Bigger fish in RCL on Erie should keep coming to pros who run contours with efficiency
PORT CLINTON, Ohio – In an emerging trend on Lake Erie, the high-percentage trolling is occurring on the contour lines, not in the middle of nowhere, a pattern the top-ranking pros on the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour are taking into the second day of competition.
“Contour trolling is key out here right now,” says Lund pro Andy Kuffer of Fair Haven, Mich., in 32nd place after day one, less than 2 pounds away from the top 20. “All the biggest fish are coming right on the edges. You can catch all the smaller ones you want out toward open water, but the right fish are positioned on the contours.”
Wednesday’s mild weather, with light wind, let the likes of Kuffer and leader Tom Brunz of Madison Lake, Minn., troll spinners with night crawlers in smaller, more precise areas and along tight contour lines and drop-offs with greater efficiency. To put his offerings where he wanted them, Brunz trolled with Berkley FireLine, a no-stretch superline with which he says he is able to control the running depth of his spinners by speeding up and slowing down. Expect similar conditions today with gentle breezes and sun in the morning to make for optimum trolling conditions.
Whether the big fish materialize in the same areas for the pros within striking distance, when 84th through 150th place are all in the 20-pound range, remains to be seen.
“We knew there were good fish in the area,” Brunz says. “In practice we’d pull a good fish or two. But it was a surprise there were that many out there.”
The question of how many 8-pounders show up for Brunz and the anglers in the top 80 places with more than 30 pounds will be answered at today’s weigh-in, which starts at 3 p.m. at Waterworks Park in downtown Port Clinton.
Thursday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:01 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 58 degrees
Expected high temperature: lower 70s
Water temperature: 58-62 degrees
Wind: from the west-northwest at 5 mph
Relative humidity: 87 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly cloudy with a chance of showers; north winds 5-15 mph
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