Lake Erie water temperatures

Lake Erie water temperatures are hovering dangerously in the high 40s. Be sure to have all of the needed safety gear aboard when launching the boat, and be able to communicate with the Coast Guard if there is an emergency.
Daytime walleye fishermen are flocking to the Huron and Lorain areas and trolling with diving plugs in bright colors, reports Craig Lewis at Erie Outfitters in Sheffield Lake. Gizzard shad have moved to shallow-water areas of late, seeking slightly warmer water, and the walleye have moved in to feed heavily on the shad.
The typical medium-running crankbaits scoring are the Reef Runner, Perfect 10, Bayrat and Bandit lures. There are exceptions. Capt. Frank Kittrick of Y Knot Charters in Lorain is finding lots of success using Dipsy Diver diving planers and Stinger spoons. The Neon NASCAR Stinger Spoon has been a favorite, with lots of bright chartreuse coloring to attract strikes.

UPPER PENINSULA

Lake Gogebic: Was producing some walleye, pike and smallmouth bass.
Menominee River: Anglers caught the odd Chinook salmon along with the occasional brown trout or walleye. The better fishing was between the Hattie Street Dam and the US-41 Bridge with small spoons and minnows.
Little Bay De Noc: Had snow and the shoreline was beginning to freeze. Only the diehard walleye anglers are out now and the reports were good. Most are fishing at night and taking fair to good catches. The better action was off the Kipling area reefs when trolling stick baits or crank baits in 8 to 17 feet. Those fishing during the day had fair catches at best off the Kipling Flats in 30 feet or south toward Gladstone off the Terrace Bay Inn in 25 to 35 feet when trolling.

BULL SHOALS:

 Mid-50s, clear, 6 feet low. Outlook: 125 Marina reports: Smallmouth bass very good overnight on jigs and jig-and-pigs off the bluffs and on topwater baits late afternoons and early evenings. Below the dam: Cotter Trout Dock reports: light, steady generation; rainbow trout fair to good (and good sized) on white jigs and PowerBait (white and fluorescent yellow); brown trout are spawning. Berry Bros. Guide Service reports: No wadable water; Rim Shoals continues to be the hot spot; woolly buggers, Y2Ks, prince nymphs, pheasant tails, midges, San Juan worms and sowbugs.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/outdoors/article184845403.html#storylink=cpy

Rocky, Chagrin and Vermilion rivers

High water after big rains early in the week had big numbers of steelhead trout running up the rivers and streams. The water was a bit dingy on Thursday, making spawn bags the preferred choice for fishermen. Fly fishermen should be in action soon with egg patterns, wooly buggers and small streamers.
The Rocky, Chagrin and Vermilion rivers are clearing nicely, as is Conneaut Creek. The Grand River's sprawling watershed will need a few days to reach prime status.

Lake Aaron's smaller fish

Lake Aaron's smaller fish, such as sunfish, crappies, bullheads and yellow perch, are considered low in mercury and can be eaten once a week, according to state websites.

Mercury poisoning can cause loss of peripheral vision; tingling in the hands, feet, and around the mouth; lack of coordination; impairment of speech, hearing and walking; and muscle weakness, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Minnesota considers waterways to be impaired when enough fish test positive for mercury levels at above .2 parts per million, said Bruce A. Monson, a researcher with the pollution control agency. If more than 10 percent of a tested fish species includes that level of mercury, the waterway is listed as impaired.
Researchers tested eight walleye, eight northern pike, and eight largemouth bass caught in Lake Aaron in 2016, and average mercury concentrations for the three species were 0.25, 0.44 , and 0.39 parts per million, respectively, Monson said.

Chickahominy:

 Conway’s River Rat Guide Service reports that some crappie are being caught. Both yellow and white perch are being caught on minnows. Pickerel are active in the creeks. Bass fishing remains good with some citation-sized fish being caught.

Fall Brawl Walleye Derby

The walleye fishing has been very productive, with the Fall Brawl Walleye Derby now in action.
Walleye in the double-digit class have been caught from Huron to Cleveland, and beyond.
Trolling has been the key ingredient, and a fast pace has worked best.
Walleye anglers off Cranberry Creek in the Huron area reported quick limits of nice walleye
while trolling spoons and Husky Jerk diving plugs. A trolling speed of 2.5 miles per hour has
been best and purple and chartreuse plugs and white crank baits have been working.
In the Lake Erie Island area, walleye are being caught while trolling three to four miles east of
Kelleys Island.
The drift-and- cast walleye anglers are probing rocky waters 10 to 15 feet deep, focusing on the
southeast corner of Kelleys Island, the west side of the Bass Islands and Gull Shoal with little
spinner rigs or mayfly rigs tipped with half of a nightcrawler. Traditional weight-forward spinners
tipped with nightcrawlers are also scoring in those areas.

Thunder Bay River:

 Those targeting salmon and trout caught a few Atlantics, steelhead and brown trout at the 9th Street Dam when drifting spawn bags, stripping streamer flies or casting spinners, spoons and small cranks. A few walleye and smallmouth bass were reported by anglers trolling or casting stick and jerk baits.