Lake Erie Fishing Reports
Walleye, Bass, Perch, Port Clinton, Toledo, and Sandusky, OH
Lake Erie fishing reports presented by Coe Vanna Charters.
Lake Erie Western Basin fishing reports covering Port Clinton, Sandusky, and, Toledo waters of Lake Erie. Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, and Perch fishing on Lake Erie’s Western Basin.
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June 13 Lake Erie walleye fishing report, Port Clinton
Limit catches of walleye are being taken drift fishing and trolling. North side of Kelly’s Island to Middle Island to above North Bass. Gravel-Pitts, The Tit to The Anvil the War Buoy North of B can to the Finger andWestt and North to West Sister. The Flats are perking up.
June 13 Walleye Limit 2 to 3 man boat
Capt. Shawn
Capt Coe Allen Trolling June 13
Limit Catches June 12, 2017
Limit Catches of Lake Erie walleye
June 8, 2017, Lake Erie Fishing Report Port Clinton, Toledo
Walleye fishing has been very good to good and at times the 14 to 14 3/4 inch walleye are almost impossible to keep off your hooks. Fishing near the Canadian Border From Middle Island to North Bass. Drift fisherman and trolling for walleye has been good – North West of West Sister Gravel-Pitts to the Ditch to the Duck Head and the Tit also has been very good. When there is a breeze drift fishing has been holding its own with limit catches of walleye not uncommon. 1/2 to 3/4 ounce weight working a 6 to a ten count. Bottom bouncers 2 to 4 cranks up.. Norbert also has its moments. That’s casting a weapon about 30 to 40 feet lock it up and set it in a rod holder. Trolling today the fish were high about 18 feet 35 back was our best. Trolling spoons back 35 to 70 feet 40 jets.Stinger spoons with purple with a silver back was the best. Walleye school to size and when you find a pocket of three-year-olds two-thirds of the fish will measure. Wow with the two-year-olds trolling is handling 150 walleye or more to get your 42
June 8 Limit catches of walleye on the right Big Mike with a limit catch on the 2 man boat. Left June 8 limit catch on the big boat Cindy II.
June 3, 2017, Limit Catch of Lake Erie walleye
fishing near Port Clinton, OH
June 1, 2017 Lake Erie Fishing Report, Port Clinton, Toledo, Sandusky
Drift fishing is producing walleye from the Gravel-Pitts WNW of West Sister and D Can, Round Reef to Niagara Reef.
The same areas are working well for trolling. Put away the stick baits most have switched over to small stinger spoons. Forty Jets 35 and 40 back, 2 mph
Port Clinton Ohio Limit Catch of walleye fishing on Lake Erie
May 27, 2017, Western Basin Lake Erie walleye fishing report
Water temperature has warmed up and the walleye are active.
Lots of action drift fishing when there is a breeze and lots of action trolling when its calm.
Walleye Drift fishing has lots of action when there is wind. Bring lots of night crawlers as the 2-year-old walleye are very aggressive beating the 3-year-olds to the bait. The Lake is absolutely loaded with scrappy 2-year-olds that are 14 to 15 inches on the average with 3-year-olds and bigger walleye mixing into the catch especially when there is enough wind for a decent drift. I have taken lots of walleye on dead calm days casting spinners and this will happen when the lake water temperature warms up a few more degrees and gets in the 70’s. Drift fishing, be prepared to go through lots of bait handle lots of walleye and bring home a nice box if you fish hard. Trolling bandits has been producing nice catches of walleye and you will handle your share of short walleye trolling also. Either method will catch lots of walleye.
Limit Catch 2 to 3 man boat
Round Reef to Niagara Reef, Crib, Toussiant, Flat Rock, D Can and all the near shore reefs are producing walleye. Best depths are all over the board from 12 feet to 26 feet.
May 27 – Drift fishing catch on left and trolling on the right
May 26, 2017, Lake Erie Fishing Report
It is hard to believe that we are going into June and the water temperature is still very cold for this time of year, in the low 60’s. We are still in the interchange period from jig fishing to spinners.
The drift fishing bite is ok but spotty however the same can be said for trolling. Trolling catches on average are a grade better on the fish size.
Catching walleye limits consistently will happen when the water warms into the upper sixty’s through the mid to upper seventies. This is the magical temperatures everyone is waiting on. The warmer water brings walleye into their peak – aggressively feeding.
The cool water will hold the walleye in the western basin most likely into August. So the best is yet to come. The missing link of three-year-old walleye 18 to 20 inches should be the bulk of our catches all season however they have been very elusive thus far. The bulk of the catches are still four years old plus walleye in the 4 to five lb range. Warmer water will wave the magical wand and the three-year-olds will magically appear. I believe they are tight on the bottom in the mud in the deeper waters. As the water warms they will show – time will tell.
May 25 respectable catch of walleye drift fishing
May 22, 2017
Catching Walleye is all about lake conditions and weather.
Water temperature has warmed up enough, conditions are right and the walleye are active.
Trolling crank baits has been dominating the walleye catch for the last several weeks when we have had the weather. Drift fishing is just getting started as the lake water has finally warmed up enough to get the walleye active and biting spinners. Today fishing was good near Lucy’s Point, Round Reef to South and east of Toussaint Reef to Crib and Flat rock to Niagara and D can. Basically working inside the outside shelf break from 27 to 22 feet of water. Both drift fishing and trolling bandits took respectable if not limit catches of walleye. It is hard to believe we are just closing out the transition period from jig fishing to casting spinners. However, the good thing is the best is just getting started and the cool water temperatures should make for excellent walleye fishing in the western basin of Lake Erie June, July August and hopefully September.
Lake Erie Fishing Report May 11, 2017, Port Clinton
Walleye fishing on Lake Erie is in the Transition period from jig fishing to spinners – warm weather is in the forecast, warm -stable weather is what the lake needs for good fishing. Lake Conditions – Fishing conditions – Catching is all about conditions. April jig fishing is all but over and April was far from stellar fishing. Wind and muddy water prevailed with good fishing a day here and there when the water conditions and weather cooperated. Given the weather, April dealt us walleye fishing was good and I attribute this to the shear number of walleye in the lake. May should bring warm weather and fair winds soon. We are in late spring and spring weather patterns should start to prevail soon in Ohio. Warm weather and stable winds are the recipes needed to get the walleye snapping on a regular basis.
Spotty Limit catches of walleye have been coming out of 16 to 24 feet of water around the western basin reef complex, the gravel pits NNW of West Sister, Clinton Reef to G Can
Jig fishing, bottom bouncers, and trolling crank baits. Limit catches of walleye are coming when fishing conditions are right.
Lake Erie Fishing Report April 28, 2017, Port Clinton
Walleye fishing has been good considering the weather we have been dealt with this April. Put together three days of decent weather and the walleye catching comes right back. I attribute some of this to the sheer number of walleye that are in the lake right now! The majority of the two-year-old walleye are measuring up already! ODNR says that the prolonged mayfly hatch has a lot to do with that. At any rate, Lake Erie is primed with the best numbers of catchable walleye in many decades. You would have to go back to the 70 or early 80’s for comparison.
Jig fishing and trolling are producing limit catches on a regular basis when we string together three days of fair weather. This April has been wind and more wind with good fishing in between. That actually is pretty normal since April is winter weather patterns. The weather changes every other day. Now that May is here we should soon start into summer weather patterns and the weather will stable out giving us good fishing conditions the majority of the time. I expect above average walleye fishing in the western basin of Lake Erie May, June, July, and August. Due to the numbers and age of the walleye the western basin of Lake Erie should have well above average walleye fishing.
Deepwater has been producing big walleye however they have been much more spotty. The shallow water K can, Turtle, in front of crane creek, all the normal jig fishing areas are producing big numbers of walleye in the 2 to 5 lb range. 3/4 ounce jigs with stingers plain or tipped with minnows or crawlers. Purple and chartreuse and john deer green are my favorite. Trolling bandits 50 foot back 2 mph purple with a pink belly and chartreuse with a black head have been the hot colors.
Sunday April 23 walleye fishing report
Decent weather and limit catches of walleye. Winds pretty heavy Friday and Saturday made for slower t5han normal fishing which is normal in April for jig fishing shallow water. The winds were not a downright blow and not enough to muddy the water. With that being said, Sunday brought limit catches for jig fisherman and trolling. Jig fishing near the reefs and moving deeper by the hour. L can Cone Locust Point. Bandits were dark as in purple or bright with chartreuse and orange. Leads 30 to 40 back speed 1 1/2 to 2 mph. Trolling around the reefs, not on them. Best depth 24 feet. We have several fair weather days in the upcoming forecast and walleye fishing should heat up to even more.
Limit catch jig fishing
Limit Catch trolling bandits
April 19 Pictures below speak for themselves
Saturday, April 15 walleye fishing report
Saturday walleye fishing was good considering the east northeast winds from the previous days. K can Turtle, Locust Point all the typical jig fishing areas produced walleye. Most charters got in the respectable range averaging around 20 per boat. We fell right in there with a great family crew. our biggest walleye 5 lbs. We were happy to get a window of opportunity Saturday morning until noon. The west-southwest winds of today will not hurt the water and should put the spawn into full gear with the warm weather. Monday we will be off and be running expect decent water conditions and fishing.
Limit Catch April 11, 2017
Tuesday, April 11, 2017, Fishing Update
Walleye fishing was fast this morning out of Wild Wings Marina. We took our limit in two hours, 3/4 ounce jigs with stingers 12 to 14 feet of water. The shallow water is cleaning up more with each passing hour. Which means more and more areas will start producing walleye. We have favorable winds through the weekend so I expect the fishing to get even better. No big ones today average walleye 16 to 18 inches with a couple around 20.
April 11 – 16 walleye in two hours 4 place limit!
Lake Erie Walleye Fishing Report, April 10, 2017,
Port Clinton and Toledo Light
A few warm days finally arrived and the water finally cleaned up in front of Wild Wings marina and Yahtzee’s !!! Limits of 3 to five lb walleye came in fast today! K can, Turtle, Locust all the normal shallow water jig fishing areas. Three quarter ounce hair jigs with trailer hooks.
Over the weekend I fished near Turtle Island and Toledo Light because it was the only game in town. I was not impressed. I needed 28 walleye for a boat limit and managed 24. Just walleye nothing special 1 to 3 lbs and most were 1 1/2 lbs. Too many boats and the fish were not that thick. So needless to say I moved a lot and picked here and there to catch 24. I felt fortunate to have them. Now that warmer weather has arrived April jig fishing should be excellent through the weekend and the areas catching walleye will broaden as the water continues to clean up from last week’s winds. The wind forecast for the next several days is not showing anything extremely detrimental to fishing conditions. April fishing and any fishing for that matter are all about water conditions. Catch the weather and water conditions and catch fish.
Tight Lines, Capt. Dave
April 10, 2017, walleye limit catch jig fishing
April 4, 2017, Lake Erie walleye fishing report, Port Clinton
A lot of rain, wind and cold weather producing undesirable fishing conditions have pretty much been going on since Mid March on Lake Erie’s western basin. The walleye are moving in now and on or near the shallow reefs. K can, L can, Toussiant, Locust Point, Toledo Light, Turtle Island, etc. Today 16 foot was the best.
When the weather is decent for a couple days walleye fishing picks up with jig fishing catches in the teens to mid twenty’s. Right now we are basically at normal spawning time mid-April. Which when considering the warm winter is amazing. Lots of anglers, ( myself included ) were thinking maybe two weeks early. Things just have a way of evening themselves out. Which means the best is yet to come! A couple days of warm weather and fair winds will have the walleye spawn in full swing. April jig fishing is all about water conditions and since we are talking about shallow water jig fishing – get some fair weather and you get fantastic walleye fishing!
Lake Erie fishing report March 18, 2017
Walleye have started running in the Maumee River and Sandusky River. Not much on the near shore reefs of Lake Erie. The water needs a few more days to clean up along with some stable warm weather and mild wind. The upcoming week looks like decent weather so things should get started on the western basin reef complex.
Lake Erie Fishing Report March 6 – 2017
Docks and ramps are in at Wild Wing’s marina. Lake is open however recent winds may have fishing conditions may be less than desired. Especially in the shallow near shore reef waters. Small boats have been catching fair trolling crank baits on the outer shelf break. A-B-C-D-F Cans. Working the self-break from 24 to 30 feet. Huron near the dumping ground’s, as well as around the Islands. The walleye have not moved into the near shore reefs and surrounding shallows in any numbers yet. When they do it is jig fishing at its absolute best.
Toledo (13abc) This could be a banner year for walleye on Lake Erie. Walleye numbers are increasing, and that should improve fishing on what is already considered the greatest walleye fishery in the world.
“The 2016 estimate is around 33 million, nearly half of which were the large 2014 year class,” says Travis Hartman, Lake Erie Program Administrator at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Sandusky Fish Research Unit. “This year we will add the 2015 year class as 2-year olds that may be even larger than 2014. The combination of large fish remaining from 2003 and an influx of two large year classes of young fish will give us incredible fishing for the foreseeable future.”
Spring Trophy Walleye Fishing
Lake Erie Fishing Reports will be posted regular starting in mid-March. We cover ice fishing on Lake Erie however, there was no ice fishing to cover this winter due to the warm weather. Small boats have been catching walleye when the weather has allowed them to fish. The Island areas, Huron, D, F, and G can Rattle Snake and Green as well as around Kelly’s have been producing good but spotty catches of walleye at times. Jig fishing off the Western Basin reef complex will start by mid to late March. A combination of water temperature and daylight hours will trigger the annual walleye spawn. This is when jig fishing is at its prime in the shallows.
We will recommend the best areas to fish during your charter with us. Ohio waters APRIL MAY JUNE JULY. Come August the walleye are on the move east and we give you the option to fish Canadian or Ohio waters in August, Sept and Oct. At times the walleye, bass and perch fishing can be substantially better in Canadian waters. Coe Vanna offers you the extra mile and opportunity.