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**The walleye daily bag limit is 6 fish. A 15" minimum size limit for walleye remains in effect for the entire season. The Lake Erie daily bag limit for yellow perch is 40 fish. The daily bag limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 5. The minimum size limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 14". \ The steelhead trout bag limit is now 2. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.** Over the week of August 28 strong winds greatly limited fishing. Even though the wind has finally calmed most of the Ohio Lake Erie shoreline is muddy from the rough waves. Fishing should improve as the lake settles down and the water clears.
Western Basin
Fishing effort directed towards walleye has greatly decreased as western basin anglers are switching to perch fishing. As the lake recovers from the past weeks blow walleye fishing should improve with C can of the Camp Perry range and the Kelleys Island area being good areas to try. Drifters are using mayfly rigs or weight forward spinners, while most trollers are using worm harnesses or spoons with jet or dipsy divers.
Yellow perch fishing is improving in the western basin and should continue to improve as we head into fall. With the E and NE winds over the past week Green Island and Rattlesnake Island continued to produce perch for the boats that were able to make it out. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.
Smallmouth bass should start moving shallower as water temperatures drop heading into fall. Fish rocky drop-offs and reefs around the Bass Islands and Kelleys Island, along with nearshore areas from Catawba Island to Sandusky Bay, to find active fish. Tube jigs and drop shot rigs with goby imitations are the most popular set-ups for smallmouth.
Central Basin Poor weather and rough lake conditions during the past week limited fishing activity. Walleye fishing in the central basin has been very good. Fish have been caught 5-6 miles N of Cleveland Crib in 58-62of water, 10 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) to Eastlake in 68-70 of water, 10 to 12 miles NE of Ashtabula and 10 to 12 miles NW of Conneaut in 68 to 74 of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons colored in scarlet and gray, purple and black, or white and red with copper backs, trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 35 to 50'. Yellow perch fishing is very good in the central basin 5 miles N of Bratenahl in 42-50 feet of water, 4-6 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) in 42 to 51 of water, 2 to 4 miles N of Fairport in 39 to 52 of water, and 2 miles or less N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 45 to 55 of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish. Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 29 of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop-shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits. The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails or small spoons. Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 67 to 71 degrees.
Source: ODNR |