Lake Erie walleye fishing

Lake Erie walleye fishing this week has been awesome at times and slow at times. The one constant is that the smaller, undersized fish are biting almost everywhere you go and are very plentiful. Keeper sized fish have been a bit more spotty this week after a cold front that blasted through last week cooled the water temperature around the islands. The area between Kelleys Island and South Bass was producing limit catches last week, but after the big northeast blow on Wednesday of last week this area cooled off for the keeper sized fish, especially for boats that were casting for walleye. Trolling was still producing some good keeper sized fish so it was probably a bit of cooler water technology that was working best. The area north of West Sister Island has been producing some good catches of keeper sized walleye as that area seems to have been immune to the cooling from the northeast winds allowing anglers to stuff the cooler with good ones!

Walleye fishing

Walleye fishing is fair to good to the Ohio line. Try from 24 feet out to 45 feet. Glow blue Bay Rats have been very good at night. Walleye have been liking Walleye Bandit deep-diving stick baits. There are reports that the migratory walleye are at least on the way toward Pennsylvania.
Perch fishing has been spotty in the Barcelona to Dunkirk area. The better perch fishing in New York Lake Erie water has been in the areas of Cattaraugus Creek and Sturgeon Point.
In Pennsylvania water to the east of Erie, probably the best perch fishing has been off the Claybanks, Six Mile Run and Seven Mile Run in the depth range of 39 feet to 45 feet. Many of the perch caught here have been longer than 11 inches. Perch fishing has been spotty and only fair to the west of Erie.

Saginaw Bay:

 Walleye were hitting in many places including 17 to 20 feet off Pinconning, 18 feet off Linwood, and 5 to 8 feet off the mouth of the Kawkawlin River however the best reports came from the south end of the Slot from Quanicassee to Sebewaing and up onto the Bar (Coryeon Reef) in 12 to 13 feet. Fish were also caught outside the islands off Bay Port and along the weed beds in Wildfowl Bay. Some of the east side anglers were going out as far as the shipping channel and getting fish in 25 feet and deeper. From Caseville, a couple fish were caught in 15 feet off Oak Point in the early morning. Hot spinner colors were chartreuse, anti-freeze, fire-tiger and purple.

Cross Creek Lake

 Cross Creek Lake is teeming with an active population of crappie, with local fishermen using minnows to pick up the fish. Water temperatures may dictate the most productive areas of the lake to fish in as crappie are being found in depths of 5 feet or less, although warmer temperatures will force them into greater depths.

Lake St. Clair:

Lake St. Clair: Anglers took some limit catches of walleye. The nighttime bite is good using whipping techniques. The catch and immediate release bass fishing was good. A few nice perch were caught in the shipping channel. The catfish and carp bite is getting stronger at the Clinton River spillway. Anglers are using bread balls and cut bait with heavy weights to keep the bait on the bottom. White bass were caught near Metro Beach and the Harley Ensign launch. Those bow fishing for carp are hitting the lake and surrounding canals. Panfish and pike anglers were fishing shallow waters on the north end.

Downs and Bonnie lakes

Spiny ray

Downs and Bonnie lakes are beginning to produce some nice perch and crappie. Eloika Lake and Liberty Lake have smaller crappie and perch as well as largemouth bass and brown trout. Unfortunately, Eloika Lake weeds are growing rapidly, and already beginning to form a mat on top. If you can find some open pockets, though, you’ll find plenty of 1- to 3-pound largemouth.
Fishing for smallmouth bass and walleye should continue to improve in the Columbia and Snake rivers. A strong recruitment of walleye two years ago has resulted in thousands of walleye in the lower and middle Columbia River in the 12- to 16-inch size range this year. Anglers are already reporting large catches.
Friends fishing at Northport this week report very good walleye fishing, though there is heavy current in places. They have been launching at Snag Cove and say the water is rising about two feet a day. At that rate, the China Bend launch will be useable soon.
This is a good time to fish Banks Lake for both smallmouth and largemouth bass, most of which have moved up into the shallows to spawn. Not all anglers have success, however. Keep moving and try different lure colors. The bite times and patterns seem to change daily. Big perch and crappie are also being caught now.

Lake Erie

Walleye fishing in the famous Lake Erie island area has been hot at times this week and most fishermen are talking about all the small undersized fish that they are having to release. At the same time, however, mixed in with the many small fish have been some very nice trophy sized fish and they were hitting the docks at Channel Grove Marina all weekend. Some fish in the fish Ohio category of over 28” were being caught at various locations including the waters not too far north of the harbor entrances of East and West Harbor. Also, the area between Kelleys Island and South Bass was producing good numbers of walleye along with the area east of Niagara Reef, and near Ballast Island. Larger average sized walleye have been starting to show up on shallow reef edges around the Islands and reefs north of Kelleys Island and near Crib and Toussaint Reef in the Davis Besse reef complex area

fish for crappie and panfish

 

 

One of the first things to look for is structure ,underwater brush or fallen trees. Crappie like to school and when you find underwater trees and such there might be crappie there.It is important to move from each fishing spot until you start to catch crappies.Don't just stay in one fishing spot if the crappie are not there. They move around since they are a schooling fish.

 

Once you find a school of crappie or pan fish don't get to close as you might spook them into leaving.Another thing is don't thrown in the anchor just put into the water quietly the splash can scare the fish and they will leave.You need to use light fishing equipment and line,live minnows are best to catch crappies and pan fish.Fishing at night is also fun if the water temperature is hot the crappie will move more at night.

 

Fishing with kids is great when you find a school of crappies.You can have them use a bobber and a minnow .Its great to watch them see the bobber go under and the fun begins as they real in the crappie.Remember you must be patient with kids when you take them fishing.You can use a cane pole bobber and bait to get kids started fishing.