The dog days of summer have arrived, slowing the fishing on most inland waters. Lake Erie walleye are still biting, though the best fishing has been far offshore. Yellow perch schools are spotty, with a lot of undersized fish. Muskies are biting on the Northern Ohio lakes, especially West Branch and Pymatuning.
Walleye and steelhead fishing have been most productive about 12 to 15 miles offshore of Cleveland in 70-75 feet of water.Cleveland area
Walleye and steelhead fishing have been most productive about 12 to 15 miles offshore in 70-75 feet of water, but some walleye were being caught this week in 56 feet of water around the Cleveland Crib. Yellow perch are being caught in 38-39 feet of water off Wildwood Park and Lakewood's Gold Coast. A lot of sorting is needed because of a proliferation of small perch.
White bass are being caught around the east lighthouse in Cleveland Harbor. Fishermen are casting agitators, suspending a wiggle spoon or using a three-way rig with a leader tipped with a fly or single minnow to target bigger fish closer to the lake bottom.
Rock bass fishing around Cleveland Harbor has been very good on leeches and small rubber-leg jigs and plastic trailers. The biggest rock bass are being caught after dark. Some smallmouth and largemouth bass are being caught around harbor shoreline structure and weed beds along the riprap.
Central Lake Erie
Walleye fishing has been good in shallow 18- to 25-foot depths from the Huron River to Cranberry Creek while trolling Reef Runner minnow-style plugs and by drifting and casting weight-forward spinners and small spinner rigs, both tipped with nightcrawlers. Walleye are also being caught from Vermilion to Lorain in 19 to 25 feet. The best walleye fishing has been a couple of miles off the northwest corner of the Lorain sandbar, an area north of Vermilion.
Scattered schools of yellow perch have been reported all along the shoreline, with the Lorain Lighthouse a top spot, followed by Avon Point. Smallmouth bass fishing has been slow around the near-shore rock piles and humps.
In the deep water off Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut, walleye are being taken in 68 to 75 feet of water while trolling spoons or tandem-bladed spinner rigs and nightcrawlers. Walleye are being caught suspended at 40 to 50 feet. The perch fishing has been good in 30 to 50 feet of water northwest of Fairport Harbor and northwest of Ashtabula.
Inland lakes, reservoirs
Bass fishermen have been facing the dog days of summer, with bass heading to deeper water during the hot days. Some are being caught on topwater lures on the flats early and late in the day. During the day, the bass fishing has been best on the deep points and outside edges of deep weed beds.
Muskies have been reported caught from West Branch and Pymatuning lakes on large, shallow-running lures. Catfish are being caught on most lakes, with night fishing best.
Walleye are biting at Pymatuning, where anglers are trolling Hot-N-Tots and drifting with small spinner rigs tipped with nightcrawlers on the north end of the lake. The causeway is producing some crappies and channel cats, perch of all sizes and some nice bluegills and yellow perch. Anglers are also fishing the shallow bays for carp.
Some walleye are being taken at Mosquito Lake on the deeper, outside edges of weed beds by casting jigs tipped with minnows or nightcrawlers. Catfish are in the spotlight, including flathead catfish after dark.
Western Lake Erie
Walleye fishing has been slow, with many anglers heading to the Canadian side of the lake to fish west of Pelee Island. Some walleye are being caught around Ballast Island, the northeast corner of Middle Bass Island, northwest of West Sister Island, off Crane Creek and west and northwest of North Bass Island in open water.
Yellow perch are being caught northeast of Ballast Island and between Lakeside and Kelleys Island, the north bay of Kelleys Island and in the deeper waters on the east side of Kelleys Island Shoal.
Fishing tournaments
KSU LaDo Bass Series LaDue Reservoir
How they finished: 1. Rory Franks, five bass, 17.55 pounds, $474; 2. Chris Leidich and Correy Petz, five, 13.74, $234; 3. Buck Galewood and Toad Galewood, five, 11.34, $182; 4. Jay Cobb and Fred Ranski, five, 10.22, $130; 5. Johnny Giel and Jamie Albright, four, 8.23, $78. Big bass: Joe Engler, 5 pounds.
Mr. Whiskers Day Catfish Tournament Mosquito Reservoir
How they finished: 1. (tie) Matthew Noha (Girard) and Joe Gordon (Farmdale), both with six catfish, 30 pounds; 3. Zach Forney (Southington). Big catfish: Carl Morris (Jamestown), 17 pounds.