Erie Drifter Sportfishing
Erie Drifter Sportfishing
4.5
5:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
5:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
5:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
5:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
5:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
5:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
5:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
5:30 AM - 10:00 PM
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Erie Drifter Sportfishing
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
13 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
1
Average
0
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Stanley S
fairfield5 contributions
Aug 2013 • Friends
I usually never write a review unless it's negative.
I was so happy with our trip. CAPT.Tom was knowledgeable, instructive, and down right a good time!
This is the first time I've written a positive review and I'm glad to do so.
I followed instruction and caught my limit. All the time never feeling like a begginer.
He knows the lake, people.
Highly recommended.
I was so happy with our trip. CAPT.Tom was knowledgeable, instructive, and down right a good time!
This is the first time I've written a positive review and I'm glad to do so.
I followed instruction and caught my limit. All the time never feeling like a begginer.
He knows the lake, people.
Highly recommended.
Written March 11, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
509Dave
Toledo, OH1 contribution
Sep 2013
Not only have we found the experience with Erie Drifter Charters to be a great one, I have also recommended them to many of my friends and clients. I have never heard of one single un-satisfied customer, whether they got their limit or not. Anytime the weather was not ideal, or the fish just weren't biting, everybody says that these guys will burn fuel to go to the ends of the earth, or to bring back fish. I made the mistake twice of going somewhere else, or recommending the suggestion of some other chowder heads. That was a big mistake. One I will never make again. "Thanx Tommy"
PS. I can't wait for the season to begin, no matter what the weather is like.
PS. I can't wait for the season to begin, no matter what the weather is like.
Written March 10, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jwawlwawcw
Pandora, OH4 contributions
Aug 2018
After our scheduled “boat driver” canceled on our group of 3 adults and 3 kids due to “rough conditions” we searched the web and came across Erie Drifter and gave them a call. The phone did not answer( because Captin Tom was nailing Salmon on Lake Ontario) but 5 minutes later the phone rang and it was Captin Tom. Fortunately for us his partner Captain Drew was willing and ready to go at a moments notice. Within a half hr Captain Drew was at the dock and we were on our way. Captain Drew is a very knowledgeable and experienced outdoorsman. By the time the charter was over it was like we were just a group of guys out fishing on our own boat instead of a charter. Thanks “CAPTAIN” Drew and Erie Drifter.
Written August 21, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BStarz
Northwest Indiana65 contributions
May 2016 • Business
We chartered the Erie Drifter over Memorial Day weekend for two days. The weather was hot and sunny with light breezes which will make walleye fishing tough. With that being said, Capt Straus continued to fish the same water with the same lures for two days. He made no attempt to try different areas to fish or to change lures or depths after the initial setups. There were times where we went 2 hours without a hit. He toots his own horn as one of the best captains on the lake with 30+ years of experience. Well with that kind of experience you would think that he would have some Go To spots when fishing gets tough. I think he was unwilling to burn the fuel to check out different areas. He pretty much said as much when he heard that fish were being caught off of Kelly's Island and said "I'm not going to run all the way over there." We used to charter with other captains that did not hesitate to seek out more productive water rather than fish dead water. He continually trashed his other two captains and a new 1st mate. He had very little radio traffic from other charters which tells me that he is not networked very well with other captains. I will say that he has very good equipment and a very good boat. We caught 21 walleye the first day and 11 the send day. On the second day the fish were hitting very lightly and he was getting perturbed that fish were getting off. At one point he grabbed the rod out of my brother-in-laws hands a couple of times and then proceeded to lose the fish himself. We won't be chartering the Erie Drifter again.
Written June 22, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
katieg272016
Cincinnati, OH5 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
We had a great day fishing perch with Drew. Even though the conditions were not ideal (lots of wind), Drew was able to find a spot for us where we weren't in the high wind and almost caught our limit in perch. We had several first timers on board and Drew did a great job helping everyone. I would definitely recommend Erie Drifter to friends and family.
Written August 9, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian J
New Orleans, LA3 contributions
Jul 2015 • Family
We fished with Capt Tom and Capt Mark for trout and salmon on Lake Ontario. They were wonderful, with top notch hospitality, excellent knowledge, and a great boat. Seeing my 14 year old son haul in some big salmon was priceless! We will definitely visit them again and try Lake Erie as well.
Written July 31, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tammi H
Fairfield, OH358 contributions
Lake Erie has a lot of fishing operators, but we were happy with our choice. The captain was very helpful and friendly. He postponed our departure time due to the waves - so he didn't take us out until he felt we had the best chance to catch fish. We also stayed in his trailer which was really nice.
Written April 27, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James L
5 contributions
Jul 2014 • Friends
I met Captain Tom Straus and Captain Mark Beard at the Indianapolis “Boat, Sport and Travel Show” in February (2014). After listening to their presentation, I decided that our charter fishing group (we do a 1 to 2-day charter a month mostly on Lake Erie and Lake Michigan from about March thru September) would take Captain Straus up on his offer to fish Lake Ontario in the great state of New York. Captain Straus was absolutely correct about the salmon and steelhead consistently being much bigger than what is found in Lake Michigan. In fact, most of the fish we caught were downright HUGE. The downside is you are only allowed 3 fish for each person per day, and the boat was really sized for four of us, Captain Tom, and Captain Mark who was the acting first mate. We did a 2-day charter (July 21 and 22). On the first day the guess was wrong (50/50 chance), we went west like most and should have went east. The one boat that went east caught 11. Our boat ended up with just three keepers on the first day. Some of the boats that went west had zero. Second day we went east. We ended up with 8 keepers. Other boats that went east (same boat that went east the day before) had 7. Boats that went west pretty much got skunked. The best months to fish Lake Ontario are July and August. This year, I’ve since learned that the fishing in July has been “hit and miss” on Lake Ontario. Most believe it is due to the freaky harsh winter all the Great Lakes had with most of them freezing up almost completely and then thawing out slowly, which has made everything fishing wise on the Great Lakes late this year. But, it was obvious these two Captains know their stuff. My core team guys and I who went were very impressed, and we’ve done enough charters over the years to know what to look for in a Charter, the Captain, and the first mate. The only negative was that we wish they would have separated the King Salmon fillets from the Steelhead fillets. They bagged it all up together and it was difficult to tell which was which when we got back home (and when the fillets have been on ice for about 10 hours). Even though we didn’t catch as many as we hoped (that is how it can be sometimes with fishing), it was still a lot of meat to divide up due to the size of the fish. Check out the pics I and others have sent to the website. Look, the price is right (better than some charters in that area for an all-day charter), the lodging accommodations recommended by Captain Straus were perfect, and the location is beautiful. I have already booked to go back next year. Hopefully I’ve guessed right on the timing this time.
Best Regards and Fish Onnn..!!!!
Jim Lyons, Indianapolis
Best Regards and Fish Onnn..!!!!
Jim Lyons, Indianapolis
Written August 8, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jimmy Wood
Cincinnati, OH7 contributions
Jun 2014 • Family
This tradition began about 7 years ago with Erie Drifter and Tom has never let us down since. There's lots of charter services at Erie, but once you find the best, stick with the best. After this weekend and "two" Fish Ohios and full limits caught on both days, Erie Drifter proved once again well worth your fare. Awesome experience for we "Vets" and the kids as well. Our 14 year old was tentative at best when she first got on board, but after about two hours of catching some Wallies, she was calling the shots for us. Whatever it takes to put you on fish is Erie Drifter's motto. Always a blast and always a full cooler of fish! Kudos Tom.
Written June 9, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MikeFishKing
Salem, WI1 contribution
May 2013 • Family
Excellent guide, my family and I learned tons about fishing and we were able to catch a lot of walleye on Lake Erie. His lodging is also the best out of all of the other fishing services around. We are now thinking about coming back for a fall perch trip.
Written March 16, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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