Smoke Creek Shoals off Woodlawn Beach State Park
Ranked plans for Lake Erie (eastern basin) are not available yet: its tournament record has 2 events with a known winning area, too few to test the ranking. The areas are listed without a rank.
WaterNew York
Depth8-20 ft
BottomSand, gravel and rubble under 20 ft (NY DOS, Smoke Creek Shoals); rock and sand/gravel (GLAHF)
CurrentNo
River plumeNo
Well-known spotNo
Position42.805, -78.870 (approximate center)
Shoal water within about half a mile of the Smoke Creek mouth and off Woodlawn Beach State Park, mostly under 20 ft (NY DOS)
Run from each launch
| Launch | Run | Open water | Crossing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Harbor State Park boat launch (New York) | 3.2 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| Erie Basin Marina boat launch (New York) | 5.2 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| Sturgeon Point Marina (New York) | 11.9 mi | 8.6 mi | Yes |
| Sunset Bay State Marine Park (New York) | 21.3 mi | 4.4 mi | No |
| Dunkirk Harbor boat launch (New York) | 32.3 mi | 19.0 mi | Yes |
| Barcelona Harbor boat launch (New York) | 48.8 mi | 26.3 mi | Yes |
| Presque Isle State Park, Niagara Boat Launch (Pennsylvania) | 78.8 mi | 74.7 mi | Yes |
| Presque Isle State Park, Lagoon Launch (Pennsylvania) | 76.7 mi | 74.7 mi | Yes |
| Presque Isle State Park, West Pier Launch (Pennsylvania) | 77.8 mi | 75.8 mi | Yes |
| Lampe Marina public launch ramps (Pennsylvania) | 76.4 mi | 70.5 mi | Yes |
| East Avenue Boat Launch (Port Erie) (Pennsylvania) | 76.1 mi | 66.3 mi | Yes |
| Shades Beach Park boat launch (Krupinski Launch Facility), Harborcreek (Pennsylvania) | 70.0 mi | 62.8 mi | Yes |
| North East Marina public launch (Pennsylvania) | 60.4 mi | 54.2 mi | Yes |
| Walnut Creek access (PFBC) (Pennsylvania) | 86.2 mi | 75.1 mi | Yes |
| Sugarloaf Marina public boat ramp, Port Colborne (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 20.3 mi | 10.4 mi | Yes |
| Esplanade Park boat ramp, Port Maitland (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 35.9 mi | 29.4 mi | Yes |
| Port Dover Harbour Marina boat ramps (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 67.9 mi | 55.7 mi | Yes |
| Port Rowan Harbour Marina public ramp (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 81.3 mi | 79.2 mi | Yes |
Run: the distance along the water route. A crossing (the open lake, the border or a long stretch of open water) needs over-water wind under your crossing wind limit (default 15 mph), waves on the route within your wave limit and no small craft advisory.
Evidence
- Costa FLW Series Northern Division 2018 Thu, Jul 26 2018Neil Farlow: Six areas from Point Abino (Ontario) to Myers Reef (N.Y.) and back toward Buffalo; four produced the big fish, 20-40 ft; Drop shot (Reaction Innovations Flirt Worm).Source
- Lake Erie set for Costa FLW Series Northern Division event (Johnston preview) Wed, Jul 18 2018Preview, not a catch report. Chris Johnston expected about half the field on each side of the border, with the most boats from Buffalo out to the Myers Reef area and across; bigger fish at 20-45 ft; tubes dragged on drifts, then drop shots.Source
- Closing in on a win (Iaconelli, day-2 leader, 2008 Empire Chase) Wed, Aug 13 2008Mike Iaconelli (4th after day 3 with 62-1; day-2 leader with 44-5) drop-shotted all his fish at places within 5 mi of the Buffalo weigh-in site, while the leaders ran 45-70 mi. Areas listed are those within about 5 mi of the Small Boat Harbor; no spot named.Source
- NY Department of State, Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat: Smoke Creek Shoals (rating form, 1987) About 500 acres within half a mile of the Smoke Creek mouth (Lackawanna-Hamburg line), mostly under 20 ft, sand, gravel and rubble; probably an important spawning area for walleye, yellow perch and smallmouth bassSource