**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. Lake Erie black bass (smallmouth and largemouth bass) are closed to possession (catch and release only) May 1 through June 23. The daily bag limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 5 after June 23. The minimum size limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 14". The steelhead trout bag limit is 5. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.** Western Basin
Walleye fishing continues to be excellent with many limits being caught. Fishing has been best W of West Sister Island in the Gravel Pit and around the turnaround buoy of the Toledo shipping channel, along the northern cans (A, B and C) of the Camp Perry firing range, and N of Kelleys Island to the Canadian border. Drifters are using mayfly rigs or worm harnesses with bottom bouncers, while trollers are using worm harnesses with inline weights or bottom bouncers and jet or dipsy divers with spoons.
The best yellow perch fishing in the western basin has been around Lucy’s point of Middle Bass Island, E of Kelleys Island, and SW of Gull Island Shoal. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.
Central Basin Walleye fishing in the central basin has been excellent. Fish have been caught 2 miles N of Beaver Creek, 3 miles N of the Chagrin River in 24’ to 40’ of water, N of the Cleveland Crib in 60’ of water, 1 to 2 miles NE of Fairport Harbor in 25 to 30’ of water, and 1 to 2 miles NW of Geneva in 25 to 30’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons trolled with dipsy or jet divers. Yellow perch fishing has been good less than 1 mile out of Lorain, in the Cleveland area 2 miles N of E 55th St. in 34’ of water, 3 miles N of Willowick in 38' feet of water, 2 miles NW of Fairport Harbor in 30 to 35’ of water, and less than 1 mile NW of Ashtabula in 24’ of water. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent from Fairport Harbor to Perry in 10 to 24’ of water. Fish have been caught on tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits. Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 66 to 68 degrees.
Source: ODNR |