to open the club bar. Posted today at 8:37 am
29er Europeans at Lake Garda overall
Record-breaking event closes in style More than 250 teams, 29 nations, six days of varied racing, and a fleet of young athletes pushing high-performance sailing to the next level. The 2025 29er European Championship, hosted by Fraglia Vela Riva, has officially wrapped. Posted today at 8:14 am
RYA Female Scorpion Project camp 2
Great coaches supported by a World Champion and an Olympian The RYA Female Scorpion Project Camp 2 at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in Dorset was fortunate to sail in a full range of light, moderate and breezy conditions, testing both the boats and the sailors. Posted today at 7:47 am
Dragon Edinburgh Cup in Torbay Day 1
Sunshine, lighter airs, and no shortage of high-calibre racing Tuesday 8th July welcomed the opening day of the 2025 Edinburgh Cup in Torquay with sunshine, lighter airs, and no shortage of high-calibre racing. Posted today at 7:14 am
Meet the CYCA's Admiral's Cup Team
Meet the skippers and sailors, get to know their roles and discover what makes their programs unique Meet the skippers and sailors, get to know their roles and discover what makes their programs unique. Posted today at 6:59 am
Topper Rooster Southern Travellers at Stokes Bay
The home club duo of Reuben Wealthy and Joel Keen took all four first places in the 4.2 fleet Saturday's planned training event may have fallen victim to strong winds in the Solent but thankfully the fleet and race team was greeted with more appropriate conditions on Sunday morning with twelve 5.3s and seventeen 4.2s boats tallied on and away. Posted today at 5:11 am
Who made the right call to get to the breeze?
And how technology is changing the Transpac Race to Hawaii Boats racing in the 2025 Transpac continue to reel in the offshore miles toward the finish line off Honolulu, Hawaii, in the 53rd edition of this historic 2,225-nautical-mile race. Posted today at 12:54 am