Lake Erie Day 2 Midday Update

The wind is light and the fish are biting

With winds shifting from yesterday’s northerly blow to a warmer southerly direction, day two of the Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division event hosted by the City of Sandusky and Lake Erie Shores & Islands Welcome Center on Lake Erie brought calmer conditions with greater ability to methodically work key spots. Offshore, waves ran 1 to 2 feet, with leeward areas behind the Lake Erie Islands nearly flat.

Several boats were prospecting the reefs and humps around Kelleys Island on the U.S. side and Pelee on the Canadian. A mix of crankbaits and drop-shots seemed to be dominating the morning action.

Day-one leader Jared Rhode returned to the same area where he sacked up his 23-pound, 10-ounce bag. The Port Clinton, Ohio, angler had a limit by 8:30 and was culling by 8:45. By 9 a.m., he had about 15 pounds in his livewell.

Rhode was catching his fish on a drop-shot in about 16 feet. He said he was planning to switch to a tube later in the morning, as the mostly sunny conditions pushed the fish tighter to cover.

So far, the bite has been much slower for Rhode than it was on day one. He believes the fish adjusted to the significant shift in wind direction, so he was on the hunt to relocate the mother load.

With good running conditions, some anglers might venture the long run to distant honey holes, while those that remain fairly close will have no trouble holding on their spots.

Look for a few more bags of 20-plus pounds today.

Read up on how Rhode hauled in his big day-one bag here.

Click here to read up on the rest of the top five patterns.

Tune into FLW Live at 2:30 p.m. ET to watch all the action.