**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 2. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.** Fishing information based on reports from the week of 9/18/2006.
Western Basin
Fishing effort directed towards walleye has greatly decreased as western basin anglers are switching to perch fishing. Some success has been reported on Kelleys and Gull Island shoals, and in Ohio waters near Middle Island. Drifters are using mayfly rigs or weight forward spinners, while most trollers are using worm harnesses or spoons with jet or dipsy divers, and crankbaits.
Yellow perch fishing is improving in the Western Basin. Over the past week the best areas have been the turnaround buoy of the Toledo shipping channel, the Toledo harbor light, B can of the Camp Perry range, Niagara Reef, Rattlesnake Island, Lakeside, Cedar Point, and Kelleys Island. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Yellow perch are averaging 8" long.
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 Walleye fishing from Huron to Lorain has been good as the fish continue to migrate west. Farther east most fishing effort has been directed at yellow perch. Walleye have been taken in open water W of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, around the 30 north line between Cranberry Creek and Vermilion. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers, and also on deep diving crankbaits. Best spoon colors have been patterns with red or purple. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 25 to 40'. Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin from 1-3 miles N of Huron to Lorain, 3 miles N of Cleveland in 45’ of water, 3 miles N of Bratenahl in 43' of water, 2-3 miles N -NW of Fairport in 40 to 51’ of water, and 2-3 miles N of Ashtabula 48 to 52’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish. Smallmouth bass fishing has been good along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 25’ 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. Steelhead are beginning to move up into the rivers and creeks and anglers are catching fish in the Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Geneva State Park, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Arcola Creek, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber. Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 62 to 66 degrees.
Source: ODNR |