Growing up with a grandfather (Papa/Pops) who was an avid fisherman, I learned a thing or two about fishing. Starting at the young age of four years old when I caught my first fish on a family camping trip, my love affair with outdoor activities and adventures began.
My family is full of campers, boaters, and people who love to fish. It’s funny because while we love to catch fish, we don’t necessarily enjoy eating them. That is, unless, of course, my grandmother (Nana) would pan-fry our fresh catch of the day (usually bluegill) in butter, with Italian seasonings, lots of garlic, and breadcrumbs. Then, we loved to eat fish!
Oftentimes, we would camp in Algonac, Michigan, where my Papa and I would fish off the pier. My “fish that got away” story happened here. One day, I snagged a six-foot-long Sturgeon on my line that I was fighting to reel in. Unfortunately, because my Papa could not swim, he was fearful that the big fish was going to drag my less than eighty-pound ten-year-old self into Lake Huron, and he would not be able to rescue me.
By the way, I am a strong swimmer and was back then, too. However, my Papa was afraid of how powerful and damaging water in Michigan’s Great Lakes could be, especially where we were fishing, as it was very deep and there was no way to climb back up the pier unless you could swim about fifty feet from where we were to the emergency ladder. So, he cut the line, and the biggest fish I have ever hooked got away!
As outdoor enthusiasts, my family has great respect for the elements:
- Water
- Fire
- Summer storms
- Sun
- Trees, etc.
According to non-profit Great Lakes Now, here are the top ten biggest fish in the Great Lakes, and best, “Fish to Catch: Great Lakes means great fishing :
- Walleye
- Yellow perch
- Smallmouth and largemouth bass
- Salmon (coho, chinook, Atlantic, pink)
- Steelhead salmon (rainbow trout)
- Panfish (bluegill, crappie, pumpkinseed)
- Lake trout
- Lake sturgeon
- Muskellunge
- White Bass,”.
Can ships go from the Great Lakes to the ocean?
Yes, ships can go from the Great Lakes to the ocean.
While I was married to my sons’ dad, we spent a lot of time continuing my family’s traditions of camping and boating. We also continued my ex-husband’s family tradition of boating. They were big-time boaters. He grew up in a boating family, living in a neighborhood off the canals of Lake St. Claire. Their boats were always at least forty feet long, which are meant to handle large bodies of water.
The boat he most remembers was their forty-five-foot Hatteras boat, on which they took an annual family trip. They started from their home in Lake St. Clair, motored to Lake Huron, and sailed north to the North Channel in northern Michigan.
During our oldest son’s early years, we used to spend the weekends in the summer with my ex’s father (Grandpa) and his wife (Didi) on their fifty-two-foot Sea Ray. We visited them frequently at the boat club on Lake St. Clair, until the last time when I was about five months pregnant with my youngest son.
Although we did not have large boats to travel on the Great Lakes like Grandpa and Didi had, my ex also had an uncle who lived on Indian River with a twenty-eight-foot Cobalt boat. One of my favorite memories is when we took our children boating for a day, which began on the Indian River and led to Mullet Lake, which in turn feeds into the Cheboygan River, ultimately leading to Lake Huron. There were many restaurants along the Pure Michigan route to Lake Huron, stopping at one for dinner and then heading back to Uncle Cass’s place off of Indian River.
If we had kept motoring south to Lake Huron, then to Lake Erie, on to Lake Ontario and finally through the St. Lawrence River, we would have reached the Atlantic Ocean. So, yes, boats and ships can travel through the Great Lakes to the ocean.
Statistics from Clear Seas (a non-profit) states the following about ships going from the Great Lakes to the ocean, “Because they contain a large volume of water, the Great Lakes are often referred to as inland seas, with such characteristics as strong currents, distant horizon, great depths, rolling waves, and strong winds. Collectively, they account for 21% of the surface freshwater on Earth and provide a source of drinking water to approximately 28 million Canadians and Americans.
The Great Lakes provide important corridors for marine trade to inland North America. From west to east, the Great Lakes waterway flows from Lake Superior to the St. Lawrence Seaway and drops approximately 180 meters in elevation as it flows from its westernmost point in Duluth, Minnesota, to the Atlantic Ocean,”.
Lake Erie Fish
Although we fished off piers into any one of the Great Lakes and off the shore on numerous smaller, inland lakes in Michigan, my Papa’s favorite spot to fish, besides deep-sea fishing, was Lake Erie.
Pops loved to go fishing on Lake Erie with his buddy, whom we called “Captain Bob,” naturally because Uncle Bob had a boat. Not only did Captain Bob take us fishing on Lake Erie, but when we vacationed in Wildwood, New Jersey, we also went deep-sea fishing in the Atlantic Ocean.
Today, my cousin continues the fishing tradition on Lake Erie and often catches many walleyes and perch, which make for a fantastic fish fry party. Here are some of the fish you might catch, specifically in Lake Erie:
- Walleye
- Channel Catfish
- Steelhead
- White Bass
- Largemouth Bass
- Northern Pike
- Lake Sturgeon
- Black Crappie
- Yellow Perch
- Sheephead
- Smallmouth Bass
- White Perch
- Musky
- Lake Trout
- Blue Gill
- Coho Salmon
Biggest fish in the Great Lakes
In conclusion, the Great Lakes are home to some of the largest and most fascinating fish species. Their diverse ecosystems provide a unique habitat for these aquatic giants, making them a vital part of the region’s natural heritage. Protecting these waters ensures the survival of these incredible creatures for future generations.