Presque Isle Bay (east half: Marina Lake entrance to the bay mouth)
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.
WaterPennsylvania
Depth5-22 ft
BottomMud, 12-22 ft in the centre (Coast Pilot); sand/mud (GLAHF)
CurrentNo
River plumeNo
Well-known spotNo
Position42.143, -80.107 (approximate center)
Smallmouth in the bay in numbers from early April to June (PFBC trap nets and electrofishing 2008-2025; 30 prespawn adults in Misery Bay, USGS and Penn State, May 2016) and few from July to October (tournament reports 2010, 2014, 2024): scored in full April to June only (season_months, Mike 2026-10-05); the shipping channel and the city water intake are buoyed; largemouth water the rest of the year
Run from each launch
| Launch | Run | Open water | Crossing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Harbor State Park boat launch (New York) | 80.0 mi | 78.0 mi | Yes |
| Erie Basin Marina boat launch (New York) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 80.3 mi | 78.2 mi | Yes |
| Sturgeon Point Marina (New York) | 66.0 mi | 61.0 mi | Yes |
| Sunset Bay State Marine Park (New York) | 57.6 mi | 26.6 mi | Yes |
| Dunkirk Harbor boat launch (New York) | 46.0 mi | 31.9 mi | Yes |
| Barcelona Harbor boat launch (New York) | 29.6 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| Presque Isle State Park, Niagara Boat Launch (Pennsylvania) | 1.2 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| Presque Isle State Park, Lagoon Launch (Pennsylvania) | 1.3 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| Presque Isle State Park, West Pier Launch (Pennsylvania) | 0.8 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| Lampe Marina public launch ramps (Pennsylvania) | 1.7 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| East Avenue Boat Launch (Port Erie) (Pennsylvania) | 2.1 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| Shades Beach Park boat launch (Krupinski Launch Facility), Harborcreek (Pennsylvania) | 8.1 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| North East Marina public launch (Pennsylvania) | 17.8 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| Walnut Creek access (PFBC) (Pennsylvania) | 8.3 mi | 0.0 mi | No |
| Sugarloaf Marina public boat ramp, Port Colborne (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 66.7 mi | 61.6 mi | Yes |
| Esplanade Park boat ramp, Port Maitland (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 56.3 mi | 51.9 mi | Yes |
| Port Dover Harbour Marina boat ramps (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 45.0 mi | 38.1 mi | Yes |
| Port Rowan Harbour Marina public ramp (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 37.8 mi | 31.0 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
- PFBC Fisheries Management Area 1 biologist reports, Presque Isle Bay: night electrofishing 2008, trap nets 2012, trap nets and night electrofishing 2025 Sun, Jun 1 2025Spring surveys only: 18 smallmouth (5.1 an hour) against 675 largemouth in late May 2008; 4 smallmouth in 30 trap-net sets in April 2012, when PFBC called smallmouth a seasonal fishery of the bay; 34 adults of 13-20 in in 32 trap-net sets in late April and early May 2025, which PFBC attributes to bass migrating in from the lake, and 38 against 353 largemouth by night electrofishing in late May 2025. No summer or fall smallmouth data published. Dated after the last 2025 survey day (publication date not stated); 2008 report https://pfbc.pa.gov/images/fisheries/afm/2008/1x07_21pib.htm , 2012 report https://pfbc.pa.gov/images/reports/2012bio/1x10_05presque.pdfSource
- Game and Fish: Lake Erie's May Smallmouth Bonanza (Mike Bleech, May 2008 issue, posted 2010-09-28) Tue, Sep 28 2010Best Pennsylvania smallmouth water from Presque Isle Bay east to the New York line, mostly rock bottom; in the bay, the east half between the Marina Lake entrance and the bay mouth; east of Erie, off the mouths of Twentymile and Sixteenmile creeks and along the cliffs west of Sixteenmile Creek; spring depths 5-35 ftSource
- Bassmaster: Erie's Presque Isle Bay (Darl Black, 2008-01-10) Thu, Jan 10 2008A PFBC regional biologist finds smallmouth in the bay only in spring, when they come in to feed and spawn; a local professional: smallmouth move in around early April, strong for 10-12 weeks, gone by the end of July; average depth of the bay 20 ft; 180 artificial fish habitatsSource
- PFBC Lake Erie Fisheries Status and Trends Report 2005 (prepared March 2006), Table S-6: grids with the greatest smallmouth catch in the Lake Erie Cooperative Angler Log Wed, Mar 1 2006Angler diaries (14 participants, 323 trips): smallmouth grids ranked 31, 34, 20, 52. Grid 34 is the shore east of the Erie harbor entrance to just west of the Sixmile Creek mouth (EE-PA06), grid 20 Sixteenmile Creek to the New York line (EE-PA04), grid 52 the east end of Presque Isle Bay by the Marine Terminal and Horseshoe Pond (EE-PA01); grid 31 lies west of Presque Isle. Grid limits read from the PFBC grid map; cited as a link (PFBC states no data licence)Source
- NOAA U.S. Coast Pilot 6, chapter 6 (Lake Erie), edition of 27 Sep 2026, paragraphs 220-231 Presque Isle Bay about 4.5 mi long and 1.5 mi wide, 12-22 ft with mud bottom in the centre, Misery Bay 5-10 ft; numerous shore protection structures extend lakeward from the lake side of the peninsula (keep 500 ft off); Gull Point grows east each year and depths shoal quickly within 1/4 mi of itSource