Bob is back in Erie, Pennsylvania for part two of his Lake Erie smallmouth fishing adventure. Also on this week’s show we take a look at Lake Erie’s biggest outdoor tourist attraction.
Tag Archives: Lake Erie
Lake Erie Part 1
Bob and his crew head north to Erie, Pennsylvania to take advantage of the early Summer smallmouth bass bite on Lake Erie. Plus we also take a look at all that the Erie, Pennsylvania area offers for a great family vacation.
Top 16 Fishing Destinations & Guides Show
Bob tells you about one of the most talked about items on the show’s website. It’s Bob’s Top 16, some of the best Fishing and Hunting guides and destinations in the United States. This week Bob features some special Fresh and Saltwater Fishing guides from his Top 16 list.
Services featured in this episode are Mattson Charter Service, Fish On!, Bass Fishing Charters with Capt. Mro., Lost Bay Fishing, Bandit Sport Fishing, Georgetown Coastal Adventures and Palmetto Lagoon Fishing.
Lake Erie Smallmouth
Bob heads to Erie, Pennsylvania for some early summer smallmouth bass fishing. Joining Bob will be guide George Mrozinski. Also on this weeks Sportsman’s Table we feature a pecan encrusted fried shrimp recipe.
Lake Erie Walleye Part 2
Here’s part two of Bob’s trip to Lake Erie Pennsylvania fishing for Walleye with Bandit Sport Fishing.
Full Transcript
Ooh man! Gosh, this has been a great day! We shot this hog. Look at that. Wow! Let me hold that thing.
[Man] Nice.
Boys, fish on brother, fish on. Oh my gosh, that is a nice fish.
Here, let me move that cone out of the way.
Okay. Ooh, yeah. That one’s got some serious weight to him. Okay now, Ryan, you gotta coach me up. C’mere brother.
All right, take your time. Nice and easy.
Folks, welcome to Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine this week. We are in Lake Erie, Pennsylvania. This is the first mate here, for Joel Carradine our captain, Ryan Lucas. Ryan, I tell ya, this walleye’s got some serious weight. Listen to him singing. Yeah, while I’m doing this, and reeling this thing in, you can hear that 14 pound test Berkley Trilene Sensation line kinda sing a little bit in the wind. And I’m fishin’ an Ambassadeur Record 6600 with the 14 pound test line on an eight foot Veritas from Abu Garcia. Again, the rig is really key for fishin’ here. Walleye, and I’m not tryin’ to horse this thing here.
Yeah, take your time, I’d like to see that one.
Me too. Walleye fishin’ at Lake Erie, folks, is just a great place to come and a good time. I don’t know how many of you watchin’ the show, love to eat fish, but you really don’t get any better, without considerin’ walleye. All right Ryan, you are a native from Erie?
Yes, been here my whole life, 30 years.
Have you really, 30 years? How long have you been mate?
This is my third season doin’ it, but I’ve been fishin’ like this my whole life.
Oh my goodness. C’mere Joel, c’mere boat captain. Folks, let me introduce you to Joel Carradine, Captain Joel Carradine, right here, with Bandit Sport Fishing, on our show today. Listen, that thing is, he’s got a little weight to him, Joel.
[Ryan] It’s still a good fish though.
Yeah, he is. Man, I tell you what, it’s nice to be back up in Erie, Pennsylvania with you my friend.
I’m glad you made the trip up here.
Ah man, thanks for havin’ us. It’s always a pleasure.
It’s a long way to come.
That’s okay man, it’s just a short way to go to come fishin’. Now I gotta introduce my other guy. He’s got the boat up there. C’mere, Ben. C’mon up here. Stay in here man, don’t go no place. Man, we’re gonna get everybody in here.
[Ben] Auto-pilot.
Yeah, while I’m reelin’ this fish in, we got plenty of time. Ben Hines, he is the store manager for the Field and Stream store up here in Erie, Pennsylvania. Ben, boom. Ryan, boom! Joel.
Way to start our mornin’.
The sun is just comin’ up here on the lake and the fish are on. And I’m gonna date this a little bit. We’re right here in the first week of June, that’s when you said come, fish are on.
Yes.
And that’s why I’m here. Ben, aw, man, he’s goin’ back up to get the controls. Ryan, I have to ask you, as a first mate, you really have to have some patience.
Sometimes, yeah, I won’t deny that. Just try to teach the best you can.
Yeah, man. You’re in the people business and this guy does it no better than anybody that I know. There he comes a little bit. I know folks are thinkin’, what has he got, a bucket on that thing? No, this is kind of a nice fish and —
Well, what we do, it’s called precision trolling. So to get our lures a certain depth, sometimes we have to set the lines back further to get ’em in the strike zone.
I gotcha.
We have these back about 150, 160 feet and a walleye’s comin’.
[Bob] There he comes, okay, awesome! That’s a keeper right there!
[Joel] Oh yeah!
[Bob] Great, man! Well, Joel, tell me a little bit about Bandit Sport Fishing. You guys are a great charter service, you cater to everybody that comes up here.
Even kids.
Even kids, and we love to get kids on here.
[Joel] Kids are welcome.
Tell me about the seasons. What’s the best time for folks to come up here for walleye?
Well, usually in the past, we’ve started in the middle of June, but the fishin’s been phenomenal and there’s a ton of walleye in this lake. Now we have residents. Usually they talk about the big migration from the Western Basin to the Central Basin and they move as the water warms up. They like the cooler water, so later in the season, if the fishin’ ain’t got good for us, they’re doin’ real well in the Western Basin.
And then you’ll fish from May through September, October?
We’ve actually fished in October now. It’s been real good, we can catch ’em, middle of October.
That’s phenomenal. Well listen, thanks man, great start. We gotta get ’em back in the water. Folks, Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine, Lake Erie, Pennsylvania. If you wanna come up here and go, log onto Bob’s top 16 and you too can come up here with Bandit Sport Fishing and Captain Joel Carradine. All right man, let’s get it in the box. Woohoo!
[Narrator] Coming up next, we head back to Lake Erie, for some more walleye fishing with Bandit Sport Fishing Charters. Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine is being brought to you today by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, life’s just better outdoors. By Berkley, catch more fish with Berkley fishing products. By Ranger Boats, still building legends one at a time. By Browning Ammunition, Browning, the best there is. And by Southern Woods Plantation, voted as one of the top whale hunting destinations in America.
All right Ryan, get it Ben, it’s yours. You’re up, beau. We got Joel over here, he’s doin’ the windsock grill. Go ahead, get on it man, get on it. Now look, I think it may take all three of us to coach him up. Now Ben, honestly, you are a fisherman from a long way back, but have you ever fished for walleye like this?
I have not.
Oh wow!
I have not. I’ve jigged for ’em, but I’ve never targeted and engaged in trolling for ’em. I’ve marked ’em, and will, drop on ’em, but I’m kind of a bass guy. This is new to me, I like it.
[Bob] This is a lot of fun. What d’ya think, Joel? C’mon up here, brother. Look, you’re puttin’ Ben Hines on his first walleye trip like this. This is awesome.
[Joel] I’m glad he was able to come.
Yeah, I’m tellin’ ya. Now we got plenty of coaches up here.
Happy for the opportunity.
There ya go. You may have big fish here, Ben.
I like this.
Now, the next one’s now, after you get this one in, then we’re gonna get Joel, then we’re gonna get Ryan behind the reel. I’ve already got my two or three. I tell you what folks, it’s just a great opportunity to come up here to Lake Erie and do this kind of fishin’. And we’re so blessed to have Ben Hines from the local Field and Stream store here and our boat captain, Joel Carradine with Bandit Sport Fishing and a new guy that we’ve not met —
[Joel] It looks like we’ve got two more fish on the line.
[Bob] Well, grab it get yours, man, get on it! Get on it, Joel, your turn.
We’ll get it.
[Bob] Or Ryan, you get it. I don’t care. Somebody get it.
[Joel] There we go.
Nice fish! Well done, my friend. What was the reaction out of that, brother?
That is a good time for everybody, right there.
[Bob] Oh my gosh, yeah!
[Ben] And that is going to taste good.
I think you got me beat. You got big fish. Nice, nice. Nice one, I’m tellin’ ya.
Nice fish, Ben.
You got more fish on?
Fish bump.
[Joel] We’ll be able to do that in a second. We’ve got two more on, it looks like.
Got it! Okay, snap the line! And folks, if you’re wonder why I’m snappin’ this line, they’ve got these rubber band holders that hold ’em on the outriggers basically. They’re on cones out there and Joel, that is an ingenious system. It’s not rocket science.
No, I love it.
It saves ya from havin’ to take all the rods in when you get a fish. When you’re on saltwater and you got outriggers you’re kinda hamstrung, but the way you guys have got this rigged, it’s really easy.
It is. As you can see, you’re almost directly under that rod that’s fishin’. And the ponto is up above it.
It’s snaggle free fishin’. That’s what’s great about it.
It is. It’s an awesome tool.
We’re lookin’ at 48 degrees this morning. The wind’s blowin’ at about what, 15, maybe 10?
10 to 15 knots is the weather forecast.
Which is not too bad.
No.
That’s why we’re wearin’ jackets.
[Joel] Winter doesn’t wanna leave us here. Another nice one.
[Bob] They’re all kinda about the same size. Nice fish, awesome!
I think there’s one on the stern troller.
On the cone.
On the cone.
That’s what I’m talkin’ about. It’s all about you, beau. C’mon, get him reeled in here.
When he comes to the boat, we have to unsnap the stern troller.
I’ll do that. You just tell me what to do, man.
You sure?
Yeah, man, you just keep reelin’? Everybody likes to see the boat captain reel it in, fish.
These are wonderful reels.
I tell you what, Abu Garcia.
They’re like a little tow truck.
[Bob] Yeah, the tour o’ beast, man.
[Joel] Yeah, it is, just like a little tow truck.
[Bob] So you want me to clip this thing off, when it gets up here?
Yeah. The back first and then the front.
Coach me up, Captain. You guys saw us put out the buoy. Let me get it unclipped I got the back first, now the front?
Yes sir.
You’re free. On the buoy, folks, right there, look here.
This feels like a decent fish.
You’re stylin’ and profilin’ this morning.
We’re havin’ a good time.
Look at the sun, it’s comin’ out. Here we are, Lake Erie. It don’t get no better than this, walleye fishin’. You know, when I got into town the other night, one of the first things I had to have?
Walleye.
Was a walleye sandwich. at one of the local restaurants. It was awesome. Wow! Matter of fact, I’ll even net this thing for ya, too. How ’bout that?
That’d be great.
That is a decent fish.
[Joel] Thanks, Bob.
Glad to help, bro, glad to help. Folks, were gonna have more great fishin’ action from Erie, Pennsylvania, but first I wanna introduce you to a special guest to our show today. It’s Emily Biddle. She is the marketing and communications director with the Erie Sports Commission. It’s an honor and a privilege to be here. It’s so wonderful that you guys and gals do what you do to attract families and everybody, fishermen, and all that sports folks, but tell me a little bit about some of the attractions when they all come up here. I know the lake’s here, they wanna fish, but there’s lots of other things to do.
Yeah, there’s a ton going on in the area and it’s happening all the time. As soon as you get off the water, there’s something for everybody. I think we’re best know for Presque Isle State Park which is a peninsula that juts into Lake Erie. It’s know for its beaches, its known for hiking and biking and running and kayaking and more fishing. There’s tons to do there. Also, home to one of the largest grape growing regions in the country. Actually the largest east of the Rockies with 21 wineries on-site that extend up into New York. Home to Presque Isle Downs and Casino which is a great spot to spend an evening. They have live thoroughbred horse racing for part of the year, restaurants on-site and just a good spot for a night out on the town. There’s something for everybody here. There’s events going on all the time. If you’re here in the summer, there’s UPMC Park. You can catch a ballgame and there’s sporting events all year.
One of the great things I wanna mention too is there are great places to eat and great places to stay here. It’s first-class amenities all the way around. I really think it’s such a special place that you guys and gals have up here. That’s why we enjoy comin’ every year. It’s just wonderful.
We think so too.
With that, thank you so much. If folks want to log on and they wanna come on up here, folks, listen, you can. Log on to Bob’s Top 16, but I’m gonna let Emily tell you how you can also get in contact with those folks if you wanna schedule a trip up here.
I’d say, if you wanna schedule a trip to Erie, absolutely go to visiterie.com. It lists all of the attractions, the accommodations, everything that you would need to know to plan your trip. They’ve got a widget on there where you can mark where you wanna go and really plan your trip and save it to your smartphone, save it to their app. So visiterie.com really makes it easy.
Emily, thanks so much again for hostin’ us up here. More great fishin’ action right here on Lake Erie, beautiful Erie, Pennsylvania.
[Narrator] Coming up next, we head to the Sportsman’s Table for a great South Carolina’s certified seafood recipe. The Sportsman’s Table is brought to you by The South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Whether you live in South Carolina or out of state, be sure to buy South Carolina grown meats, vegetables, and fruits. Make sure your food is South Carolina certified. It’s a matter of taste.
Folks, welcome to this edition of the Sportsman’s Table this week and my guest chef is Sean Baxter from the Hot Tomato Restaurant, downtown Myrtle Beach and he’s right here at Deck 383 in Murrells Inlet and he’s gonna put a really great fish dish together for us. Okay, Sean, I’m all about this fish. Tell me about this one.
So this is one of our local fish. It’s a wreckfish. It’s a deepwater fish. It gets its name from bein’ caught in the wrecks off the Charleston bump.
[Bob] I gotcha.
[Sean] So what I’m doin’ is I’m gonna do a dijon and herb gritona topping. Now gritona is just simply bread crumbs and herbs mixed together.
I gotcha.
[Sean] Ritz crackers works, whatever you like to use to put a little crunch on top of your stuff.
It’s all some of that secret chef recipe stuff, huh?
You wanna put a little dijon on it, like a little spicy dijon, then you put your bread crumbs on.
[Bob] Oh, wow!
[Sean] Get it in the pan.
[Bob] Now is that olive oil you’re usin’ to cook it in?
[Sean] Yeah, you don’t have to use olive oil, you can use soy oil, canola oil, anything like that.
[Bob] I gotcha. And folks if you want a copy of Sean’s recipe, just log on to bobredfern.com and he’ll have it for ya right there. All right, Sean, the fish is lookin’ good and now we’re ready to plate.
Yep, we’re usin’ this risotta rice with grilled vegetables. We have some zucchini, squash, roasted peppers, couple grape tomatoes. Finish your risotto with Parmesan cheese, give it nice little creamy texture. We’re gonna take our fish, we’re gonna get it right on there.
[Bob] That smells great, Sean.
[Sean] I like to finish it with a little acid, so I’ll use the balsamic reduction.
[Bob] You guys come up with all these nifty little tricks. Not only does it make it look good, it makes it taste good.
Taste good, that’s what we’re shootin’ for mostly.
And there we have it. The humpfish outta Charleston, right there. Well, Sean, thank you my friend. It’s great to have you on as guest today and folks, listen, buy fresh, eat local, certifiedscgrown.com. Right here at Deck 383, another Sportsman’s Table is comin’ your way next week. Don’t miss it.
[Narrator] To find out more information on food that’s fresher and tastier go on-line. That’s certifiedscgrown.com. Buy certified South Carolina grown products. It’s a matter of taste. Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine is being brought to you today by Chevrolet, the official vehicle of Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine. By the South Carolina Agriculture Department, it’s a matter of taste. By Browning, Browning, the best there is. By South Carolina Embroidery and Screenprinting, and by the Wacca Wache Marina and Deck 383, located on the Waccamaw River in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
All right, get him, Ryan, it’s yours, brother. Folks, at the controls is Ryan Lucas. He is Joel Carradine’s first mate on our fishin’ trip today with Bandit Sport Fishing. Ryan, you’re 30 years old, you’re a native Pennsylvanian up here from Erie, how special is it for you to be able to come out here and do this?
Every day, it’s a treat. It’s awesome.
How many years have you been fishin’ for walleye.
I’ve been doin’ this, I don’t know, since I was in diapers, maybe. Doin’ it like this, probably 20 years.
And your family, they fish as well?
My dad and I used to run a lot of charter boats, growin’ up. That’s how I got into it, big time.
Awesome. Well, I tell you, what better way to spend a day on the water and I know you get to meet and greet a lot of different folks. How’s that adjusting, as far as different folks comin’ in and outta the boat. You gotta have a great personality for that, and you obviously do.
You meet a lot of great people. Every once in a while there’s that one guy that’s kinda a little hard to deal with. Wants to do things his way, that happens. It does. For the most part, everyone’s great, everyone wants to learn, be out here and have a good time.
Well the good thing is the mate works for tips, well trips and tips. I tell you what, Joel, I’m gonna get the net ’cause I’m gonna help him out, how ’bout that?
That’d be great.
Oh yeah, we got a nice one on guys.
Well, I’m ready for him. Joel, you wanna check my union card?
[Joel] Yeah.
Make sure I’ve got my union card so I can net this thing. Folks, listen, we’re up here in Lake Erie, Pennsylvania. You wanna log a trip, just book a trip with Bandit Sport Fishing and I got it.
In the net, nicely done.
[Bob] Just log on to Bob’s Top 16. We’ll see if we can get him outta here, and book your trip with Joel Carradine and Bandit Sport Fishing. Nah, don’t do that.
Let me see them pliers.
Toothy.
[Bob] I’ll help. I’ll hold him, you get him out. How ’bout that?
[Ryan] He’s free, we’ll get the hook in a second.
[Bob] There you go, man. Ryan Lucas right here, first mate on Bandit, man, Sport Fishin’ trip. You did good, beau, put him in the box.
[Ryan] Thank you.
There we go, all right. We got fish on boys, hang on. Man, let me snap that, snap it. Yep, got it free. All right, Joel.
How’s he feel?
Kind of like the rest of ’em. He’s a good keeper. He’s comin’. I think the wind and that kind of thing has changed a little bit.
It’s picked up a little bit.
Yeah, it has and that’ll happen. But I tell you what, we started the trip this morning, folks, early at daylight which is a good thing. It’s beautiful out here when that sun’s comin’ up, but as folks will know weather changes real quick on this lake. Well folks, it’s been a great time up here on Lake Erie, Pennsylvania with my good friend, Joel Carradine, Captain Joel and Bandit Sport Fishing. Tell everybody out there, they need to come up here. They need to come fishin’ with ya.
Yes sir.
Let’s get this fish in here. Here we come, c’mon. I always enjoy comin’ up here because it’s such a great fishery and you’re a great guy to spend the day on the boat with. You’ve got a great captain.
[Joel] The biologists tell us that there’s 55 million of these in this lake.
[Bob] No kiddin’, wow!
[Joel] We got our share.
Folks, listen, it’s been a great time up here. We’re glad you came along with us. Joel, thank you so much, my friend for havin’ us up here. Banditsportfishing.com.
I love to have you.
Log onto Bob’s Top 16. As I always like to say each and every week, the outdoors is my passion, I want it to be yours too. We’ll see you next time right back here again on Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine. All right, beau, let’s put him in the box! Ooh!
Yeah, baby.
Yeah, man!
Lake Erie Walleye Fishing 2019 Part 1
Bob heads up to Lake Erie, PA for great Walleye fishing with Bandit Sport Fishing.
Bob shows how easy it is to snag some beauties in this early June trip. Bob also talks with Mark Jeanneret of the Erie Sports Commission about all the great activities in the area. On the Sportsman’s Table, Chef Jermaine Alston shows the secret to making Deck 383 Fried Green Tomatoes.
Full Transcript
[Bob Redfern] Well folks, welcome to this week’s Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine. We’re in beautiful Erie, Pennsylvania. We’re in UPMC Park here, home of the Erie Sea Wolves, and I’m gettin’ ready to throw out the first pitch of tonight’s game. Let me get this ball down range, and then we’re going to come back, and we’re going to do some great fishing action on this week’s show. You ready guys? All right. Well folks, first pitch, okay. So I grounded it in, it’s a good catcher, but listen, we’ve got a lot of great fishing action coming your way, right here on Lake Erie, from Erie, Pennsylvannia, right here at UPMC Park, home of the Sea Wolves. And Sea Wolf where’d you go, brother? Here man, woohoo! That’s what I’m talkin’ about, woo! Oh man, yeah, it’s just been a great day, brother. He shot this hog. Look at that! Wow! Let me hold that thing.
[Spectator] Nice!
Well.
[Joel] He’s up ‘ere.
Yeah, you know. There it is!
Here it comes.
I see him coming. Folks, welcome to our show this week. We are in Erie, Pennsylvania, Lake Erie. We’re back up here with my good friend, Joel Carradine of Bandit Sport Fishing. We were up here a couple of years ago, and we’ve decided to come on back up. It’s walleye season all the way up here. Hey Joel, I’ll tell you what man: we’ve got a boat load of guys this mornin’. We got first mate, Ryan Lucas here
Hi!
We got our good friend, Ben Hines. He’s on board, gonna catch some fish with us. He is the manager of the Field and Stream store up here in Lake Eerie. And Joel Carradine, okay, Captain Joel right here.
Yes sir!
All right, bro. Now the bite’s been really good.
It has, it has. That looks like a good fish comin’ aboard.
Yeah, looks like a nice a little fish.
That’s a nice walleye.
Nice walleye, yeah!
[Joel] You got it, no, you got ’em.
Get ’em out, Ryan, get him up here.
[Ryan] Right on, brother.
Oh yeah!
[Ben] That’s a good start.
[Joel] That’s probably four pounder blonde.
Yeah, man, oh my goodness. We’re already startin’ off better than we did the last time, huh?
Yes sir.
Well, listen, I have to ask ya while our mate here is getting this thing off. Tell me a little bit about the trips that you guys do up here. Because, I mean, you know, Lake Erie is a very special place and you know, it can be on one day, off the next. It’s just one of those great things that you love doing, I know.
Yes sir, it is the beginning of June and we’re fighting a little cold weather, as you could see this morning. But you know, we got a great start to morning. A nice four pound walleye.
I gotta hold this fish up for everybody to see if I can grab it, oh yeah.
It’s a beautiful- that’s what’s comin’ now. That’s about the average size, twenty-
And that is great eating.
[Joel] Oh yeah, it’s wonderful.
At nineteen to twenty bucks a fileted pound.
[Joel] Yes sir.
Okay, is this one goin’ in the box?
Oh yeah.
A’ight.
[Bob] Nice!
[Joel] He’s goin’ back to South Carolina.
Yes sir, there you go, brother. Man, I’m tellin’ ya, it’s awesome.
[Bob] Fish on, a’ight, get ‘er, Ben! A’ight man, I’m tellin’ you. You know, Ben, this beats anything else, doing fishin’, man, early in the mornin’.
Yes it does. It’s were it’s at, why we do what we do.
[Bob] Now, Joel.
[Joel] How’s that feel, Ben? There’s one there.
There’s a fish on there, yeah man.
That’s what I was waitin’ to feel.
[Bob] I’m tellin’ ya, you know what you’re pullin’ in there is filets.
Oh yeah, that’s good food.
I may have big fish so far though, Joel.
I think so, oh yeah.
[Bob] That’s okay. Get ‘er, Ben.
[Joel] Good job.
[Bob] Oh yeah.
[Joel] Black mamba.
[Bob] That’s a keeper.
[Joel] Oh yeah, that’s a good twenty inch fish.
[Bob] Yeah, man.
[Ben] We are doing well, so far, today.
[Joel] Yeah, we’re doin’ well.
This feels like a good fish.
Yeah, don’t go no where, Ben. Come on, we gotta coach him up. We gotta coach him up a little bit. Now I will tell ya, you know, Ben, bein’ the local go-to guy for tackle at Field and Stream Store here in Lake Erie, you know, this has gotta be a special place. You know, as a store manager, watchin’ all that stuff comin’ in and out of here for fishin’.
[Ryan] Who wants to reel this one in, guys? Doubled up?
We’re doubled up this morning.
Okay, well I’ll shut up. Hold that thought. Aw yeah.
Got a little tanker on there, do you?
Yeah, this feels like a good one.
Well, it’s got some shoulders on that one.
Aw man, here I thought I had big feasts and look at that, you got me beat. Oh my goodness, well, I will tell you what, folks, I’ll tell ya, the reels and rods that I’m fishin’ today, of course, Abu Garcia the Veritas. It is an eight foot six, and you gotta have a little bit of a tip here that’s got some bend to it for these walleye and of course, I’ve got the Revo Toro Beast. And, I’m usin’ actually, fourteen pound Berkley Trilene Sensation here today. So, but you do got some shoulders, man. You see, you gotta let the boat captain catch the big fish, huh? That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout right there.
Always get one for the boat.
[Ryan] Take ‘er.
I appreciate you guys comin’ ’cause I don’t get to do this that often.
Another keeper right there, huh? All right, in the box. Got it!
[Ryan] How you doin’, Joel? Where you at?
Thirty three.
[Ryan] All right.
Now, Joel, when the customers come up here, what do you kinda tell ’em their expectations are? A: They’re gonna have a great time. You got a great boat, okay. And, they’re gonna enjoy goin’ out with Bandit Sport Fishin’.
Yes sir. We expect- we’re a full service charter. The only thing that the people need to bring is some water, refreshments, some food.
[Ryan] Oh yeah, that’s a good lunch.
[Joel] Water, refreshments, food.
[Bob] Oh, that is a big fish. Oh my gosh.
[Ryan] Just came off.
[Joel] Did it pop off?
[Ryan] Yeah.
[Bob] Aw, that’s good to eat.
[Announcer] Coming up next: we head back to Lake Erie for some more walleye fishing with Bandit Sport Fishing charters. Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine is being brought to you today by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Life’s just better outdoors. By Berkley, catch more fish with Berkley fishing products. By Ranger Boats, still building legends, one at a time. By Browning Ammunition, Browning: the best there is. And by Southern Woods Plantation, voted as one of the top whale hunting destinations in America.
Folks, welcome back to the show. We’re here at Erie, Pennsylvania, and with me today, is just a wonderful example of what Erie, Pennsylvania’s all about. We have Mark Jeanneret. He’s the executive director for the Erie Sports Commission, and he’s gonna talk to us a little bit about this beautiful city, Erie, Pennsylvania, and what they all have to offer. And I will tell ya, Mark, it’s an honor and a privilege to be here. And we’re here tonight at Sea Wolves Park, a great draw for here. Tell us about family fun, and this is a great destination to come.
Yeah, you know what, Bob? This is just one of the examples. UPMC Park, it’s home for our double A baseball team, the Erie Sea Wolves. They play from April right through to September. We have a junior hockey team that’s been incredibly successful here that plays in the newly renovated arena, right next door. We had to work fifteen million dollars in renovations about four years ago. So, there’s lots of stuff to do here. You know, year round, we have D league basketball team. The Bayhawks, as well. So, lots of family fun, and stuff in the area, and lots of nature owe to Presque Isle State Park. So, certainly a great destination for families to come and visit.
Well, you know more of what’s so impressive, for me, as an outdoorsman, okay, again, the fishery is just absolutely off the charts. But, families, mom and dads and kids will pile in the car, they’ll come up here. Mom may sleep a little late. Dad take out son and the girls out on the boat and then, catch some fish. Then, during the rest of the day, you guys have just got so many sights and sounds to offer here. That’s why it’s such a great destination. I really, truly believe Erie, the weather, and it’s just one of those places that, you know, you always wanna come back to.
And we always have blue skies, like this, everyday. And its been perfect. And again, getting back to some of those things, you know, we’re like a lot of destinations. We have a great amusement park called Waldameer. It’s an amusement park and water park, as well. The interesting thing about that, you can go to the amusement park, and you don’t have to pay admission. You pay for rides if you wanna ride the rides. But, if you’re not a ride goer, it’s not like they hit you up for forty bucks at the door just to walk around the park. Free parking, as well. We’ve got one of the best indoor water parks in the winter because it does snow here once in a while. Splash Lagoon is one of the best indoor water parks in the Northeast. We have a fabulous zoo that has over four hundred animals. And, we’re really a hidden gem. There’s not a lot of people that understand the amenities that we have here, and we’re real proud of what we put together and what we’re building.
Well, you know, finally, if folks wanna log on to the destination and they wanna find you, again, folks, you can log on to Bob’s Top 16. You’ll be able to find the Erie Sports Commission there, as well as visiterie.com. But if they want to plug in, and all the different sights and sounds of Erie, how can they get a hold of you guys?
[Mark] Well, in the best ways, the Visit Erie website at visiterie.com. Visit Erie also has an app that you can download online. You can plan your whole visit. So, those would be the best places to go. And if you wanna check out what we do in this sports commission world, certainly, we invite them to take a look at eriesportscommission.com.
Get ’em, Joel. Snab him off there, brother. Ah ha, see? Even the boat captain gets to fish today.
Oh yeah.
Yeah, man.
And I appreciate it.
Oh no, hey, listen man, everyone’s havin’ fun on the boat today.
[Ben] Joel doesn’t get to do that very often.
No, he doesn’t. That’s okay. You know, it’s really important, though, for all your clients, Joel, that, you know, I mean, they gotta be able to spend all day on a boat. And it’s very very important. Folks that watch the show, I know they ask me all the time, Bob, is Joel really that much fun? Well, yeah! I mean, I go out with those boat captains who offer that opportunity for their clients to have a good time all day long. ‘Cause that’s really what it’s about. I mean, you know, we always like catchin’, but fishin’s fishin’, you know? Some days you have great days, like today. And some days, well, it’s kinda slow, but at least you’re out on the water. It’s beautiful, and you know, Ben, for guys that come up, and gals that come up for tourism, here at Lake Erie, I mean, I’m just tellin’ ya, they bring the family and they wanna go out. They wanna fish. They wanna do all kinds of things. They wanna come by the store, get all the trinkets and goodies there. And then, they wanna fish and catch some walleye with you.
Yes sir.
I mean, it’s always a kind of- really a treat, a trip that folks look forward to.
This feels like a really good fish too.
Don’t tell me you’re gonna get the next big fish. Man, I’m tellin’ ya, look at what he’s doing to us. Man, oh man.
Twenty feet, Ryan.
[Ryan] Gotcha.
Yeah, that is. You got it, Ryan?
I got it.
He’s workin’ you to death this mornin’, man.
[Ryan] I’m used to it.
[Bob] Okay, well that’s a good thing.
[Ben] Good problem to have.
[Ryan] Beautiful.
[Bob] Yeah, that’s a good one.
[Ben] You’re gonna have a nice bunch of filets.
Bro, that’s awesome! Yeah, you know, normally I don’t. This time, I bet, I’m gonna take the dang things home. Folks, stay tuned. When we come back, we’re headed to The Sportsman’s Table, another great recipe. Maybe I could even get Sea Wolf to come in and try some of the food. How ’bout that?
[Announcer] The Sportsman’s Table is brought to you by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Whether you live in South Carolina or out of state, be sure to buy South Carolina grown meats, vegetables, and fruits. Make sure your food is South Carolina Certified. It’s a matter of taste.
Folks, welcome to our Sportsman’s Table recipe this week. We are in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina at Wacca Wache Marina and Deck 383 Restaurant down here. And our chef today is Executive Chef Jermaine Alston. He is the head guy right down here at Deck 383 Restaurant in beautiful Murrells Inlet. I gotta welcome you to the show, my friend.
Bob, thanks for having me.
Hey listen, I’ll tell you what, we got a great recipe and I’m really excited about this. ‘Cause this is one of the most favorite things that I love and that’s fried green tomatoes. And not everybody can do that, huh?
Oh no, everybody can’t do fried green tomatoes.
Well, this going to be awesome. Okay now, tell me, what is going to be your first step here? Okay, other than Certified SC grown green tomatoes.
South Carolina SCC, grown right up the road from Lee’s Farm, best vegetables around here. Trust me.
All right, man. What’s the first step?
The first step, we gonna slice the tomato real quick. About a quarter inch thick.
Now that kinda makes it where when you’re talkin’ bout green tomatoes, you gotta have ’em crispy.
You don’t wanna cut it too thick, ’cause you’re gonna have that extra crust on it. So I always cut mine ’bout a quarter inch thick. We’re gonna dredge it in the buttermilk.
Oh man, buttermilk, mmm! Oh, look at that!
Our special season blend. Just make sure the whole green tomato is coated all the way through. That’s good, that’s good now. All right.
All right, now I got the pan ready for you, man.
Pan is ready, I hear you. Oh, that’s what you wanna hear, right there. That crisp, right there. Oh, now we cookin’, baby.
[Bob] Now what’s the secret? How long you gonna leave ’em in there?
Imma cook ’em probably about, not even ten, fifteen seconds on each side. As you can see, they’re already startin’ to brown.
Oh yeah, big time.
[Jermaine] Beautiful.
[Bob] Now again, this is something that when guests come down to Deck 383, fried green tomatoes, you’re all over it, huh?
Yep. We’re gonna let those cook right there for probably about, like I said, ten, fifteen seconds on each side. Let it get a good crisp to it. We’re gonna bring it off. Set it off to our pan here over to the side. Oh, look at the golden brown, golden brown.
[Bob] I love fried green tomatoes.
[Jermaine] Set those right there. Let those cool off a bit.
Now what?
Now, then we’re gonna go to our next stage. We’re gonna throw ’em in the oven for about five to seven minutes, and we’re gonna top it with some apple smoked bacon and some shredded Parmesan cheese.
Oh man, well, let’s do it. Put it on there and let’s get ’em in the oven.
All right. Ready?
Let’s do it.
A’ight.
Got your bacon. You can never put enough bacon.
[Bob] That’s true. Where would we be without bacon?
[Jermaine] Never put enough bacon.
[Bob] Now, in the oven, you say, at 350 for-?
[Jermaine] About 350 depending on how hungry you are.
[Bob] I got you, all right, a little Parmesan.
[Jermaine] A little shred up Parmesan, throw that on top.
[Bob] Now, that makes it even crispier.
[Jermaine] Oh yes, oh yes.
[Bob] There you go, okay.
[Jermaine] There you go. All right, here’s our finished product, as it comes out the oven, fried green tomatoes at Deck 383.
Wow, Jermaine, listen to me, man. Thank you so much for our recipe this week. Listen, we can’t wait to get back here to do another one, okay. And folks, listen: buy local, eat fresh, right here at Deck 383 on the intercoastal waterway on the Waccamaw River in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Wacca Wache Marina. You and all the rest of the folks who come on down to Deck 383, this guy and his staff are gonna cook up some great food for ya. And as I always like to say each and every week, Certified SC grown. Check ’em out. Eat fresh, buy local. We’ll see you back here again next week on another recipe on the Sportsman’s Table.
[Announcer] To find out more information on food that’s fresher and tastier, go online at certifiedscgrown.com. Buy Certified South Carolina grown products. It’s a matter of taste. Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine is being brought to you today by Chevrolet, the official vehicle of Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine. By the South Carolina Agriculture Department, it’s a matter of taste.
By Browning, Browning: the best there is. By South Carolina Embroidery and Screenprinting and by the Wacca Wache Marina and Deck 383, located on the Waccamaw River in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
Folks, welcome back to the show. We’re in beautiful downtown Pennsylvania. We’re gettin’ ready to go see the Sea Wolves play a little baseball, but with me now, is Mark Jeanneret. He’s the executive director of the Erie Sports Commission and we’re gonna talk about all the great things that the commission does for Erie, Pennsylvania and the region around here. And, Mark it’s an honor and a privilege. I’m so glad to be here and-
Happy to host here, for sure.
Tell us a little bit about what you guys do, and how you support tourism and family fun, fishing, and just all around, folks comin’ up here to visit.
Well, we’re a division of Visit Erie, which is our local convention and visitor’s bureau. But, our mission is solely to attract tourism through sporting events and competitions. So, we’ve been around for about six years, started off a little small, but have grown to host nearly seventy events a year. We host everything from yoyo tournaments to bass fishing tournaments to NCAA Championships. So, we run the gambit of everything. We like to do different things. And, it our goal to be out there and trying to find all those unique events that’s gonna bring people to Erie and get them into hotels and make them tourists, here in our own backyard.
Well, you know, and again, besides heads on beds, and you know, rears in seats, you guys host some great festivals up here. You got one comin’ up, every summer. Tell me a little bit about that.
Yeah, in August, we have Celebrate Erie, and that’s a long standing event that’s been going on here for years and years. And, when we started as a sports commission, we decided we needed to find something to bring us into the fold. So, five or six years ago, we did the Color Run for the first time here. We saw eleven thousand entries in two and a half weeks. It was a great downtown celebration which turned out the be the kickoff to Celebrate Erie. We’ve done that annually since, and I think that’s one of the places that we’ve had some successes, being able to find those events in town. And then, try to bring something else to that week or weekend event. And then, that gives people more of a reason to stay and enjoy Erie, Pennsylvania.
Joel, I believe we’ve got a fish on, though.
[Joel] It looks like it.
He’s snappin’ away, yep. Aw, there he is, yep, oh man. Gosh, this has been a great day, brother, I’m tellin’ ya.
It has.
I am so glad that we decided to come back up to Lake Erie.
I’m glad you came too.
And fishin’- man, the sport fishin’, I’m tellin’ ya. Folks, I’ll tell you what, again, log on to Bob’s Top 16. You’ll find Joel right there, banditsportfishing.com. Book trip. I’m tellin’ ya, this guy can put you on some great walleye fishin’. And listen, and if you like fish, you like to eat fish, and you love walleye, man, this is the place to come. And he, again, you just love families to come up.
Absolutely.
It’s just a great thing for them folks to come.
[Joel] There’s another good one.
[Bob] Here comes another good fish, yeah man, woo hoo!
[Joel] What is that for that reel?
[Bob] That is an Ambassaduer Record 6600. I’ve got two of those mounted on eight foot Veritas Rods today and Berkley Trilene Sensation fourteen pound test. I followed the advice of my captain. You know, that’s one thing. Follow the advice, huh? There you go, okay, man. Well folks, listen, that’s all we got time for this week. Here on Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine, you never know where we’re gonna be from week to week. That’s why, well listen, we enjoy doin’ what we do. And we thank you very much for watchin’. Again, the outdoor’s my passion. I want it to be yours too. That’s all we got time for this week for Lake Erie, Pennsylvania, right here with Bandit Sport Fishing and Joel Carradine. Joel, we got fishin’ to do- That’s it, let’s get it in the box, bro.
Yes sir.
All right, man, we’ll see y’all next week.
New York Smallmouth
This week Bob heads to Buffalo, New York for some smallmouth bass fishing on Lake Erie. If you’re ever in the Buffalo area and love to fish, you’ll have a blast fishing smallmouth on Lake Erie!
Lake Erie Facts:
Lake Erie’s fish populations are the most abundant of the Great Lakes, partially because of the lake’s relatively mild temperatures and plentiful supply of plankton, which is the basic building block of the food chain. The lake’s fish population accounts for an estimated 50% of all fish inhabiting the Great Lakes. The lake is “loaded with superstars” such as steelhead, walleye, smallmouth bass, perch, as well as bass, trout, salmon, whitefesh, smelt, and many others. The lake consists of a long list of well established introduced species. Common non-indigenous fish species include the rainbow smelt, alewife, white perch and common carp. Non-native sport fish such as rainbow trout and brown trout are stocked specifically for anglers to catch. Attempts failed to stock coho salmon and its numbers are once again dwindling. Commercial landings are dominated by yellow perch and walleye, with substantial quantities of rainbow smelt and white bass also taken. Anglers target walleye and yellow perch, with some effort directed at rainbow trout. A variety of other species are taken in smaller quantities by both commercial and sport fleets.
Lake Erie Walleye Fishing
We’re fishing Lake Erie for Walleye with Captain Joel Carradine of Bandit Sport Fishing Charters!
Did you know that Lake Erie is the 11th largest lake in the world by surface area. It is the fourth largest and the shallowest of the five Great Lakes. Lake Erie is 241 miles long, 57 miles wide at its widest point, has a surface area of 9,910 square miles, and has 871 miles of shoreline. It is fed primarily by the Detroit River at its western end, and drains out into Lake Ontario through the Niagara River and the Welland Canal.
For more information on Bandit Sport Fishing Charters, visit: https://www.banditsportfishing.com/
Summertime New York Smallmouth Bass (Part 2)
Guide and personal friend Frank Campbell of Niagara Charters near Lewiston, New York continues this week teaching Bob a new fishing technique to land the region’s famous smallmouth bass. Fishing for smallmouth is one of Bob’s favorite species and he tests his skills in the fast moving waters of Lake Erie near Buffalo, NY.
Summertime New York Smallmouth Bass (Part 1)
Guide and personal friend Frank Campbell of Niagara Charters near Lewiston, New York will be teaching Bob a new fishing technique to land the region’s famous smallmouth bass. Fishing for smallmouth is one of Bob’s favorite species and he tests his skills in the fast moving waters of Lake Erie near Buffalo, NY.