Northern Ohio fishing report

Fall trout stockings are coming and steelhead trout runs are poised to begin on Lake Erie tributaries in Northeast Ohio when big rains arrive. Lake Erie yellow perch fishing is outstanding, but golden and emerald shiner minnows are in short supply and big winds are in the forecast. Lake Erie walleye fishing is slow, but inland lake fishing is heating up with the cool nights.

Check the wind and waves before launching, with brisk winds in the forecast for today and the weekend. The yellow perch bite has been very good off Cleveland Browns Stadium, East 72nd Street and Euclid General Hospital in 41 to 55 feet of water, with some jumbo perch being reported. Perch are also being caught from Vermilion to Avon Lake in 30 to 40 feet of water, with good reports from the Beaver Park and Vermilion areas.

Some steelhead trout are being caught while casting from the piers off Cleveland, Fairport Harbor and Conneaut. Anglers are casting spoons, in-line spinners and working jigs and live bait under a float.

Walleye fishing has been slow lakewide, with little angling pressure. Rough waters could limit the off-shore fishing through the weekend. Some walleye have been caught from reefs by anglers casting weight-forward spinners and small spinner rigs tipped with night crawlers, with Gull Shoal and Kelleys Island Shoal the top spots.

Yellow perch fishing in the Western Basin has been good around Kelleys Island and Green Island.

Stocked trout will perk up area fishing, with trout releases Oct. 8 at the Ohio & Erie Canal pond in Cuyahoga Heights and Petros Lake in Canton, and Oct. 15 at Mentor’s Grand Pond and Painesville Recreational pond in Lake County. Cleveland.com/outdoors has list of trout stockings. The daily limit is five trout per day.

Largemouth bass fishing has warmed up because of the cool nights, with bass moving to near-shore weed beds and structure. Top bass lakes are Wingfoot and Nimisila and the Portage Lakes. Cast topwater lures early and late and work weed bed edges with spinner baits, shallow-running diving plugs and plastic flukes and swim baits.

Mosquito and Pymatuning lakes have been good for bluegills, which have moved shallow, with crappies still suspending in 10 to 12 feet of water. Work maggots on small hooks under a float for bluegills, and tip hooks with minnows for crappies. Catfish continue to bite in most lakes, with good reports from LaDue, Mosquito, Berlin and West Branch lakes.

Some steelhead trout are moving up the lower sections of Lake Erie tributaries, where anglers are casting spoons and spinners and streamer patterns. Big rains are needed to kick off early runs of trout.

Electric Elite Invitationals (Mogadore Reservoir)

How they finished: 1. Steve McClung and John Shriver, five bass, 17.67 pounds, $530; 2. John Heater and Jerry Heater, five, 15.18, $500; 3. Ray Halter Sr. and Ray Halter Jr., five, 14.67, $155.

TwistedWhiskerz Ohio Catfish Tournament (Alum Creek Reservoir) How they finished: 1. Skip Martin and Chrissy Jones (Copley), six catfish, 38.36 pounds, $468; 2. Mike Hall (Gahanna) and Jeff Blakley (Ottawa), six, 36.50, $304; 3. Nick Burnsworth (Wellington) and Nathaniel Torres (Elyria), six, 34.18, $164. Big Catfish: Burnsworth and Torres, 10.22 pounds, $225.

Bad Bass Champs Tournament Trail/Sixth Qualifier (West Branch Reservoir) How they finished: 1. Ed Hankins and Bret Hankins (Clinton), five bass, 11.13 pounds, $1,409; 2. John Williams (Barberton) and Dave Lecon (Akron), five, 10.89, $887; 3. Art Knight (Cuyahoga Falls) and Tony Maglousky (Uniontown), five, 10.02, $761. Big Bass: Dan Blackert (Akron) and Ed Shockley (Clinton), 5.19 pounds, $353.