The alarm sounded. I groggily rolled over and tried to collect my thoughts. 

Man, I had been so deeply asleep, my mind was unfocused and confused. Where was I? The room was different. Slowly things upstairs began to function and memory returned. 

Yes, I was in Dunkirk, N.Y. in a beautiful rented home courtesy of the Chautauqua County Tourist Association. Once I knew where I was and why, order returned to my mind and I felt my pulse quicken. Today, we’d be fishing with Captain Jim Kein of Eye-Fish Charters.

Lake Erie offers premier walleye, smallmouth and steelhead fishing. In fact, the walleye fishing is too good to be true. Chautauqua County yearly invites writers to come, see and experience for themselves the county’s fabulous fishing and also become aware of the other numerous natural wonders and attractions the region offers. Chautauqua County’s a famous grape growing region as well with abundant excellent wineries producing world class wine. Local breweries also dot the region along with excellent restaurants. Vacationers have no problems finding things to enjoy, taste and experience.

Going on a Lake Erie charter almost guarantees you’ll be returning with a cooler full of beautiful walleye fillets, always a good thing. But, fascinatingly enough, Jim had just received a patent on an exciting new spinner blade for worm harnesses.  Rumor was the new blades were truly unique and catching fish like crazy. This I had to see.

Halfway through a bowl of cereal, Dave’s cell phone beeped. My heart sank, this had to be about today’s weather. 

Sure enough, it was Jim canceling today’s charter. Severe thunderstorms and violent squalls were forecast later in the morning. Outside, the morning sky remained clear and Lake Erie calm. 

Ken Perrotte, his wife Maria and I groaned in unison, we wanted desperately to go if only for a few hours. Dave Barus, our host, texted Jim back and mentioned we were willing to fish until the weather turned. We waited in silence for the answer. 

Time crawled, Dave’s phone beeped. Our eyes were fixed intently on Dave as he read the text. He looked up, smiling. Yes, Jim had agreed to take us! We all cheered and headed for the car filled with enthusiasm and a great sense of relief.

We arrived at Hidden Harbor, met Jim and hopped in his beautiful 24-foot boat. As we moved out of the harbor I asked to see his new spinner blades and how he had come to develop them.

Jim replied that the traditional blades used on worm harnesses were most effective at a lower trolling speed than crankbaits. Was it possible, he wondered, to develop a bright, flashy, holographic blade that worked efficiently at the same trolling speeds as crank baits were most successful?

Since Jim works in the plastic injection business, creating a bright, holographic patterned plastic blade didn’t take him long. But, the beautiful new blades wouldn’t spin! Lighter in weight and density than metal, the plastic blades just flopped. Oh, no. What to do?  Project on hold, indefinitely.

But, later that year, Jim was visiting a trade show and his eye fell upon a container of tungsten fly line putty. Hmm, could he balance his blades with putty? He purchased a can, hurried home and weighted a blade. It spun! Hallelujah! With growing excitement he also discovered the location of differing weight also controlled at what speed the blades rotated.

Putty was fine for the initial discovery, but impractical for production. What was inexpensive, small, heavy, rustproof and easily incorporated into his blade molds? The answer wasn’t long in coming. Stainless steel ball bearings! Available in thousands of diameters, it was simply about finding the correct size and weight.

He altered his molds to accept the bearing and presto, a brand new, unique spinner was born. What a high! His dream had become reality.

He applied for two patents. One for the holographic plastic blade process, the other for the weighted design itself. It took another two years, but both were approved. Jim was literally in business.

As we left the harbor, the seas were already three to four feet, but the sky remained clear. We motored upwind for an easy return and began trolling in 80 feet of water. Since the waves were high, we rigged two rods on dipsies and two on downriggers, all using his new spinners.

The boat was rolling and pitching, but luckily neither Maria, Ken nor I were bothered. Suddenly, the left hand dipsy released. I grabbed the rod and after a struggle, landed a beautiful four-pound walleye with Jim’s bright watermelon, holographic spinner blade shining in its mouth. 

Two short hits followed and Ken lost a walleye at the boat. We edged shallower and suddenly things heated up in 70 feet. At one point there was only one downrigger in the water. The walleyes hit so fast we couldn’t re-bait and return the lures to the lake fast enough.

Then the sun vanished as an ominous black wall of clouds towered over and rushed down upon us. We hightailed for the harbor and safety.

I was really impressed with Jim’s fantastic new spinner design. The walleyes loved them. To learn more or order visit EYE-FISH.com or call 716-597-9421.