The walleye fishing is in full swing all along the Ohio shoreline of Lake Erie, with the yellow perch fishing spotty. Cleveland Harbor and the other harbors along the big lake are giving up outstanding numbers of smallmouth and largemouth bass. Catfish are dominating angling interest on inland lakes, with largemouth bass and bluegills also biting. Cleveland area Fishermen...
The walleye fishing is in full swing all along the Ohio shoreline of Lake Erie, with the yellow perch fishing spotty. (D'Arcy Egan/The Plain Dealer)Cleveland area
Fishermen have to run about 20 miles off Cleveland for consistent walleye catches, but it has been worth the trip. Good numbers of walleye and some steelhead trout are being caught north of the city by anglers trolling larger spoons in the 3¾- to 4½-inch range colored in pink, purple and chartreuse. Some walleye also are being caught on spinner rigs tipped with nightcrawlers, with willow leaf blades needed for faster trolling speeds.
The walleye fishing around Lorain has been best in the sand bar area. Walleye are biting in the shallower water on the inside of the sand bar, northwest of Lorain, and in deeper, 54-foot depths on the outside of the bar.
A near-shore walleye bite has sparkled between Huron and Vermilion, in the Cranberry Creek area. Excellent numbers of walleye are being taken on diving plugs, especially Reef Runners, in 18 to 30 feet of water, as well as spinner rigs and some spoons.
The yellow perch fishing has been spotty around Cleveland. Some perch have been caught north of the Rocky River and off Bratenahl. The best catches have come off Wildwood Park and Euclid General Hospital in 25 to 35 feet of water.
The perch fishing has been very good in the shadow of the Lorain Lighthouse this week.
Cleveland fishermen have been doing well catching largemouth bass from shoreline structures around the harbor, including the rip-rap along the Burke Lakefront Airport and from the marinas. Crayfish have been the leader in live bait, with large emerald shiner minnows right behind. Top bass lures are small jigs tipped with a soft plastic trailer, as well as plastic lizards and worms.
Central Lake Erie
The deep-water walleye and steelhead trout fishing off Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut has been good to outstanding in 70 to 75 feet of water. Most of the walleye are caught while suspended at 30 to 40 feet on diving planers and spoons or spinner rigs with nightcrawlers. Lure colors usually include pink, purple, green and black.
The perch fishing has been good in 45 to 55 feet of water northwest of Fairport Harbor and off Ashtabula.
Inland lakes, reservoirs
The dog days of summer are arriving, a hot-weather spell that has muskies biting at Pymatuning, Leesville and Clear Fork reservoirs. Anglers are casting large spinners and jerk baits and trolling large diving plugs. Muskies generally hang around the thermocline, looking to feed even in the heat of the day.
Largemouth bass are being caught on inland lakes, especially those with good weed beds, including Mosquito and Nimisila lakes and Lake Milton. Cast topwater frogs to the matted weeds and buzz baits and spinnerbaits to the sparse weed beds. Plastic worms and lizards will catch bass from the edges of the weed beds. LaDue is normally a top bass lake, but it will be dominated by a tournament on Saturday.
The walleye fishing continues to be good at Mosquito and Pymatuning reservoirs, with anglers casting jigs tipped with pieces of nightcrawler or trolling diving plugs. The catfish are biting everywhere on bottom baits that include nightcrawlers, leeches, shrimp, stink baits and processed catfish baits. Good catfish lakes include Turkeyfoot, Springfield, Tappan, Berlin, Mosquito, Spencer and Findley lakes.
Western Lake Erie
Decent walleye catches are coming from an open-water area west and northwest of North Bass Island and from drop-offs around the Bass Islands. Anglers are casting small spinner rigs with gold blades and weight-forward spinners, and trolling diving plugs and spinner rigs. Walleye also are being caught northwest of West Sister Island and off Crane Creek and B-can.
The schools of yellow perch have been scattered, with some decent-sized perch coming from the deeper water between Kelleys Island and the Marblehead Peninsula, off Ballast Island and northwest of Kelleys Island.
Fishing tournaments
Northern Open Anglers Association (Mosquito Reservoir)
1. Nick Prvonozac and George Prvonozac, 16.42 pounds, $6,000; 2. Brian Bickerton and Dino Rahas, 15.44 pounds, $2,400; 3. Jami Norman and Ed Huber, 13.39 pounds, $1,140; 4. John Painter and Dave Buckhanan, 12.97 pounds, $1,020. Big Bass: Bickerton and Rahas, 4.74 pounds.