Lake Erie SSP: Good Friday, Bad Fishing

April 3rd, 2026. Good Friday. I’m assuming that’s capitalized, feels important enough.

I needed some serious mojo going into this trip, and oddly enough, a few things lined up. Eleven years ago on this exact day, I tried to claim the invention of the SSP spring troll before getting gracefully dethroned by someone who had been doing it since 1996. So here we are again. Same date. Same water. Different level of humility.

Decision time. Detroit River or Lake Erie? Who’s coming?

Eleven years ago it was Matt Brown and my daughter Riley. Today it’s Matt Brown and…Farmer Joe. Now I know Matt. He’s a bonafide hammer magnet. Big fish seem to just find him. That’s good juju to have in the boat. Farmer Joe? No clue. Matt texts me, “Farmer Joe in for Friday.” My response, “Perfect.” That’s it. That’s how fishing works. No background check. No resume. Just show up and hope he knows how to fish. Turns out…he’s actually a farmer. Also does some DTE work. Solid dude. Instant fit. But at the time, just a name and a dream.

Boat prep during the week? Euge came through Monday and Tuesday like a pit crew chief. Monday we tore apart the Fulton trailer jack and rebuilt it from scratch. Tuesday we did the same thing with the winch. Both are over 16 years old and built like tanks. Cleaned, greased, and now smoother than anything new you’d buy today.

So heading into Friday, boat is dialed in, crew equals strong, and mojo equals questionable but improving.

Weather…not so much. This is my second to last walleye weekend and I need a break! Instead, I got wind that could sandblast. Today was supposed to be kinda bad. Tomorrow worse.

Pulled out of the barn at 6:15am and headed straight for SSP…or more specifically, the truck stop duck claw machine. Didn’t play it again. Regret that decision again.

Set lines with something different. Four Perfect 10s and four Bandits. Not my usual spread, but after three skunks in the last four trips, it felt like time to mix things up.

Wind? Off the charts. SSW and way stronger than advertised. And somehow the waves were coming from a completely different direction just to keep things interesting. We were one of maybe five boats that decided to ignore common sense and launch anyway.

Ran south to the Raisin River, spun around, and started trolling with the waves at our back. Supposedly one to two footers. Reality? Let’s just say they had some personality.

Water clarity? Mud. Not a little stained. Not “a little dirty.” Full on chocolate milk as far as you could see. We worked the 12 to 14 FOW shoreline for about 35 minutes and bailed.

Ran north toward Stoney Point. Set up again. Same story. Wind sucked. Waves sucked.
Water sucked. Fish? Nowhere.

I’m honestly considering creating a keyboard shortcut that just types “oh for oh” so I can save time on these blogs.

We kept grinding for a bit, but it was clear this wasn’t the day. Very few marks. Zero bites.

The ride back in was…memorable. Those “one to two footers” had fully evolved into what I’d call three to five footers. Comfort speed was about 10 to 12 mph, which feels like crawling when you just want to be done. One of those rides where you genuinely consider kissing the dock when you get back.

Bright side? Matt is always a great guy to have in the boat. Positive, easy going, and just fishy. Farmer Joe turned out to be the real deal. Fit right in like he’d been on the boat for years.

And Matt brought me something pretty awesome. The original Pull Hard piece that he literally scraped off the door at The Grand back in 2017. Framed. Ready for the wall in Ludington. Apparently it’s been sitting in his safe for nine years. That’s next level preservation.

So yeah. No fish. Again. But good people, a solid boat, and a reminder that even when the fishing sucks, the day doesn’t have to.

As for tomorrow? Jake and Corey are up next. Highland’s dynamic walleye duo.

Lake Erie is officially off the table. I’ll be glued to Detroit River reports and staring at wind forecasts like it’s my job. Because at some point…this has to turn around. Right?