Off Lake Erie State Park, west of Van Buren Point
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
Depth12-40 ft
BottomGravel and cobble with shale to the west (NY DOS); rock (GLAHF)
CurrentNo
River plumeNo
Well-known spotNo
Position42.422, -79.466 (approximate center)
NY DOS: smallmouth spawning concentrations greatest near Lake Erie State Park (May and June); NY Sea Grant 1984: peaks and valleys in 20-45 ft west of Van Buren Point
Run from each launch
| Launch | Run | Open water | Crossing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Harbor State Park boat launch (New York) | 42.6 mi | 32.8 mi | Yes |
| Erie Basin Marina boat launch (New York) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 43.2 mi | 36.5 mi | Yes |
| Sturgeon Point Marina (New York) | 28.3 mi | 16.0 mi | Yes |
| Sunset Bay State Marine Park (New York) | 19.6 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| Dunkirk Harbor boat launch (New York) | 8.1 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| Barcelona Harbor boat launch (New York) | 8.6 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| Presque Isle State Park, Niagara Boat Launch (Pennsylvania) | 39.0 mi | 33.0 mi | Yes |
| Presque Isle State Park, Lagoon Launch (Pennsylvania) | 36.9 mi | 33.1 mi | Yes |
| Presque Isle State Park, West Pier Launch (Pennsylvania) | 38.0 mi | 33.1 mi | Yes |
| Lampe Marina public launch ramps (Pennsylvania) | 36.4 mi | 17.8 mi | Yes |
| East Avenue Boat Launch (Port Erie) (Pennsylvania) | 36.1 mi | 14.8 mi | Yes |
| Shades Beach Park boat launch (Krupinski Launch Facility), Harborcreek (Pennsylvania) | 30.0 mi | 15.4 mi | Yes |
| North East Marina public launch (Pennsylvania) | 20.3 mi | 2.6 mi | No |
| Walnut Creek access (PFBC) (Pennsylvania) | 46.3 mi | 19.0 mi | Yes |
| Sugarloaf Marina public boat ramp, Port Colborne (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 33.3 mi | 31.6 mi | Yes |
| Esplanade Park boat ramp, Port Maitland (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 30.6 mi | 29.8 mi | Yes |
| Port Dover Harbour Marina boat ramps (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 45.6 mi | 44.4 mi | Yes |
| Port Rowan Harbour Marina public ramp (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 52.2 mi | 33.5 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
- NY Department of State, Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat: Van Buren Point (rating form, 1987) About 2,500 acres within 2.5 mi of Van Buren Point, mostly under 30 ft below low water, gravel and cobble with some shale to the west; smallmouth bass spawn there in May and June, with the greatest concentrations reported near Lake Erie State ParkSource
- New York Sea Grant: Angling for Smallmouth Bass in Lake Erie (M. Malchoff, 1984, NYEXT-H-84-001; public domain) Eight New York sites near the launches: Seneca Shoal (12 ft, water to 30 ft around it, bedrock common; state sampling found abundant 1-4 lb bass in the deeper water toward Athol Springs), Sturgeon Point east (bedrock) and west (reefs 1.5 and 3 mi south-west of the breakwall, 12-30 ft), Cattaraugus Creek, Dunkirk Harbor (the power plant discharge draws forage and bass; bedrock at Battery Point), reef-type structures about 1 mi north-east of Van Buren Point and peaks and valleys in 20-45 ft west of it, and Barcelona east and west (rock bottom). Bass move to shoals of 10-45 ft in early summer and are most concentrated there from late July through SeptemberSource