Kelsey Voss with one of several walleye from her limit-catch while fishing Lake Erie near Dunkirk Harbor.
Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher
Each year, when we pull the boat from the cobwebs of winter storage, the anticipation of preparing and maintaining things for the upcoming year can often exceed our capability to “get ‘er done” fast enough. And, as we get older (in my case), the achy joints and creaky bones can slow down the effort on each fish trip after.
So, every now and then, it’s eye-opening to forget all the preparation and readiness chores that make every trip the best it can be and go rent a charter. That’s what my granddaughter and I did last weekend.
My dear granddaughter has been so busy studying her way through many years of college to become a veterinary technician and helping train 4H kids in horse care in WNY that she has had very limited time to “get away.”
Last weekend was an exception.
We went fishing with Captain Dennis Young, who runs “For Your Eyes Only Sportfishing” with his fun-filled, spry, 81-year-old first mate, “Chugger.” Their slip at Bart’s Cove in the southern sector of Dunkirk Harbor near the Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club provided easy access for parking and a short walk to his spacious (extra-wide) Starcraft fishing machine. The boat is modern and has a networked I-pilot speed and direction control system. The rig is powered with a fuel-efficient 200HP Yamaha main engine, a 9.9 HP Yamaha trolling motor (with Trollmaster 3), Minn Kota Ulterra electric bow motor, Cannon Digi-troll downriggers, Cisco rod holders for running six Dreamweaver Ninja side-planer boards, and more than 20 fishing rods and reels. The Daiwa Wilderness trolling rods and Okuma Coldwater high-speed fishing reels were all filled with various lengths of lead-core or braided lines to meet varying conditions.
The dipsy-diver hot lure of the day was the Eye-Fish spinner/worm in Day-Dream color with a copper back.
As we slowly motored away from the dock and out of Dunkirk Harbor, Dennis and Chugger explained the plan for the day. They went over the safety gear (life jackets), the plan for fishing, and how hooking and landing a fish would work. They used six, eight and 10-color lead-core lines on one side and five, seven and nine colors on the other, and these lines would only trail stick baits and hardbody spoons behind 75 feet of fluorocarbon leader line. Two dipsy diver rods, one on each side, would use spinner and worm baits. The downriggers had the same leader length behind the 30-pound test braid main line. The slow ride to 80 feet of depth took us about five miles offshore, and now, we were educated about the boat, gear, and fishing plan; good stuff.
As Chugger set the lines out, he put my granddaughter and me to work, too, setting out the long line deployments in quick fashion, sharing how the planer board line hookups were used, and getting the job done in short order. It didn’t take long for the fish to find our offerings. The Long-A Bomber (15A) in the Northern Lites color was one of the hot fish-catchers on the lead core lines. The Eye-Fish #319 “DayDream” spinner/worm with a copper back was the Dipsy-diver hot bait fished at 155 feet back with a 3-index at 2.2 mph boat speed. Fishing with these guys was a lesson in “How to Fish Best.” We filled our daily limit of walleye in short order and headed back toward shore before noon.
“How far do you think it is to shore from here?” Captain Dennis asked. Kelsey said about 6-1/2 miles, I guessed 7 miles, and Chugger said 6 miles. As Captain Dennis pressed the Humminbird main screen navigation and sonar unit button, he smiled and said, “It’s 5.8 miles. You win, Chugger. The winner has to swim back, buddy.”
We all laughed, feeling like part of the crew. “Why do I work for this guy,” Chugger grinned ear-to-ear. On the way in, Captain Dennis shared a valuable fishing tip, reinforcing the sense of camaraderie and shared knowledge.
Captain Dennis added, “I keep it simple because it is effective and foolproof, and anyone can learn to tie it. We use a double-uni knot for both ends of the 27-pound lead core; it’s a simple and strong knot. Perhaps the most important single item, though, is the end where the lure goes. I use a 30-pound VMC duo-lock ball bearing snap-swivel between the end of the 17-pound Tactical P-Line fluorocarbon leader and any lure. This is especially necessary when we run spinner/worm rigs. It prevents that nasty line twist that everyone dreads, and you either need a new leader or you need to re-spool your line.”
When the boat reached 89 feet of water depth, the Humminbird sonar screen filled up with the “show-tell” curvy marks of suspended fish (walleye) at 60 feet. Captain Dennis Young ran a circular trolling pattern near this school to catch hungry walleye.
Captain Dennis Young, who has been chartering since 2020, is retired from the Buffalo Sewer Authority and lives in East Otto, N.Y. On our trip, we shared many laughs and had a lot of fun. Young’s motivation for running the charter is simple: he loves fishing and spending time with people. When I asked him about his favorite customer quip, he didn’t hesitate. “That’s easy,” he said, “It’s when they’re watching the rod tips and suddenly holler, Fish-On!” Our trip was not just about fishing, but also about the joy of shared experiences and laughter.
Gotta love the N.Y. outdoors.
Outdoor Calendar:
Aug. 29: NYS Hunter Safety Course, Ripley Rod & Gun, 6PM – 9:30PM, plus one additional half day, 9820 Rod and Gun Club Rd., Ripley. Register online: https://register-ed.com. Must attend both days.
Aug. 31: Labor Day Sporting Clay Shoot, NSCA registered event by choice, Hanover Fish & Game, 780 Overhiser Rd., Forestville. Registration starts 8AM, shooting begins 9AM. Info: https://hanovercalys.com.
Sept. 1: Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club family picnic, members only. 1 N. Mullet St., Dunkirk.
Sept. 1: NYS Squirrel season opens in WNY (gray, black, fox).
Sept. 6-7: WNY Walleye Association Lake Erie Walleye Tournament, Contact Ron Kucinski: 716-545-5925, or email: kucinski1293@gmail.com.
Sept. 7-8: NYS Hunter-Safety course for Bowhunting (Sep. 7) and Firearms (Sep. 8), West Falls Conservation, 55 Bridge St., West Falls; Register online: https://register-ed.com. Must register separately for Bowhunter and/or Hunter Education (firearms).
Sept. 9-22: NYS Early Antlerless 2024 Deer Season (firearms allowed), check specific Wildlife Management Units (WMUs).
Sept. 15: Deadline for waterfowl hunting applications to Oak Orchard/Tonawanda WMAs. Visit NYSDEC online.