McReel Thing Charters - Captain Jerry McRill
Charter fishing and lodging on Lake Erie at Port Clinton, Ohio
Guided trips for Walleye, Smallmouth Bass and Perch

Anglers relax on day-long charter on Lake Erie, looking for their limit in perch or the elusive walleye. As Capt. Ron Nieset puts it, "A bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work."

Port Clinton, OHIO

So, you have the urge to go after Lake Erie's premier game fish, but don't have a boat and you're not an experienced angler. 

What to do?

Charter boat captains along the lakeshore can provide the boat, fishing gear and a willingness to share their knowledge of walleye fishing and how to catch the succulent, yet elusive fish.

At 7 a.m. sharp the McReel Thing, a 30 foot Sportcraft shoved along by a growling 454 , Chevy engine, slipped sway from its mooring at Fenwick Marina in the western basin of Lake Erie between Port Clinton and Toledo. Skippered by owner Jerry McRill, of Findlay, the boat quickly swept out of the mouth of Turtle Creek in search of the elusive and prized fish.

McRill, a certified charter captain for eight years and an avid fisherman since the age of 3, selected a course which would cover 10 nautical miles to a point west of West Sister Island, east of Toledo and north of the Davis Besse Nuclear Power Plant.

"We're going out to where they (other boats and anglers) are congregating," said McRill to his party of six hopefuls. "We hit pretty good in there yesterday and we'll give it a shot."

At that time of the morning there was a need to scramble and jockey aboard the craft to get out of the spray and foam being spewed into the McReel Thing as the captain churned the boat north to our destination.

McRill monitoring his position locating radios, depth and fish finders and automatic course locators said the fishing might be tough today because of the full moon the previous night.

"These fish are really funny, Walleye usually hit early in the morning and later in the afternoon," said McRill.

McRill assured the anglers the 10 to 20 mile an hour westerly wind would give us the excellent drift needed to catch the big ones. The only time you troll is when you don't have the drift, he added. Trolling is a last resort and used only when weather and currents aren't co-operating, according to McRill.

"The ideal fishing is to drift across the schools and let the (fishing) lines do the work. It's more natural to the fish," he said. 

After maneuvering his craft into position among the other fishing charters, McRill brought out tackle box after tackle box of lures in all shapes, sizes and colors, along with live worms and leeches.

"We have to see what they (walleyes) want today," he said.

"You have to experiment on the type, weight and color of your lures to see what they are after. You also have to experiment on the depth your fishing at. We'll put one pole on the bottom with live bait to see if they are hitting there and work a couple lines up at the 20 count (approximately 20 foot depth) and rig some (poles) with lures," McRill said.

Eighty-eight year old Russell Shane, of Vanlue in Hancock County, a retired farmer, hit the first walleye approximately one hour into the excursion. The captain gingerly landed the 3-pounder into a net and brought the fish aboard.

"This is the life. I like farming, but this beats it all, " said Shane. He added he has been going out with McRill for the last nine years. "Jerry is swell and a good charter captain. He'll find the fish and then it's up to us to catch them, " said Shane.

The day was marked by frequent shifts in location. The fish finders indicated we were drifting over some large schools of walleye, but technology doesn't catch fish.

Proof of that came with the big one that got away.

The 9 pound walleye, tugging on the angler's line was at the rear of the boat and near the surface. Captain McRill, net in hand, instructed the angler to keep tension on the line as he maneuvered the net into place for the landing.

The fish had other ideas. Seeing the stern mounted boarding ladder and a possible escape route from the cooler, it raced toward the sharp edged protrusion and severed the line to the disappointment and scowls of those aboard.

"Darn that was one smart fish and it would have been the biggest of the day," said McRill. "Those are the kind that make good fish stories," he added.

Angler Allie Graves, 78 of Findlay, a farmer was having an unlucky day. Graves was hitting a lot of perch, but couldn't get the hook into a walleye. "The last time I was out here, I limited out," said the smiling Graves.

McRill who runs his charter boats from April to November expects the walleye season to extend into September, this year. The fish aren't as big as were expected this year, but they are plentiful, he said. He was amazed that they are so numerous because the stress on the fish (walleye) is tremendous in the western basin.

Rapidly building storm clouds began filling the western horizon and McRill opted for a return to the calm waters of the marina, where he deftly filleted the 20 Walleye that had been caught.

Charter Rates

2 day package special: $210 per person. For a Standard Charter McRill charges $510 per day, which includes bait and ice. Fish cleaning is $1 a fish. An Executive Charter is $650 a day and includes equipment, bait, ice and all you can eat and drink. Executive Perch Package - $480 per day Twilight Walleye Package - $400 per day Standard Perch Package - $370 per day Standard Bass Package - $510 per day

Lodging Rates

4 Bedroom - 2 Bath Luxury Lakefront Cottage $175.00 per night $150.00 per night for 2 or more nights $700.00 per week One Bedroom Cottage - 6 Beds $80.00 per night

For more information or to book a trip contact:
Captain Jerry McRill
9904 Collingwood Blvd.
Oak Harbor, Ohio 43449
(419) 898-5459 or (800) 589-6568
(419) 722-0476 Cell
E-mail: gomcreel@aol.com