I’m an avid fisherman. I own and fish regularly out of my own boat all around Louisiana and Mississippi. My favorite stomping grounds are the warm Gulf waters around Grand Isle, LA. My nephew and I routinely catch limits of Speckled Trout and Red Drum depending on the season.
I had to travel to The Cleveland Clinic for an appointment with a Neuro-Ophthalmologist. I wanted to drive there in my new Dodge Ram truck to learn it a little better. In order to tempt my nephew into going as my co-pilot I decided to book a charter trip going after Walleye in Lake Erie. I mean , “why not?” , I had never caught a walleye and I love to experience the great outdoors when I travel. I googled trips and read a few reviews. After reading about “On The Swing “ fishing charters and Captian Joe Beno I decided to book the trip with him. I am extremely grateful that I did. I’ve fished with charter boat captains from Grand Isle, LA to Cleveland, Ohio. Truly coast to coast in a vertical dimension. Captain Joe is by far the best Charter Captain I’ve ever had the pleasure of fishing beside!!!
First I’ll mention that his boat was equipped perfectly for Lake Erie. He had about 15 rods and reels stored out of the way. His satellite guided trolling motor held us on spot or guided us as we drift fished over productive spots. He had sonar shooting out in 3 different directions. He was showing us fish chasing our baits out as far as we could cast. He taught us at least 3 different methods of catching Walleye….. Jigging, Worm Harness, and Trolling. We caught walleye (and other species) on every method. As he taught us different methods he took the time to explain how and why they worked. He urged us to envision how the bait looked to the fish as he coached us to work the lure. At first I got nervous when he was throwing back fish right at or just over the legal size. You got to remember, I’m from Louisiana and I like to eat fish as much as I like to catch them!!!! When I asked him about it….. he said ,”don’t worry we’ll catch bigger ones”…. and we did exactly that!!!!
We ended up keeping 12 beautiful fish meaning my nephew and I limited out with fish well over the minimum size limit. This wasn’t just a fishing trip…. It was like going to a fishing school. It was an exceptional learning experience. The methods and exposure to new techniques will definitely make me a better fisherman back home. I will immediately be incorporating equipment ideas and methods learned on this trip into my fishing repertoire. Using these ideas and techniques will immediately improve my fishing experience anywhere I fish.
If you decide to hire anyone else on Lake Erie, you either can’t read or are just plain foolish!!!!
The next time I fish anywhere near Cleveland, I’ll be fishing aside Captain Joe Beno with “On The Swing” charters.
Sincerely,
J. Ellis Bernard, DDS

Joe definitely has it all together when it comes to making sure you get fish into the boat! Very well put together setup he has and once the lines are out, you’ll be busy with reeling in fish! Sometimes it was having more than 3 on the lines at one time! Highly recommend if you want to get on the fish, and have a great personalized time fishing.

Capt.  Joseph Beno knew fishing patterns and time of year. We used two methods for walleye fishing and they were both productive.  Capt Joe knew his electronics well and was able to distinguish different types of fish. He was very knowledgeable and I would recommend him and will fish with him again.