I am in OH quite a bit now for work

I am looking at trying walleye fishing in lake Eeerie for the first time ever.

You guys have any recommended outfits who offer guided trips for a first timer?

Could be out of Toledo, Cleveland, or Sandusky areas.

http://www.driftawaycharters.com/

Bad Boy Charters out of Vermilion is good,,, Dawg the Deck hand or first Mate or what ever you call them is a friend of mine

It depends on how you want to fish, and how big of fish you want to catch. If you want to drift and cast, Sundance charters with Captain Bobby Brown is a good choice. If you want to troll, the Eye Hunter Charter with Captain Jim is outstanding. Both of these guys charter out of Channel Grove Marina in Marblehead. Close to Sandusky. We have fished with both of these guys and they know there stuff.

I will add that 3 years ago a friend of mine caught a 14 pound walleye with Wanda Walleye also out of Channel Grove Marina.

thanks Jack. I like the idea of drifting and casting. Trolling and waiting for a fish to hit does not have much appeal to me. Then again, as a first timer I am open to learn both.

76, the April time frame can get you some big fish close to shore on some of the charters as they are in to spawn. Shallow water and good casting opportunities.

I should add that you'll need 5 other guys to split costs with you. I usually spend about $500 for a 2 day trip which includes gas to and from Indy and eating out all week-end. Good spinning rod for casting as most use Erie Dearies or "Weapons" (crawler harness with 1 ounce of weight). Need good 8 pound test line with a reasonably good medium action rod (6.5 feet best for me) and a quality reel cause you never know when you'll get into the catfish. I've caught everything from perch to smallmouth and catfish to 15 pound Sheephead. We did a couple of smallmouth charters before we settled into our annual trip to Channel Grove where we catch our walleye for the year. You can talk to the folks at the marina and they'll tell best times and charters available.

http://www.channelgrove.com/

Jack

March-late April most use jigs tipped with shinners. Around the first May they switch over to crawlers and start trolling spoons or crank baits. Most charters use live bait because there is a lot of action and thats what clients pay for. You catch sheep head, perch, white bass, gobies and an occasional lake trout or catfish. Fishing is good until the mayfly hatch in late June/early July and then its tough fishing for a couple weeks. If you arent trolling you dont catch many eyes.

There are six pack charters from Toledo to Cleveland that can fill your limit and a good captain will usually give you his and his first mate's fish. If you dont want to book a charter there are drifters out of Port Clinton that go out twice a day. They are big party boats that hold 50 people or so and are a lot cheaper. Make sure you tip the captain so he tells which side of the boat will be the drift side. h.h.