"Crankbaits are good for the bigger fish," offered Pikulski. "The biggest walleyes suspend above the schools of smaller fish. Trolling clean crankbaits at 1.6 to 2.0 mph above the schools accounted for most of our big walleyes last summer."

Finding the schools of walleyes can be a crapshoot if you're not on the water every day.

"The locations change every year, if not every week," said Pikulski.

Known hotspots include the old dumping grounds straight out of Luna Pier, the 6- to 12-foot depths off Toledo Beach Marina and La Plaisance Bay, off the No. 1 Buoy off the Raisin River and in 12 to 18 feet of water in Brest Bay. "The drift boats are normally on fish," advised Pikulski. A good tactic for trollers is to skirt the pack.

As waters warm in July, the walleyes move eastward into Ohio waters, which is not very far from the Michigan line. Smart anglers buy licenses from both states.

To contact Capt. Joe Pikulski at Temptation Sport Fishing, call (517) 467-4717, or contact him online at www.temptationsportfishing.com.

For information on lodging, campgrounds and bait shops near Lake Erie, log on to the Monroe County Convention & Tourism Bureau at thebureau@monroe.com, or you can call 1-800-252-3011.

SAGINAW BAY
Saginaw Bay offers one of the most diverse walleye fisheries in Michigan.

"There are different schools of walleyes scattered throughout the bay," said Bay City native and professional walleye angler Bill St. Peter. "You can catch them just about anyway you want. It starts in the spring as the fish move out of the rivers in April. There's some really good fishing in 14 to 18 feet of water in the spring that no one really targets. Most people are fishing the shallows from Linwood to the Kawkawlin River in 6 to 10 feet of water. It's basically a night bite since the fish move shallow in the evening. Then the fishing's good in shallows all the way to Au Gres."

Body baits are the ticket early in the season on Saginaw Bay.

"You can't beat a No. 18 Rapala Husky Jerk," claimed St. Peter. "The new clear Husky Jerk in blue and white was hot last spring." The body baits do a good job of imitating the smelt that walleyes are feeding on in spring. "Once the water temperature hits 50 degrees, I switch to crawler harnesses," St. Peter continued. Hot-N-Tots and Wiggle Warts still take some fish, but he said it's pretty hard to beat a juicy crawler.

St. Peter said anglers enjoy great fishing on the bay in close through July.

"There are several different types of walleye bites on the bay," he said. "You've got a good weed bite right through the summer. Shallow trolling on the Inner Bay is good, and then you've got a deep-water fishery in the Outer Bay and around the islands. You can catch 'em just about any way you want."

One pattern that most anglers overlook are walleyes tucked into deep weeds on the bay.