![noaa[1].gif (2823 bytes)](http://www.lake-erie-fishing.com/images/noaalogo.gif?1471792821481)
Click here for current Lake Erie weather
Click here for current Lake Erie fishing reports
August 21 2016
Yellow Perch fishing remains excellent on Lake Erie's Western Basin Up and Down action two at a time ! Limits of 210 perch for 6 people and the captains are coming in fast. Everyone is catching limits its the new normal Perch fishing this year in Port Clinton. Charter boats and pleasure boats, everyone is in on the action. The Western Basin of Lake Erie is loaded with nice size Yellow Perch the best and most consistent cating we have seen in 15 years !! Limit catches are being taken near the Toledo Intake , A Can, B Can, C Can, D Can, E Can, Niagara, Kidney, The Finger, Doo Dahs, Green and Rattlesnake ! ! Until the lake temperature starts dropping to fire the walleye up - Go catch your limit of Lake Erie yellow perch you will be glad you did when you mount these tasty excellent eating fish between two pieces of bread !
Finish your day off by catching some walleye to top of the cooler loaded with yellow perch and finish out your day.
Walleye
Walleye remains slow although there are plenty of them are now sized up to legal size 15 to 17 inches. Where are they ? The question remains did they travel east to deeper waters? If so how far east or are they laying dormant on the bottom in the western basin flats ? Just east of Kelly's Island and Pelee, Huron, Lorain ? Thats where we expect how ever with the water temperature getting to eighty degrees it is anyone's guess. There should be some good rock fishing for walleye as soon as the water temperature starts dropping. There is not that many boats fishing for them right now. One the water temperature and also because the perch fishing is so good and traditionally it is perch season. We will start focusing more on walleye starting in September. I expect conditions to be favorable for walleye about mid September. As with fishing hindsight is twenty twenty. We shall see as the fall progresses.
Smallmouth Bass
East side of Pelee Island has been the best but I suspect that is about to change. Bass as with walleye will fire up as the fall progresses and more so is that we have finally got a algae bloom sufficient enough to bring smallmouth bass action. As a captain I have to have confidence that I can produce bass and that has not been the case all summer on the western basin. We have been holding U.S. Bass trips off because the water has been to clear. That also now has changed. I will report more later.
April 13 2014
Wild Wings Marina, Port Clinton, OH
Walleye fishing has been excellent Friday, Sat and Sunday morning. Limit catches of walleye are being taken in front of Crane Creek, Turtle Creek, K Can, H Can, Turtle, Cone, Toussiant, Crib, Locust Point Reefs. 3/4 ounce jigs bare back or tipped with minnows or crawlers. Chartruse/purple, John Deer Green, Green with a white head- with a stinger hook. Angle is everything as well as presentation. Some times it is a Fast Drop others a Slow Tight Line Fall- High Lift- Low Lift. Angle goes from vertical to regular to long. Best depths have been shallow early 10 to 12 feet and move deeper as the sun rises and the boats collect. Stay a fair distance away from other boats- you will do your self a favor and I am sure your neighbor will appriciate the space also.
April 11 2014
Walleye have moved in on the reefs and are spawning. Toussiant, Crib, Locust Point, Turtle, K Can and H Can produced walleye today. Limits were the norm. Older males 3 to 5 lbs made up the bulk of the catches. Jigs tipped with minnows worked slow . Purple / chartruse 3/4 ounce or any dark color. 12 to 16 ft of water was the best
April 9 2014 Lake Erie walleye fishing is heating up.
Walleye fishing is getting underway on Lake Erie's western basin. Walleye are starting to move shoreward of the out side reefs. Walleye are being taken on the out side shelf break A can- L can- Cone- Niagara and D can. The first ones are showing up on and near the near shore reefs. H can- Toussaint, Crib, Locust Point as well as K can and Turtle. The water is a bit muddy however with the forecast for warm south winds the next few days I expect the fishing to heat up very soon. The rivers have been in flood and it is a obstical coarse out there so be careful.
lake erie walleye fishing
Lake Erie walleye fishing
2013 Fishing Reports
March 20 2013
The annual spawning run on Lake Erie and in the Sandusky and Maumee Rivers is on hold due to cold weather. The Sandusky River enjoyed a few good days of early spring walleye fishing last week as the weather was a bit more stable. Reports were coming in from Anglers Supply in Fremont Ohio. Bernie Whitt reported a good run of walleye under way and fishing between the bridges down town was producing female and male walleye.
With the recent cold snap the walleye have retreated to deeper waters eagerly awaiting a few days of stable warm weather then the annual spawning run will be on!
It is shaping up as a average spring this year. Last year fishing started early by mid March walleye were being caught in the shallows in Lake Erie inside of K can - the near shore reefs inside the near shore reefs and the river run was well under way. This year it's back to normal. Lake Erie produced some walleye near the Moose in Port Clinton last week. That was before all the wind and cold arrived. Muddy lake conditions and cold weather has the spawn on hold for a few days. A warm rain will ensure a heavy run up the rivers as long as they get it in the next several weeks.
The walleye will spawn regardless of the rain just more will go up the rivers if conditions are right. To my understanding only a small percentage of the lakes walleye actually spawn in the rivers the majority spawn in the reefs in Lake Erie in the Western Basin. The lakes early spring fishing for walleye will start in the deep waters where the fish should be staged now near the out side shelf breaks 24 to 30 feet of water and as the weather cooperates they will make their annual assault on the shallows. That's when the jig fishing on Lake Erie Fires UP !
This is the only time of year that the walleye come to us!
Wariness goes out the door when the spawning urge kicks in!
Spring jig fishing you can't beat it and the fever is brewing! You can turn a hundred walleye in the 3 to 5 lb range in a couple hours and with some luck put some 10 to 12 lb trophy females in the mix! Yeah Baby - Cowabunga Bonzi !
Walleye are a beautiful fish and after a long winter a fresh catch will look even better in breading.
March 16 2013
Walleye are running in the Sandusky River
Anglers Supply owner Bernie Whitt says the Sandusky river is loaded with walleye. River conditions are a little high and fishable. Lots of anglers are dusting off their rods and reels seeking the trophy walleye as they run up the rivers to spawn. Be sure to stop by Anglers Supply and get the hot set ups for Sandusky River jig fishing.
Lake Erie has a few boats in hoping for a early start how ever it looks like mother nature has this springs jig fishing for walleye back to normal. I look for the reef fishing in the western basin to get started soon. The western basin needs light winds and some warm weather. Start fishing the deep ledges on the out side reefs. Walleye always show up and hold in the 30 feet of water from A can to Niagara Reef. The out side reef ledges and reefs will start first and the walleye will move to the on shore reefs with some stable warm weather.
We will start running charters out of Wild Wings Marina April 1 2013. Check back often as soon as the walleye fishing starts producing good catches you will see it posted here.
Lake Erie Fishing Report Ohio and Canadian waters
Their are a lot of walleye around this year - not a over abundance but healthy numbers. Given descent fishing conditions respectable box's to limit catches has been our normal for us and also for the skippers that we work with on the lake. The spread of the schools and the year classes of the fish are where they should be. Larger walleye are being taken near West Reef, Kelly's Shoal, Gull, Hen and Chicks, Chickenollie, King George, and the Wheel. On our end of the lake west of the Islands their are a good number of walleye in the flats from West Sister to Middle Sister - the Gravel Pits and the near shore reefs for those who know how and when to rock pick. The walleye in the flats - Ohio waters - and to the east in Canadian waters and Ohio waters are mainly 3 and 4 year olds. Most of the big heads are east of the Islands and in Canadian waters. The younger fish which is our bread and butter in the western basin are showing up in good numbers and they to are where they should be. Near the Cans A to D can especially near the out side shelf breaks of the near shore reefs and with in a mile or two of the outside shelf breaks - 26 to 30 feet of water.
It's just nice to see normal patterns and seasonal migration patters for a change.
Especially after the unusually warm winter.
It's the size of the schools of walleye that tell me we have a good number of fish. It is not just a small isolated area that is producing for a few veteran anglers. The areas where the older fish should be they are and the younger ones also. A lot of the younger two year olds are measuring 15 inches now- they are growing early - usually Lake Erie walleye put on a growth spurt in August. So there is plenty of forage out there.
Last we had a good hatch last year which gives us a good number of one year olds coming up behind a fair number of two and three year olds. Lake Erie has a healthy number of catch able walleye for this summer and fall as well as the next several years to come. I expect a good June July summer bite as well as a good fall bite judging the weather patterns - water temperatures and numbers of catch able walleye.
Drift fishing the flats yesterday bottom bouncers 2 to 4 cranks up and working the swing with a 3/4 on a 8 to ten count worked for us.
The annual May fly hatch has started. May fly hatches start in the near shore waters and work there way out from there. My normal strategy is fish the off shore waters while the main hatch is occurring in the near shore waters and vise versa. Some times it is better to fish areas holding fewer fish that are hungry.
Lake_Erie_FishingFishing the last several days has been spotty.
Catches have been all over the board the last several days any where from lousy 2 or 3 fish totals to mediocre catches with 10 to 20 fish and very nice boxes with limit catches. There have been trophy walleye caught around A - B and C cans drift fishing with spinners, bottom bouncers, jigs and trolling. Friday morning jig fishing was on near A can and coolers were loaded with very nice catches. Friday afternoon we fished hard to end up with only a few. Saturday morning with dominant east winds prevailing the fishing was off again. All of us captains were left scratching our heads with where do we go try next. Saturday afternoon the east winds picked up in intensity and turned the walleye on - fishing was great. We jig fished off Turtle reef in the afternoon and caught a nice boat limit of 3 to 5 lb males. The area between K can and Round Reef also has been very good again at times. Drives me nuts this time of year with what method do we try first and where. Reading the catching areas and patterns as I see it. There are plenty of walleye in the 14 to 24 feet of water any where from Crane Creek to Turtle Reef to in front of the Moose in Port Clinton. The fish have their heads glued to the bottom in these areas especially when the water gets to clear. Until the water warms up to around 60 degrees fishing will most likely remain spotty. I ran to the gravel pits Saturday morning to look at a blank screen. There are plenty of walleye in the area they just are very tight on the bottom and you can not mark them. With the spotty fishing comes the skill factor of the crew. Experienced fisherman will eke out a nice box while the in experienced will take a few. This will most likely be the pattern for the next couple weeks until the water temperature rises to around 60 degrees off Cleveland. The prime water temperature for the western basin spinner fishing is from 60 degrees to 75 degrees off Cleveland. We need about one week of warm weather to get the walleye off the bottom and more aggressive.
We are changing over to spinners - walleye are being taken with jigs also however the jig bite is all but over. Nice catches were taken around A can B can and D can using spinners. We seen several trophies in the 30 inch range.
Video link of May 2 jig fishing www.youtube.com/user/101erie
Starting in March the water temperature was way ahead of where it should have been. Jig fishing for walleye was on from the middle of March to date. This has been a very good jig fishing season, no major blows or flooded rivers pumping muddy water in. I would have to say the best jig fishing season I can remember in my 35 years of running fishing charters on Lake Erie. How ever with the colder weather that arrived around the first of April the water temperature is now right about where it should be for this time of year. We needed that colder weather because water temperature in the western basin determines when the older walleye start migrating to the east. By older walleye 4 year olds and up 22 to 32 inch gators. Things are back to normal. Jig fishing is nearing the end for walleye as they are all but finished up spawning now. The surface water temperature on my graph showed 51 degrees yesterday. I like to pitch spinners at walleye starting around 55 degrees. We have had some success drift fishing spinners prior to this last cold blast. The jig bite is getting spotty as the main schools of walleye have spawned and are moving out in the deeper waters of Lake Erie. This weekend Friday I took a limit catch jig fishing Saturday I needed one more for a boat limit and Sunday we strangled 12 with jigs. I have been catching older males ranging from 3 to 5 lbs the last several days. Most are not milking any more. The east wind shut the fishing down on Sunday. The walleye buried their heads in the mud and were tough to get a hook on. Jig fishing will hold strong for another week in the Maumee Bay near Toledo Light and Turtle Island as the last of the walleye return from the Maumee river back in Lake Erie. So be prepared to pitch spinners or jigs for the next ten days or so. Don't forget your night crawlers! Get out the bottom bouncers and tie fresh weapons or if you troll dust off the boards.
View today's walleye fishing videos. Copy and paste link below in your browser
www.youtube.com/user/101erie
Copy and paste link below in your browser to view today's video
www.youtube.com/user/101erie
The jig fishing bite for walleye is nearing the end. The tell tale signs are here that the walleye are finishing up spawning. One the sheep head have swarmed the shallows both shore line waters and reefs. Also the spawning pods of walleye are smaller and harder to locate at sun up and they dissipate a lot quicker. The jig bite will hold another 10 days in the Maumee Bay how ever with each day from here out the jig fishing will steadily fade. Today Capt. Jeff trophy fished using weapons and bottom bouncers. Days tally was respectable with several big headed trophy walleye. I drift fished with jigs working the shallows. We also finished the day with a descant box of walleye how ever Jeff beat me on size. It is the crazy time of year where which way do I go- jigs or spinners! It is time to get the spinners and bottom bouncers out for you drift fisherman.
View today's video Copy and paste link below in your browser
www.youtube.com/user/101erie
Jig fishing remains very good but getting spotty.
Jig fishing near the reefs is getting harder as the walleye are finishing up spawning and the zebra mussels are getting the water to clean. Today the best bites for walleye was near the Darby or H can near the moose in Port Clinton and Maumee Bay in the Maumee Bay The areas that have been producing over loads of walleye dried up for many. In front of Wild Wings Marina -K can and most of the western basin near shore reefs, fishing was spotty at best. We had 11 walleye at 900 am with ten of us fishing on the big boat. All I could find near K can Turtle reef and in front of Crane Creek was one here and there but not enough to get it done. I fired the engine made a ten mile run west from Crane Creek State Park landed on the Pear and left with a boat limit of 3 to 5 lb males in 1 hour. 3/4 ounce jigs with a light short lift did the trick. Best depth was 13 to 14 feet of water. The jig fishing bite typically holds for about 2 weeks longer in the Maumee Bay.
View today's video - Copy and paste link below in your browser
www.youtube.com/user/101erie
Jig fishing is still amazing!
We left the dock at 630 am with a crew of eight plus my self and we were limited by 8:30 am. Best depth was 14 feet right at the crack of dawn and we moved deeper as the sun rose finishing off in 17 feet of water. 3/4 ounce jigs black/chartreuse worked the best. The wind was non existent so we cast and hopped the jigs back in. Just enough of a sharp hit on the jig to lift it about 6 inches off the bottom. Males in the 3 to five pound range made up our catch. We fished near Turtle Reef and L can today. The main spawn is about 1/ 2 over so I am guessing two more weeks on the outside for jig fishing. Also the water temperature is right at 50 degrees and we start pitching spinners any time now - definitely before the water reaches 55 degrees. Don't forget the night crawlers they work well with jigs also.
Walleye are in mid spawn and fishing remains strong.
Jig fishing out of Wild Wings Marina has been very good Friday and Saturday. All four of our boats took limit catches near K can using purple/chartreuse jigs, 3/4 ounce. The bulk of our walleye were males ranging from 3 to 5 lbs. There is a lot of ways to work a jig. Saturday morning was a vertical slow lift about two feet and a tight line drop back. We struggled for a little bit until we cracked the combination and it was fish on after that. The evening bite was best the last hour before sun down.
Females were being taken trolling from A can to Niagara Reef and centering in the deep waters north of Cone reef. Husky Jerks and Reef Runners slow trolling at about 1 to 1 1/2 mph.
Jig fishing was on on all the reefs and the shore line waters inside the reefs. Best areas was from Crane Creek to Toussaint reef on them or shore ward. Start shallow and work deeper as the sun rises higher in the sky and fishing pressure increases.
Limit catch of Lake Erie walleyeCurrent Lake Erie fishing report March 22 2012
Lake Erie walleye are on fire - jig fishing does not get any better than it is right now! Due to the extremely warm winter and 80 degree temperatures recently Lake Erie walleye are in full gear spawning and there certainly is no plenty of them to be caught. Wild Wings Marina is a close dock to the action. K can to Crane Creek State Park - The western basin reef complex - Turtle Island to Toledo Light all are producing tremendous catches of walleye. Fish jigs tipped with minnows any where from 8 feet to to 20 feet of water you can not go wrong. Black /Purple and Chartreuse/Green have been working very well. Boat limits are being taken in one drift or a hour or two. You can easily turn over 100 walleye in couple hours jig fishing during the spawn. Males 3 to 5 lbs are on the reef tops and shallow waters with females hovering in the deeper waters near the cans during the day. Pictured below todays limit catch taken in two hours near K can in the western basin of Lake Erie.
Spring jig fishing on Lake Erie for walleye
Limit catch March 22 2012
Report - March 20 2012
Walleye are in full spawning gear in Lake Erie.
Walleye are being caught in front of Wild Wings Marina from K can to Crane Creek . Locust Point reef, Turtle Reef, Cone , Niagara, Crib and Toussaint Reefs are all producing nice catches. Jigs tipped with minnows are producing very well. Larger fish are being taken slow trolling crank baits - 1/2 to 1 mile per hour. Best areas are from A can to Cone to B can and Niagara.
March 17 2012
Lake Erie fishing reports for Port Clinton, Ohio, Wild Wings Marina
Sandusky River in Fremont, Maumee river
Due to the warm winter Lake Erie walleye are spawning about two to three weeks early. Walleye have moved to the reef tops and in the shallow waters near the shore from K can to Crane Creek State Park. Limit catches are being taken in ten to sixteen feet of water. All the reefs from Locust Point to Niagara are producing walleye. Jigs tipped with minnows and a trailer hook are working well.
Maumee and Sandusky rivers annual walleye run is in full swing. Jigs tipped with minnows are working well in the rivers also. No trailer hooks in the rivers, you will get a ticket and loose your fish. Check Ohio fishing regulations for details.
Fishing in Lake Erie for walleye near Port Clinton Ohio
Ice fishing is not going to happen but the boats are out. Trophy walleye are being caught in all the traditional ice fishing spots. Green Island to Rattle snake Island to Niagara Reef - Cone Reef A- B- and C cans. Slow trolling crank baits and vertical jigging anchored are working. Jigs tipped with minnows - Swedish pimples- jigging rapalas all the ice fishing methods while anchored up. Large schools of walleye are being sounded by fisherman in the mentioned areas. This year walleye fishing out look is looking good!
Walleye fishing on Lake Erie Sept. 20 2010
Walleye fishing has been good on the reefs drift fishing best depths have been from 6 to 20 feet of water. We are marking walleye in the deeper waters off the reefs but the active walleye move in to the shallows to feed. The trick to catching shallow water reef walleye is to know when you are in contact with the bottom. When you feel the bottom give your reel three fast cranks and then back down to a steady crank. Walleye feed from the bottom waiting and watching for bait fish to swim by above. You want your lure to be just above the bottom not dragging on the bottom. We have been catching walleye all week as long as there is a descent wind to drift fish. Perch and bass fishing also has been very good especially in Canadian waters around Pelee Island. The bigger perch are now showing up. Joe S. and crew went Perchin in Canadian waters and pulled a 10 man limit catch of 300 perch in about 3 1/2 hours aboard Coe Vanna 1V. Nice job guys.
We have ran several bass trips using soft craws in the past week and have been pulling nice bass some in the 20 inch plus size 5 to 6 lb range.