Love the stories about the spillway,especially from guys that never done it. lol Do you think every walleye in the lake migrates to the spillway? Anywhere there's water movement that simulates some from of current they'll be there... I've done it but not in 8-9 years. I've snagged plenty and release all of them....but I've caught a ton with the blade bait down their throats. Most snagged fish are on the up sweep most actual hits are on the drop.... and my favorite Vib-E's are in the 1/8 oz size.  Matt keeps an eye on things there and has plenty of spies watching,I was actually thinking about a trip this year.... I'm getting tired of eating ice perch,crappie and gills. Guess what I even made a plank....lol It's not a plank but a small platform with a 2x4 on one end so you can stand on the culver level. Otherwise you'll be like a WV buck at the end of the day. One short leg and one long. If you all are against the SPAWN, better stop crappie,perch,gill fishing. We could fish from July -till February.... Like BTDT said to much revenue.....lol  Putting my ice fishing stuff away fished Tuesday last week on MIZZ 23 toad perch,2 slab crappie and 5 big pumpkin seeds. Spring just around the corner.....

Every comment I read is deja vu from previous years from everyone lol some are against it some for it some don't care. Kinda funny lol

Windy out there this morning....
 

Yum great job Chris

I'm Captain Hook and I'll make you walk the plank if I see you there ! Get up to the Bay and get those Jumbo's !....lol 

 Thanks Dan. Hope to get back out in a couple weeks up there. Going to try & get out for Hammer Heads 'round home 'till then.
 
 Learning a good bit from You Tube videos the past few weeks on pre-spawn tactics. 

To each their own.... if jigging weighted double treble hooked lures over spawning fish is someone's way of fishing have at it . I'll stick with the Rapalas and live minnows and stay far  away from combat chaos fishing as possible. I've caught plenty in the rivers using just those and very rarely is one snagged. I still say that area should be a single hook lure area for spawning time only, that should give both fishermen and fish a fair chance, and makes it more difficult for the lifters and snaggers. Just makes common sense to me as a Pa. sport fisherman. If they swallow it one hook will hold good enough for a fair catch.
 
While some fishermen are sporty and legal enough like Big T  to release snagged fish, others opt to keep any they can , anyway they can. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what goes on when observing this area and others with the techniques used. I've witnessed similar styles of jigging Sonars over spawning Steelhead years ago and luckily all were arrested that day after snagging numbers of fish. One has to wonder how many get away with this on average. No one can police 24/7 on our waters but making it somewhat harder against snaggers seems fair.  Fishing the spawn is fine with me, whether you keep or release fish, but just take away the advantage percentage to the true intentional snaggers. 
 
 

 
     

    I have never fished the spillway wall however have fished from canoe. I ice fish with blade baits and almost never snag an eye. Its all in the technique. Fishermen who drop to the bottom then let set for 1-2 seconds then yank up hard about two feet are snagging. If they drop the lure within 1-2 inches off bottom the gently as it will still flutter raise it about a foot to drop again, eyes smack it , and the fish mostly hit on the rise. Blade baits also work well casting and smallmouths smash them on a steady retrieve.
   Do not get me wrong I love them rapala's and flicker shads and mepp's and spoons and etc., however at times them blade baits shine, like late fall and deep eyes. I have even caught some big perch in P I Bay with them while fishing Small Mouths-casting and working them deep.
   The spillway isn't much different to me than fishing the Erie streams for steelhead, both too crowded for me. I have watched and they look to be having fun. Never seen one snagged although I am sure it happens. Most times I have watched no one caught anything. Did see one of the biggest crappy I have ever seen caught there and I believe it was fair hooked.
  If we are giving up fishing for spawning fish best lock up the Erie streams. No more spring Crappy's. Them big bull gills on the spawn beds I always kind of felt guilty catching but they are good eating.

I didn't even know you were allowed to fish the spillway?
Are we talking about the carp spillway?

 On the other side ov the road by the wire they are talking about. Nice windy rain going on there right now.  Good for crawler pickin'...
 
crappy