Lake Erie Fishing Report: July 18, 2002 Western Basin - Lake Erie water temperature off Toledo is 76* F. Good walleye action continued through the weekend. Light wind has slowed the walleye action the last few days. The Toledo Shipping Channel near the Michigan line and from Middle Sister Island to West Sister Island continue to provide the best action in the Western Basin. Anglers are trolling with deep diving crank baits, spoons and drifting with weight-forward spinners, mayfly rigs, and bottom bouncers with worm harnesses tipped with nightcrawlers. Trollers are doing best. Most fish are 18 to 22 inches with some larger fish. The legal bag limit for walleyes on Lake Erie and its tributaries is six fish from May through February. Yellow perch fishing continues to be good at many locations with some limit catches. Some good perch fishing locations include C-can, Kelleys Island Shoal, Gull Island Shoal, Rattlesnake Island, Ballast Island, and Starve Island. Perch catches are in the 7- to 11-inch range. Smaller perch are now showing up in the catch. Anglers are using perch spreaders tipped with minnows. The yellow perch bag limit is 30 perch per angler per day. Central Basin - Water temperature is 69* off Cleveland. Walleye fishing is still good, 1 to 5 miles north of Ruggles Reef, Vermilion and at the sandbar, 8 miles northwest of Lorain. Anglers are using dipsy divers and jet divers with spoons in silver/chartreuse, watermelon, purple, and blue and worm harnesses 6 to 8 miles north of Cleveland to Eastlake in 55 to 65 feet of water, and north of Ashtabula (10 to 12 miles out) in 70 to 72 feet of water. Trollers are also picking up some steelhead trout at the Cleveland to Ashtabula locations. Walleyes are measuring 18 to 28 inches and steelhead 20 to 29 inches. Perch fishing has been good off Vermilion, Lorain, Cleveland, Eastlake, Fairport Harbor, and Ashtabula to Conneaut, 1 to 3 miles offshore.
Source: ODNR
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