Going Fishing? Get the Fishing Report First

Look to the north. See that Great Lake? It’s filled with fish and Avon Lake is a prime town to , cast a line and get ready to tell your tale about the one that got away. Check back each week to get the week’s fishing report before you head out on the lake. Information courtesy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Daily bag limit

The daily bag limit for Lake Erie walleye is 6 fish. The minimum size limit for walleye is 15 inches.

The daily bag limit for yellow perch is 30 fish per angler on all Ohio waters of Lake Erie.

The steelhead daily bag limit is 5 fish per angler. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.  

The Lake Erie black bass (largemouth and smallmouth) daily bag limit is 5 fish with a minimum size limit of 14 inches.

Western Basin
 
Walleye fishing slowed in the past week. Some reports came from the reef complex, from the turnaround buoy of the Toledo shipping channel to West Sister Island, northwest of Gull Island Shoal, and north of Kelleys Island. Fish have been caught by trolling with divers and spoons, and also on inline weights with worm harnesses. Fish can also be caught by casting mayfly rigs or drifting with bottom bouncers and worm harnesses.

Yellow perch fishing continues to be good in the western basin.  The best areas have been the turnaround buoy of the Toledo shipping channel, south of “H” can of the Camp Perry firing range, north of North Bass Island, N of Lucy’s Point, and around Kelleys Island.  Anglers are using spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom.

Good catches of largemouth bass are still available around the harbors and nearshore areas from Catawba to Marblehead. Smallmouth bass have been caught around South Bass Island and Middle Bass Island.  

Central Basin
 
Walleye Very good fishing has been reported 72-74’ N-NE of Ashtabula and 72-74’ northwest of Conneaut. Anglers are using wireline, jet divers and dipsy divers with red, gold, silver, black, copper and purple spoons and stick baits. Fair fishing has been reported around the Sandbar near Vermilion and Lorain. Spoons and harnesses produce best.

Yellow perch fishing has been fair off of the condos between Vermilion and Beaver Creek.  Good fishing has been reported 36-48’ of N-NE of Edgewater Park, 44-46’ N of Gordon Park.  Excellent fishing has been reported 48-52’ northwest of Fairport (the hump) and 62-65' NE of Conneaut.  Perch spreaders with shiners fished on the bottom produces the most fish. Anglers have been using golden shiners when emerald shiners are not available. Shore fishing off the Mentor Headlands breakwall and Fairport Pier has been spotty.  Mornings and evenings have been best. 

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 15 to 25’ around harbor areas in Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on crayfish and leeches, dark green and red tube jigs, blade baits and crank baits.

Steelhead Trout fishing has been fair while trolling for walleye at the same locations listed above for walleye off Ashtabula and Conneaut. 

White Bass   Anglers are catching white bass off the Eastlake CEI breakwall and Mentor Headlands breakwall.  Anglers are using agitators with white jigs and twister tails.  Mornings and evenings are the best times.  For boat anglers, look for gulls feeding on schools of shiners at the surface.  The white bass will be below the shiners.

Channel Catfish  Anglers are catching fish off the Mentor Headlands breakwall at night using night crawlers  Fish are also being caught along the Grand River at St Clair St bridge.

The water temperature is 73 degrees off of Toledo and 75 degrees off of Cleveland according to the nearshore marine forecast.

Anglers are encouraged to always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device while boating.

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