Walleye fishing has been good at the N end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, in 65-72’ NW off Edgewater State Park, 61-66 NW off Wildwood State Park, and 65-75’ NE and NW off Fairport. Trollers are using green, yellow jacket, orange, silver, and purple worm harnesses, crank baits, stick baits, and spoons off jet divers, dipsy divers and planer boards. Anglers are fishing down 30 to 40‘. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 28-32’ NW of Rocky River, 37-43’ NW off Edgewater State Park, 38-40’ N of Fairport, and 38-42’ NW off Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on pumpkinseed, green or brown tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, and by trolling crankbaits.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. The best location has been NE and NW of Fairport in 72-76’. See the walleye section for trolling details.

It's always something on Erie. This past week the fishing has improved but all of a sudden the water is loaded with this fuzzy, scummy crap in the water that is driving all of us crazy. If you don't check your lines every few minutes your lines get so loaded up with this crap that you can't hardly reel them back in. And then trying to pry all of that stuff off is a real pain in the butt only to put them back out and have it happen all over again. I've seen this happen before but never this bad. It's very frustrating. Hopefully this will be a short lived affair. It always has been in the past ...

Boat traffic has picked up dramatically now as well. Word has gotten out that the fishing has picked up some and all of sudden a all of the Johnny come latelys are flocking to the area. This past Saturday was especially bad with all of the idiots running around. Most of them have no common courtesy when it comes to another fishing boat that is trying to run a big spread and has his hands full to begin with. That is why I live for my weekday trips. I'll take Monday thru Thursday hands down for a fishing trip anytime. Oh well, once again I deal with everything that the lake and the business throws at me. As I mentioned last week. That is my job.

So in a couple of days we flip the calendar to July. I'll be happy to put this June on the stern and not look back. I still don't have a real great feeling for the rest of the summer as of yet as I have had in past few years but fishing should be adequate enough to where everyone has fun and catches more then enough fish for some great fish fry's. The trip itself and the adventure is really what it should all be about. The days of almost automatic limits and guaranteed success may not come around as frequently as they have over the last few years. Perhaps 2009 will be a bit of a reality check and Mother Nature is just reminding us that
" Hey, after all, it's just fishin ! "

Walleye fishing has been very good in 57-64’ NW off Wildwood State Park, 58-66 NW off Gordon Park State Park, 57-64’ NW off Fairport and 60-68’ N-NW off Perry. Trollers are using green, yellow, orange, copper, and fried chicken worm harnesses, crank baits, stick baits, and spoons off jet divers, dipsy divers and planer boards. Anglers are fishing down 30 to 40‘. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 43-49’ NW of Gordon Park State Park, 38’ NE off Chagrin River, 40-45’ NW of Geneva, and 44-46’ N off Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on pumpkinseed, green or brown tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, and by trolling crankbaits.

Steelhead are beginning to be picked by anglers trolling for walleye.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 69 off of Toledo and 64 off of Cleveland.

The best one that we were able to bring to the boat this past week was a 32 inch beauty that was just a hair shy of 11 lbs ! We've also started capturing some Steelhead which is always fun as I search further and further offshore looking for the "Mother Load". I sure haven't had much help out there. Nobody seems interested in fishing when things are tougher. I guess everybody else just wants to be a hero and start when things become suicidal. I wish I had that luxury. I have to go everyday. That's my job.

While well offshore this past week we also managed to capture two Lake Trout or Lakers as some people call them. Not to be confused with the Steelhead Trout which are quite common. I wish I had taken a couple of pictures of them but I did not. They were both caught on different days in different areas as I continue to scout around. One was around 3 pounds and the second one was around 5 pounds I'm guessing. Pretty unusual for around here. That tells me that there must be quite a few of them roaming around out there right now for whatever reason. While offshore we also captured a Walleye with a Mich. Dept. of Natural Resources tag in its lip which tells me that there are definitely migrating fish in the area from the west. Lots of the areas that I tried this past week had plenty of marks on the fish finder. They just don't seem real anxious to bite for us yet. Weird.

Walleye have been caught trolling between E of the S end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain. Good walleye fishing has also been reported 50-55’ NW off Edgewater State Park, 50-55 NW off Chagrin River, 40’ NW off Fairport and 48’ N off Geneva. Trollers are using green, yellow, orange, copper, and fried chicken worm harnesses, crank baits, stick baits, and spoons off dipsy divers, planer boards and also flatline trolling. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good in 39-42’ NW off Edgewater State Park, 40-47’ NW of Gordon Park State Park, 40-50’ NW of Fairport, and 38-40’ W off Conneaut. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on pumpkinseed, green or brown tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, and by trolling crankbaits.

I think we had a lot of factors working against us this past week that stacked the odds against us. We had a very full moon this past week and even in the best of times we seem to struggle because the darn Walleyes feed heavily all night and a bit after daybreak and then seem to get a bad case of lock jaw. That and we had quite a few days of east winds, my absolute most un favorite wind direction. It's true, " wind from the east, fishing's at it's least" ! That and the water temperature is way colder then in a normal years thus far. We need a string of 80+ degree days to warm the water and get even more fish in the area ! The warmer the rest of the lake gets, the more fish move into the cooler, deeper waters of Ashtabula for the summer.

We seemingly have done the best of what we are catching right now in water between 50 and 55 feet in depth. The planer board have been doing the best for us with the jet divers anywhere between 60 and 150 back. The dipseys only on occasion contribute a fish or two. Very frustrating because normally by now the divers are a big part of our program. The downriggers which even in a good year are almost worthless for Walleyes around here are living up to their expectations. Pretty much suck ... They will have their day or two where they are smoking hot once the Walleyes go super deep but that has not happened yet.

Walleye have been caught trolling between Cranberry Creek and Vermilion in 20 to 30’ of water, E of the S end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, 39’ NW of Rocky River, 40-47’ off Edgewater State Park, 28’ off Fairport, 20-25’ off Geneva, and 40-50’ off Ashtabula. Trollers are using crank baits, stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off dipsey divers, planer boards and also flatline trolling. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good in 40-49’ NW off Edgewater State Park, 37-38’ NW of Gordon Park State Park, 40’ NW of Fairport, and 38-40’ off Geneva. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on green or brown tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 63 off of Toledo and 60 off of Cleveland.

Anglers are encouraged to always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device while boating.

Anyway we managed to get into the high teen's a couple of days this past week and even on the days that were a bit slower we still captured some HUGE Walleyes. On Tuesday we had 5 Fish Ohio award citation fish of better then 28 inch's with the biggest Walleye being 31 inches and just a hair under 11 pounds. Awesome fish ! We have not had any throwback fish at all as of yet. Just a nice grade of Walleyes. We have not stumbled upon any Steelhead Trout yet either. Maybe as we stick our noses even further offshore. This will happen whether we like it or not the first time the wind kicks big out of the north and we don't have any choice but run out further and troll back with the wind and waves.

The fish that I have found have been rather close to shore as most always are in early June. We've fished in as shallow as twenty foot of water with some nice fish being caught and I have caught them as far out as 55 foot already. The fish that I am finding right now are very high in the water column. Most people tend to under fish these fish this time of year. Spoons off the boards with Jet Divers have been doing most of the damage thus far for us. My big Dipsys have not been very productive at all as of yet. I've tried everything but they only on occasion capture anything. This will change very soon, trust me. My downriggers have caught a whopping one fish so far for us; 30 ft. back with a shallow lipped stick bait and 30 ft. down. Whoopty doo ! LOL !

Walleye have been caught trolling between Cranberry Creek and Vermilion in 30’ of water, also 39’ NW of Rocky River, 46’ off Euclid, 30-50’ off Fairport to Perry and 32’ off Geneva.

Trollers are using crank baits, stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off dipsey divers, planer boards and also flatline trolling. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been good off of the condos E of Vermilion, off the Lorain breakwall, 37-38’ NW of Euclid, 38-40’ NW of Chagrin River, 48’ NE of Fairport, and 35-45’ off Conneaut. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on green or brown tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 62 off of Toledo and 58 off of Cleveland.

Sadly, the fishing back home is starting out kind of slow as well as I was afraid it might because of the late spring conditions and everything seemingly running as much as 2 weeks behind. I have never been one to sugar coat any of my fishing reports and I try to tell it as it is. The last few years if you go back through any of my Ashtabula reports you would find we opened up good in fish back home here and never looked back. This year is a completely different year for me and my slow start to Port Clinton's fishing this spring has seemingly followed me back out east. Although we are still catching fish, it certainly is not as good as it ought to be by my standards. Hopefully we are only days away from turning things around and getting back to "crazy good" fishing !

As I suspected, River Marine's restoration project has not been completed on time either due to a variety of complications but we are so close now that I can hardly wait ! For at least a few more days "The Trophy will still docked at the Oar House Saloons courtesy dock, the same place I ended up late last summer after River Marines tragic collapse into the Ashtabula River after the dredging operations. The concrete is supposed to be poured now after 2 re-schedules on this Monday, June the 1st. I should be able to bring the boat back around for good shortly after. As I mentioned, I am so excited I can hardly wait. It will be nicer then ever ! For a awesome slide show of the entire construction project, log on to my website www.trophycharters.com and click on the news page and then click on the "Rebuilding River Marine Pictures" link. Quite fascinating !

Walleye have been caught trolling between Cranberry Creek and Vermilion in 30’ of water, near shore in 12-20’ off Rocky River, 40’ off Edgewater Park, 16-18’ off Chagrin River, 15-40’ off Fairport to Perry and 25’ off Conneaut. Trollers are using crank baits, stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off dipsey divers, planer boards and also flatline trolling. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has good off of the condos E of Vermilion, off the Lorain breakwall, 35-41’ off Edgewater Park in Cleveland, 30-40’ off Fairport, 40-43’ off Geneva, and 35-55’ off Conneaut. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on green or brown tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, and by trolling crankbaits.

Walleye have been caught trolling near shore in 10-25’ off Cleveland, Grand River and Perry. Trollers are using crank baits, spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and also flatline trolling. Fishing is picking up on the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been best in 30-40’ off Fairport to Conneaut, and 30-40’ east of Cleveland. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 15 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 57 off of Toledo and 53 off of Cleveland.

Few walleye fishing have been made due to recent wind, snow and cold temperatures. The best area over the holiday weekend was from Huron to Ruggles in 30 to 35 feet of water. Most anglers are trolling crankbaits. Anticipate breaking ice in marinas and muddy water on the main lake. Walleye fishing has been sporadic on the piers at night, but some fish are being caught by casting shallow diving stickbaits.

Walleye fishing has remained excellent from Vermilion to Cedar Point in 30 to 42 feet of water. The best areas have been west of the Huron dumping grounds and north of Cranberry Creek. Most anglers are trolling crankbaits. Walleye fishing has been sporadic on the piers at night, but some fish are being caught by casting shallow diving stickbaits. As temperatures drop walleye should continue to move inshore providing fall fishing opportunities through ice up when conditions allow.

Yellow Perch

Perch fishing effort is decreasing, but catches continue to be good in all the traditional spots around the islands and off of the central basin harbors. Perch spreaders with shiners near the bottom produce the most fish.

*Weather the week of 10/27 has been extremely windy. Information contained in the report was collected prior to the gale force winds.*

Walleye fishing had been excellent from Huron to Lorain. As water temperatures drop the best fishing will start to move inshore. Trolling or casting minnow imitating stickbaits produces the best fall catches.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent. The most consistent action has been on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, N of Vermilion, and also off of Lorain near the lighthouse. Fishing has been very good all along ports from Cleveland east to Conneaut. The best spots include NW of Gordon Park in 40 to 45 feet of water, NW of Chagrin River in 47 to 50 feet of water, N-NW of Fairport in 45 to 55 feet of water (the hump), N of Geneva and Ashtabula in 45’ to 55’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom usually produces the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches.

Steelhead fishing is picking up as fish begin to move up into the rivers. Anglers are catching fish near breakwalls, at the river mouths, and at lower- to mid- stream locations in the Rocky, Chagrin, Grand and Ashtabula Rivers, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park) and Conneaut Creek. Flows in the rivers and streams have risen with the recent rain and sleet and they are slightly to moderately stained. Small tributaries will fish first. Anglers are using small spoons, spinners, or jigs and maggots or spawn rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 49 off of Toledo and 55 off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing is improving from Lorain to Huron. The best areas have been the 30 N line west of the sandbar and the Huron dumping grounds. Fishing remained slow again this past week from Cleveland to Conneaut. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent. The most consistent action has been on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, N of Vermilion, and also off of Lorain near the lighthouse. Fishing has been very good all along ports from Cleveland east to Conneaut. The best spots include NW of Gordon Park in 51 to 55 feet of water, NE and NW of Chagrin River in 51 to 55 feet of water, NW of Fairport in 40 to 50’ of water (the hump), N of Geneva and Ashtabula in 38’ to 48’ of water, and N of Conneaut in 70’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom usually produces the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 20’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs, drop-shot goby imitations and crayfish.

Steelhead fishing is picking up as fish begin to move up into the rivers and anglers are catching fish at the mouth and downstream locations in the Chagrin River, Grand River, Geneva State Park, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Water conditions in the rivers and streams remain low and clear. Best times have been early in the morning. Shore anglers are using small spoons and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

We have been spending most of our days in water anywhere from 50 to 70 foot deep with the Perch right on the bottom. Hook up three minnows on your rig, drop the sinker straight down to the bottom and make sure it rests dead on the bottom while holding the line tight between the sinker on the bottom and the rod tip. Pretty soon you feel tap, tap, tap and then you set the hook. Lots of times you can catch a double and if you're really lucky, even a triple!

Even though the marina is closed and I have moved the boat to a different location a couple hundred yards up river, the fish cleaning service is still available thank God. And what a wonderful job they do cleaning all those Perch for just a few bucks. I don't know why anybody would want to screw around and spend all afternoon cleaning fish when these pro's can do it in about 45 minutes for a whole cooler!

We have been spending most of our days in water anywhere from 50 to 70 foot deep with the Perch right on the bottom. Hook up three minnows on your rig, drop the sinker straight down to the bottom and make sure it rests dead on the bottom while holding the line tight between the sinker on the bottom and the rod tip. Pretty soon you feel tap, tap, tap and then you set the hook. Lots of times you can catch a double and if you're really lucky, even a triple !

Even though the marina is closed and I have moved the boat to a different location a couple hundred yards up river, the fish cleaning service is still available thank God. And what a wonderful job they do cleaning all those Perch for just a few bucks. I don't know why anybody would want to screw around and spend all afternoon cleaning fish when these pro's can do it in about 45 minutes for a whole cooler !

Keep in mind that with the marina being closed that you still need to get your licenses ahead of time either online through the links on my website www.trophycharters.com or at the K-Mart here in Ashtabula on Rt. 20 just east of Rt. 11. They are open 24 hours also which helps us out a lot. We have about a month remaining in the season before I pull the boat for the winter. We are scheduled to come out Nov. the 3rd. Don't miss out on your last chance to spend a fun filled day aboard "THE TROPHY" catching jumbo's for the freezer. It's a long, long winter ! We still have plenty of dates available including a few weekend dates. Give me a call at 216-387-2656, my boat/mobile number. I would be glad to hook you up !

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing remained slow west of Cleveland with the best area being the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain. Fishing continues to be slow in the Cleveland area this past week so there are no locations to report. Fishing continues to be good 12-17 miles N of Geneva in 70 to 72’ of water, and 6-10 miles NE-NW of Ashtabula in 69 to 72’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits. The best action has been about 25-50 feet down, and the best colors have been watermelon, purple, orange, green, and gold/black or red/silver.

Yellow perch fishing has remained slow from Huron to Avon. The most consistent action has been on the S end of the sandbar. Fishing has been very good offshore in the Cleveland area and also east to Conneaut. The best spots to fish are NW of Edgewater Park in 45 to 47 feet of water, NW of Wildwood State Park in 41 to 46 feet of water, NW of Fairport in 40 to 50’ of water (the hump), N of Geneva in 40 to 50’ of water, and N-NE of Conneaut in 60 to 65’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom usually produces the most fish, however. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches.

White bass fishing has been spotty off Eastlake CEI power plant in 15-30 feet of water. Anglers are using agitators with blue/silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 16 to 26’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught off Geneva and Ashtabula while fishing for walleye. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 67 off of Toledo and 69 off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has slowed west of Cleveland with the best area being the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain. Fishing continues to be slow in the Cleveland area this past week so there are no locations to report. Very good fishing has been reported 7-10 miles N of Ashtabula in 69 to 72’ of water, and 7-12 miles N-NW of Conneaut in 71 to 75’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits. The best action has been about 25-50 feet down, and the best colors have been watermelon, purple, orange, green, and black with copper or blue/silver.

Yellow perch fishing has remained slow from Huron to Avon. The most consistent action has been on the S end of the sandbar. Fishing has been very good offshore in the Cleveland area and also east to Conneaut. The best spots to fish are NW of Gordon Park in 38 to 42 feet of water, NW of Edgewater Park in 40 to 50 feet of water, N of Fairport in 38 to 48’ of water, N of Geneva in 38 to 48’ of water, and N of Conneaut in 60 to 65’ of water. You may try fishing further offshore this week than normal. Fish may also be suspended in the water column until the recent upwelling of low oxygenated water settles back down to the deeper portions of the lake. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom usually produces the most fish, however, this week you may want to fish 5 to 10 feet up from the bottom due to the conditions. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

White bass fishing has been spotty off Eastlake CEI power plant in 15-30 feet of water. Anglers are using agitators with blue/silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 16 to 26’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 69 off of Toledo and 71 off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has continued to be excellent thus far right into September. I can't believe how big some of these late season beauties have been. We sure have seen our share of 10 pound fish the last few weeks. They are putting on a lot of fat for the winter months and feeding like crazy. It has not been unusual to net a Walleye and have it spew a bunch of smelt out of their mouths. Literally a feeding frenzy going on out there ! We have finally started to see more Steelhead Trout as well the last couple of weeks, something that has been unusually quiet most all of the summer season. Unfortunately the Sheephead have been attacking us as well on some days. The last couple of days have not been so bad though.

We are still fishing well offshore most everyday now. 15 to 20 miles has been an almost everyday occurrence for about the last month. Ugly fuel bills everyday to say the least. Locked in at charter rates from a few years ago is not quiet getting it at today's high fuel costs. There will be a slight adjustment for next season ... unless O'Bama or McCain solve all of our problems between this November and next spring, LOL ! For now your generous tip money is still offsetting the difference. What was once meant at one time for the wife and I to go out and have dinner on the boy's is now going right into the pockets of the big oil companies. Sucks. Man, I better get back on the right subject. I'm depressing myself !

I've adjusted to my new dock location as much as I am going to I suppose since the collapse of River Marine into the Ashtabula River last month. See my last fishing report if you are not familiar with the story. Very sad. Anyway, I am still meeting most all of my charters at River Marines parking lot and having everyone just follow me down. It's only a couple of hundred yards back up river but it's been easier this way. Looks like this will be my home as well for the next season. Next year it will be up to everyone to find where I am docked. This sitting in the parking lot in the truck waiting for someone to show up is getting old. The good news is that the fish cleaning is still available but keep in mind that you have to get your fishing licenses ahead of time since there is no longer a marina store. You can do it online ahead of time through the links on my website or the K-Mart in Ashtabula which sells them 24 hours a day. Just plan accordingly. We are departing the dock now promptly at 6:00 a.m. Don't forget to book that fall Perch trip as well. We are booking those right now and will be starting to Perch fish very soon !

Walleye fishing has slowed west of Cleveland with the best area being the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain. Fishing continues to be slow in the Cleveland area this past week so there are no locations to report. Very good fishing has been reported 10-20 miles N of Geneva in 72 to 74’ of water, and 8-12 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 to 74’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits. The best action has been about 25-50 feet down, and the best colors have been chartreuse, purple, orange, green, and black with copper or gold/red.

Yellow perch fishing is very good offshore in the Cleveland area and also east to Conneaut. The best spots to fish are NW of Gordon Park in 35 to 45 feet of water, NW of Edgewater Park in 40 to 45 feet of water, N of Ashtabula in 65 to 70’ of water, and N of Conneaut in 60 to 65’ of water. You may try fishing further offshore this week than normal. Fish may also be suspended in the water column until the recent upwelling of low oxygenated water settles back down to the deeper portions of the lake. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom usually produces the most fish, however, this week you may want to fish 5 to 10 feet up from the bottom due to the conditions. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

White bass fishing has been good off Eastlake CEI power plant in 15-30 feet of water. Anglers are using agitators with blue/silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good prior to the upwelling of low oxygenated waters this past week. We expect fishing to pick back up in the harbor areas around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Anglers have been fishing in 15 to 25 feet of water. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers while walleye fishing 7 to 15 miles offshore from Geneva and Ashtabula in 65 to 74 feet of water. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 71 off of Toledo and Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been good E of the southern half of the sandbar NW of Lorain 5 to 7 miles out. Fishing has slowed down in the Cleveland area this past week so there are no locations to report. Very good fishing has been reported 10-15 miles N of Geneva in 70 to 74’ of water, and 7-15 miles NE and NW of Ashtabula in 68 to 74’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits. The best action has been about 25-50 feet down, and the best colors have been chartreuse, purple, orange, green, and black with copper or gold/red.

Yellow perch fishing is good offshore in the Cleveland area and also east to Conneaut. The best spots to fish are NW of Gordon Park in 53 to 55 feet of water, NW of Chagrin River in 45 to 50 feet of water, NW of Fairport Harbor in 38 to 50’ of water, and N of Conneaut in 60 to 65’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Don’t forget to try several turns up from the bottom as some fish may be suspended. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

White bass fishing has been very good off Eastlake CEI power plant in 15-30 feet of water. Anglers are using agitators with blue/silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 16 to 26’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers while walleye fishing 7 to 15 miles offshore from Geneva and Ashtabula in 65 to 74 feet of water. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 71 off of Toledo and 73 off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been good E of the southern half of the sandbar NW of Lorain 5 to 7 miles out. Fishing has slowed down in the Cleveland area with the best areas NW of Edgewater Park in 54 of water and NW of Chagrin River in 72 to 78’ of water. Very good fishing has been reported NW of Geneva in 65 to 74’ of water, and 7-13 miles NE of Ashtabula in 70 to 74’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits. The best action has been about 25-50 feet down, and the best colors have been chartreuse, purple, orange, green, pink, and black with copper or gold.

Yellow perch fishing is good offshore in the Cleveland area and also east to Conneaut. The best spots to fish are NW of Edgewater Park in 51 to 54 feet of water, NW of Chagrin River in 53 to 54 feet of water, NW of Fairport Harbor (the hump) in 50 to 60’ of water, and N of Conneaut in 55 to 65’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Don’t forget to try several turns up from the bottom as some fish may be suspended. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

White bass fishing has been very good off Eastlake CEI power plant in 15-30 feet of water. Anglers are using agitators with blue/silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 16 to 26’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers while walleye fishing 9 to 13 miles offshore from Geneva and Ashtabula in 65 to 74 feet of water. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 72 off of Toledo and 74 off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been good E of the southern half of the sandbar NW of Lorain 5 to 7 miles out. Fishing has slowed down in the Cleveland area with the best areas NE of Edgewater Park in 63 to 70’ of water, NW of Chagrin River in 70 to 72’ of water. Very good fishing has been reported NE of Geneva in 68 to 72’ of water, and 7-11 miles N of Ashtabula in 68 to 73’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits. The best action has been about 25-52 feet down, and the best colors have been chartreuse, purple, orange, green, and black with copper or gold.

West of Cleveland the best yellow perch fishing has been off of Sawmill Creek in 33’ of water and from Cranberry Creek to Old Woman’s Creek in 31 to 38’ of water. The fishing is fair offshore in the Cleveland area and also east to Conneaut. The best spots to try are NW of Edgewater Park in 50 to 52 feet of water, NW of Chagrin River in 55 to 62 feet of water, NW of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 55’ of water, and N Conneaut in 50 to 60’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Don’t forget to try several turns up from the bottom as some fish may be suspended. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

White bass fishing has been very good off Eastlake CEI power plant in 15-30 feet of water. Anglers are using agitators with blue/silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 15 to 35’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers while walleye fishing 9 to 13 miles offshore from Geneva and Ashtabula in 68 to 74 feet of water. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

I was able to scramble back onto the twisted wreckage and cut myself loose. Others had already moved their boats. I had looked at other docks that very same morning and was about to move my boat somewhere else when I got the call that it was too late. Man, it went fast ! Many have speculated as to how this could have happened after that property had stood there as is for over a hundred years with a steel company there before it was tore down and then years later the River Marine building put up. All the existing bulk heads were there as well all those years. How could something like this happen ?

Well, I'll tell you what I think. I think it's a combination of factors combined that resulted in the disaster. Many of you that had read some of my previous reports this summer may remember be mentioning that the river was being dredged and that they took it down to a uniform depth of 20 foot, wall to wall across the river. Bingo. What used to be only a few feet deep right by the wall was now dug out to 20 foot ! Now, I'm no Einstein but ... that and the bridge project where they have the huge drawbridge just a few feet away from River Marine standing straight up in the air for over 4 months now day and night shaking and swaying in the wind... I'm not saying anything, I'm just saying ...

The implications to this for everyone is going to be significant. I already have found a new dock location at least for the rest of this year just a few hundred yards back up river right by the Oar House Saloon. Coming from Rt. 11 like you normally come, go all the way north on 11 till it dead ends. Then turn left like you did before to go to River Marine but only go exactly 6/10ths of a mile and at the bottom of the hill you turn left into The Oar House's Parking lot. It is a big square white block building that looks like a ware house. Sadly it is not marked very well. I don't know how this will all play out but most importantly it's not looking good for fishing licenses or fish cleaning services at the end of the day unless they get something temporarily put up in a hurry. I am urging all my upcoming trips to contact me on my cell, 216-387-2656 as soon as possible to discuss other options. There are options but the bottom line is it will not be as convenient as we have all grown accustomed to. Very sad.

Walleye fishing has been good E of the southern half of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain 7 to 10 miles out, NE of Gordon Park in 66 to 70’ of water, NW of Chagrin River in 68 to 72’ of water, NE of Geneva in 68 to 74’ of water, and 9+ miles N of Ashtabula in 68 to 74’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses continue to be the top bait followed closely by spoons, especially east. The best action has been about 25-52 feet down, and the best colors have been chartreuse, purple, orange, green, and black with copper or gold.

West of Cleveland the best yellow perch fishing has been off of Sawmill Creek in 33’ of water and from Cranberry Creek to Old Woman’s Creek in 31 to 38’ of water. The fishing is fair offshore in the Cleveland area. The best spots to try are NE of Edgewater Park in 50 to 58 feet of water and NW of Gordon Park in 54 to 58 feet of water. To the east, fishing remains good NW of Fairport Harbor in 52 to 65’ of water, and N of Ashtabula in 60 to 68’ and N Conneaut in 50 to 65’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Don’t forget to try several turns up from the bottom as some fish may be suspended. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 15 to 35’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers while walleye fishing 9 to 13 miles offshore from Cleveland, Eastlake, Fairport, Geneva and Ashtabula in 68 to 74 feet of water. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 75 off of Toledo and Cleveland.

Anglers are encouraged to always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device while boating.

The fish have seemed to go no where the last few weeks. They just seem to be hanging out around the 8-9 mile to the 12 -13 mile mark off shore. Most days we are running slightly north west. The fish are just there. Day after day, over and over again. As a charter captain, consistency is the best thing that could happen to us. Figure out what lead lengths are working and stick with it. Most Days the fish are very deep. Get you're stuff down there and hold on ! We have been fishing for the marks that are showing up on the fish finder in the 55 to 65 ft.below the surface. It has just been plain working. I have it pretty much figured out and everyday thus far it has been a slaughter. I am just hoping that we can keep it going for the next month and a half. That's how much longer I have left in my Walleye season. It just seems incredible to me. It seems just like yesterday that we put the boat in for the season. Just like I said before, over and over and over again. That's how this season has been for me thus far. Very good and very fast everyday so far ...

Man, I can't believe how generous you have all been. Fuel prices have been killing me this season and you guys for the most part have been steping up to the plate and taking that into consideration when settling up at the end of the day with generous tip money. While others have been trying to pass on fuel sur-charges, I have just been focusing on filling the box and letting the chips fall where they may. It's been good all the way around. I get the job done everyday and all of you have made sure that the bills get paid. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. After all the years I've been at this, I am very pleased with my clientele and the relationship that we have. It gives me hope for the years to come.

Just as I have been preaching all season long, we still need to get off by 5:00 a.m. We now have some travel time involved and we want to make sure that we get off early enough to where we can get out there and arrive at the hot spots just as day light breaks and start setting lines in time for the feeding frenzy. This has been half of the reason that I have been so successful. I have most all of you convinced as to how important it is to be fishing out there in the wee hours of the morning when the bite is on. It has paid huge dividends for all of us aboard "The Trophy" and it has been the reason we have had the edge on the competition. First out, first back . It's a beautiful thing. Please remember that the drawbridge in the harbor is closed to car traffic and that you must come in by way of Rt. 11 as all of my directions spell out . Also please remember th at the upcoming Perch season will be here in a matter of a few short weeks. NOW IS THE TIME TO BOOK YOUR PERCH TRIPS !!

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been good E of the southern half of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, 7 to 10 miles out NE and NW of Edgewater State Park in 62 to 70’ of water, NW of Eastlake in 67 to 70’ of water, NW of Geneva in 68 to 72’ of water, and 8+ miles NE and NW of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 70 to 73’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses continue to be the top bait followed closely by spoons, especially east. The best action has been about 25-40 feet down, and the best colors have been chartreuse, purple, orange, green, and black with copper or gold.

Yellow perch fishing is good offshore in the Cleveland area. The best spots to try are NW of Edgewater Park in 53 to 60 feet of water and NE of Rocky River in 58 to 62 feet of water. To the east, fishing remains good NW of Fairport Harbor in 52 to 65’ of water, and N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 50 to 65’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Don’t forget to try several turns up from the bottom as some fish may be suspended. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 15 to 35’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught 7 to 10 miles offshore from Cleveland, Eastlake, Fairport, Geneva and Ashtabula in 62 to 73 feet of water. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 74 off of Toledo and Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been good on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, NW of the Chagrin River in 60 to 65’ of water, NW of Edgewater State Park in 58 to 64’ of water, N-NW of Fairport Harbor in 60 to 70’ of water, NW and NE of Ashtabula in 68 to 72’ of water. Trollers are using crankbaits or spoons and worm harnesses off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. The best action has been about 20 feet down and the best colors have been chartreuse, silver, orange, green and pink, and monkey puke.

Yellow perch fishing slowed down in the Cleveland area this past week. The best spots to try are NW of Edgewater Park in 42 to 48 feet of water and NW of Gordon Park in 45 to 50 feet of water. To the east, fishing remains good NW of Fairport Harbor in 40 to 50’ of water, and N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 50 to 60’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 5 to 20’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs.

Steelhead fishing is picking up and fish are being caught off Fairport, Geneva and Ashtabula. Anglers are catching steelhead on spoons while trolling for walleye.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 72 off of Toledo and Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been very good N of Cranberry Creek marina in 32’ of water, on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, NW of the Chagrin River in 56 to 62’ of water, NW of Wildwood State Park in 60 to 62’ of water, N of Fairport Harbor in 60 to 72’ of water, NW of Geneva in 60 to 72’ of water, and NW of Ashtabula in 60 to 72’ of water. Trollers are using crankbaits or spoons and worm harnesses off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. The best action has been 20’ down and the best spoon colors have been chartreuse, silver, orange, green and pink.

Yellow perch fishing has been good NW of Edgewater State Park in 43 to 47’ of water, NW of Chagrin River in 38 to 44’ of water, NW of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 55’ of water, and N of Ashtabula in 50 to 60’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 5 to 20’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs.

Steelhead fishing is picking up and fish are being caught off Chagrin River, Fairport, Geneva and Ashtabula. Anglers are catching steelhead on spoons while trolling for walleye.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 70 off of Toledo and 69 off of Cleveland.

The fish continue to move offshore further and further and drop deeper and deeper down in the water column. Aboard "The Trophy" we have made all of the necessary adjustments and continue to bring consistent catches of beautiful Walleyes back to the bragging board everyday. A few more Steelhead are also appearing in our daily catches as well as we continue to get further offshore with the Walleyes moving out. With this, my daily fuel bill is also starting to get very ugly. Thanks to everyone that is kicking in the extra tip bucks to make sure that fuel is never a determining point for where I am going to fish. I want to take everyone to the very best possible spots no matter how far out this may be. All of you have been very generous and I will continue to take everyone to the best spots that I am aware of, no matter how far out it is.

One thing now needs to be addressed. The game wardens as of July 1st are strictly watching and enforcing the 6 Walleye possession rule. This is nothing new. You are not allowed and never have been allowed to have on your possession more then 6 Walleyes a person as you leave the marina. We have been warned and the fish cleaners now have to keep strict records as well. What that means is you are not allowed to have any extra fish that we may catch as we clear lines or whatever just because I am on board. I have been guilty before of letting a few of you keep a few extra fish on my account if they were coming exceptionally fast. This was never legal and they are now watching us closely. Please do not ask me to break any laws. You are allowed 6 Walleyes each and no more. They are going to make an example of someone and they have the power to pull over cars as they leave the marina and count either fish or fillets. Mark my words, this is going to happen.

We still need to leave early in the morning each day. If you have a upcoming trip, you need to be at the marina at 5:00 a.m. especially now that we have more travel time involved in getting to the schools of fish. Also, the drawbridge is still closed for repairs so make sure you come in by way of Rt.11 like my directions direct you to. Finally, as we start the down ward slide of the 2008 fishing season I want to remind everyone that the fall Perch season will be here before you know it. Some are already Perching because you don't have to burn anywhere near as much gas and they are doing incredibly well considering it is still mid summer. It will only get better this fall. We are already booking Perch dates and you can really never book to early. Remember that the best date always go first so don't wait ! Book your fall Perch trips now !

Walleye fishing has been good S of the Huron dumping grounds in 32’ of water, N of the Vermilion breakwall, N of Beaver Creek, NW of the Chagrin River in 60 to 65’ of water, NW of Gordon Park in 56 to 63’ of water, NW of Fairport Harbor in 65 to 74’ of water, NW of Geneva in 60 to 70’ of water, and N of Ashtabula in 60 to 70’ of water. Trollers are using crankbaits or spoons and worm harnesses off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. The best action has been 20’ down and the best spoon colors have been gold, orange, green and pink.

Yellow perch fishing west of Cleveland has been best N of the Vermilion breakwall and off of the Lorain lighthouse. Fishing has been good NW of Gordon Park in 50’ of water, NW of Fairport Harbor in 50 to 55’ of water, N of Geneva in 60 to 70’ of water and N of Conneaut in 55 to 65’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 5 to 20’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs.

Steelhead fishing is picking up and fish are being caught off Chagrin River, Fairport, Geneva and Ashtabula. Anglers are catching steelhead on spoons while trolling for walleye.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 70 off of Toledo and 68 off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been good N of Cedar Point, N of Vermilion to Lorain in 35 to 45’ of water, NW of the Chagrin River in 40 to 48’ of water, NW of Edgewater State Park in 42 to 54’ of water, W of Fairport Harbor in 35 to 45’ of water, NE of Geneva in 60 to 70’ of water, and NW of Ashtabula in 60 to 70’ of water. Trollers are using crankbaits or spoons and worm harnesses off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. The best action has been 20’ down and the best spoon colors have been gold or silver with green and pink.

Yellow perch fishing west of Cleveland has been best off of the condos east of Vermilion and off of the Lorain lighthouse. Fishing has been good NW of Wildwood State Park in 40 to 45’ of water, NW of Gordon Park in 30 to 40’ of water, NW of Fairport Harbor in 40 to 55’ of water, and N of Ashtabula in 40 to 50’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7.5 to 12.5 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 5 to 20’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 68 off of Toledo and 67 off of Cleveland.

The last few days we've been out as far as 10 miles. Even though we will be out even further in the coming months, the pain at the pump is already setting in big time. By the time we run out 10 miles or so, troll all day and run back 10 miles, the daily fuel expense is very trouble some. I still wonder how we will be able to afford to run out the 20 miles or so that we normally do in July and August before we ever even wet a line. We have not adjusted our rates in the last several years to compensate for what is happing at the marine gas docks. I certainly would have this season if I would have known how the prices were going to soar this summer. I am still very dependent on everyone's understanding and generous tips to try and off set this terrible situation. So far everyone has been taking good care of me at the end of the day. I can't thank you enough .

The Walleyes are still only hitting very well in the early morning. The first few hours of daylight has been awesome and then it dies off dramatically. Maybe after the fish drop down to the 50 - 60 foot range they will cooperate a bit better all day but until then, we absolutely have to be off the dock by 5:00 a.m. Especially now since we have even more travel time involved before we even start to set lines. The choice is yours. Show up late and go for a boat ride or show up at day break as I strongly suggest and get in on the blazing hot action that happens just as the sun is coming up. It's my favorite time of day. You have not lived until you've seen a lake Erie sun rise over the water with Walleyes hanging all over the place in total chaotic bliss !

I am reminding everyone that the draw bridge is closed for the summer for vehicular traffic and you must come in by way of route 11 as all my directions clearly spell out. The river dredging project which has been ongoing for the past 3 years is now completed. The last few weeks have been a real pain but now we can now enjoy the deep water that the project has left behind. Most of you will remember how shallow it was behind my boat. We now have 20 foot of water under us and it is right up to the wall. Amazing ! I have seen a lot of changes in the past 22 years of full time chartering out of Ashtabula harbor. This is probably the greatest change I've ever witnessed. Well, let's hope for calm seas and great fishing the rest of the summer. I just love it when I get to say everyday, "just another day on The Trophy!"

Walleye fishing has been excellent on the dumping grounds N of Huron, N of Beaver Creek in 35 to 45’ of water, NW of the Chagrin River in 20 to 30’ of water, NE of Wildwood State Park in 20 to 30’ of water, 4 to 5 miles W of Geneva in 50 to 65’ of water, and 2 to 4 miles W of Fairport Harbor in 20 to 30’ of water. Trollers are using crankbaits or spoons and worm harnesses off jet divers, dipsy divers and downriggers. The best action has been 20’ down and the best spoon colors have been gold or silver with green and pink.

Yellow perch fishing west of Cleveland has been best off of the condos east of Vermilion, in 43’ of water north of Beaver Creek, and off of the Lorain lighthouse. Fishing has been excellent NE of the Chagrin River in 30 to 35’ of water, NE of Edgewater in 30 to 35’ of water, N of Fairport Harbor in 35 to 50’ of water, N of Conneaut in 35 to 50’ of water, and N of Geneva and Ashtabula in 45 to 55’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7.5 to 12.5 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 5 to 20’ of water around Ashtabula and Fairport Harbor. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 70 off of Toledo and 63 off of Cleveland.

Walleye have been caught trolling nearshore from Huron to Lorain in 32 to 45’ of water with Beaver Creek producing some of the largest fish, off Eastlake in 35 to 40’, off Cleveland in 40 to 55’, off Geneva 40 to 55’, and off Ashtabula in 35 to 50’. Trollers are using stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards, jet divers and also flatline trolling.

Yellow perch fishing west of Cleveland has been best off of the condos east of Vermilion, in 43’ of water north of Beaver Creek, and off of the Lorain lighthouse. Fishing has been very good off Wildwood State Park and Eastlake in 30 to 35 feet of water, off Fairport in 35 to 45’, and off Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut in 35 to 50’. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 8 to 12 inches. Shore anglers are catching fish off the long pier in Grand River and also the short pier in Fairport Harbor.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 15 to 25 feet of water around harbor areas in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 67 off of Toledo and 60 off of Cleveland.

One thing remains the same right now everyday. It is an extreme early morning bite. So far we have been putting the bulk of our fish in the box in the first few hours of daylight. The fish are in very shallow water lots of the mornings and are very high to the surface. I remind and urge all my groups to be at the dock by 5:00 a.m. and certainly no later then 5:30 if you want to catch lots of fish. Its really that simple.

I also want to remind everybody that the lift bridge in the harbor is closed for the entire season for repairs and you must come in by way of Rt. 11 just like my directions direct and not a short cut through town for those staying at some of the local motels. River Marine where I dock is also under new management so I hope everybody understands it's going to take a little while as the new people learn the ropes with licenses etc. Lots of changes everywhere this season.

Walleye have been caught trolling nearshore from Huron to Lorain in 32 to 42’ of water, and in 40 to 50 feet of water off Eastlake to Cleveland, and in 35 to 50 feet of water off Fairport, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Trollers are using stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards, jet divers and also flatline trolling. Fishing is picking up on the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland. The best times for shore fishing are in the early morning and evening with anglers using surface rapalas.

Yellow perch fishing west of Cleveland has been best off of the condos east of Vermilion and off of the Lorain lighthouse. Fishing has been very good off Gordon and Edgewater Parks in Cleveland in 30 to 40 feet of water, and off all the major ports from Fairport to Conneaut in 35 to 45 feet of water. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 8 to 12 inches. Shore anglers are catching fish off the long pier in Grand River and also the short pier in Fairport Harbor.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 15 to 25 feet of water around harbor areas in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 62 off of Toledo and 59 off of Cleveland.

The Walleye fishing is not starting out crazy fast like it did the past two Junes here when I first came back but it's not bad either. As in past years, the early Walleyes that we're catching right now are very close to shore and are very high in the water column. We had several good days this past week along the shore lines both east and west of Ashtabula Harbor in water as shallow as 30 ft. The problem we are still having is lots of wind. It is very difficult to work the pods of fish when we run across them when fighting a heavy chop. If we ever get the chance to circle around in tighter loops when we run across these pockets, I think catch rates will soar.

There is a incredible amount of work being performed in the harbor area right now. The final leg of the Ashtabula River dredging project is being finished. Some of you will remember how shallow it was when I backed my boat into my dock at River Marine. Well those days are over. We now have 20 ft. of water under us ! Also the famous draw bridge right next to River Marine is getting a complete make over. Presently it is being sand blasted and will be completely re-painted over the whole summer. All this means that the drawbridge is stuck open and is closed to vehicular traffic for the entire year. Please note that you MUST come in by way of Rt. 11 exactly how my directions tell you to. If you come in the back way like some of you do when staying in town, you will run into a big detour and you will be very late. PLEASE NOTE THIS !

Walleye have been caught trolling nearshore from Huron to Lorain in 28 to 36’ of water, and in 35-45’ off Eastlake to Cleveland. Trollers are using stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and also flatline trolling. Fishing is picking up on the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland. The best times for shore fishing are in the early morning and evening with anglers using surface rapalas.

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the condos east of Vermilion, off of the Lorain lighthouse, in 40-50’ off Fairport to Conneaut, and 35-40’ off Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 8 to 12 inches. Shore anglers are catching fish off the long pier in Grand River and also the short pier in Fairport Harbor.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 15 to 25’ around harbor areas in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 58 off of Toledo and 56 off of Cleveland.

Walleye have been caught trolling nearshore in 15-25’ off Eastlake, Cleveland and Rocky River. Trollers are using stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and also flatline trolling. Fishing is picking up on the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland. The best times are in the evening and early morning with anglers using surface rapalas.

Yellow perch fishing has been best in 30-40’ off Fairport to Conneaut, and 30-40’ off Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 15 to 25’ around harbor areas in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

We had a wonderfully successful season in 07 both business wise and in fishing success. I am very thankful for all of the good things that we experienced aboard "The Trophy" this past season and I am looking forward to doing it all over again.

Thanks to everyone that chose our charter this past year over the hundreds of those available to choose from on Lake Erie. I hope I have the opportunity to serve your needs again this coming fishing season out there on "The Walleye Capitol of The World", beautiful Lake Erie !

We'll have some new stuff up shortly on our website, www.trophycharters.com so keep your eyes out and remember that right now is the time to book all your trips for this coming spring and summer. It will be here before you know it !

Capt. Walt

The Lake Erie surface temperature is 40 degrees off of Toledo and 46 degrees off of Cleveland.

When conditions have allowed the best walleye fishing has been from Cedar Point to Vermilion. The best technique to catch fall trophies is trolling crankbaits around open water baitfish during the day or along rocky shorelines at night. Shore anglers can also catch walleye from piers after dark as walleye move inshore to feed on shiners and gizzard shad.

Steelhead fishing has been very good and are being caught off the Fairport, Ashtabula and Conneaut breakwalls in 10 to 25 feet and also in the Ashtabula and Grand Rivers, and the mouth of Conneaut Creek. Anglers are catching steelhead trolling green/white, red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good off of the Vermilion breakwall in 35 to 38’ of water, off of the Lorain lighthouse, northwest of Gordon State Park (Cleveland) in 42 feet, north of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) in 40 feet, north-northwest of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 60 feet, and north of Conneaut in 35 to 40 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Shore fisherman are catching yellow perch at the Lorain ore dock pier using perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows or nightcrawlers.

Steelhead fishing has been very good at the mouths of the rivers and major streams. Water levels remain low in the main channels on the rivers and streams. Anglers are catching fish at the Lorain Ore dock, East 72nd St Pier in Cleveland, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Geneva State Park, 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.

Wind conditions limited opportunities on the sandbar between Lorain and Vermilion where fishing had been good. With the strong south winds some fish were caught nearshore from Vermilion to Huron. Anglers trolling crankbaits or divers with harnesses and spoons had the best success.

Steelhead fishing has been very good and are being caught off the Fairport, Ashtabula and Conneaut breakwalls in 10 to 25 feet and also in the Ashtabula and Grand Rivers. Anglers are catching steelhead trolling green/white, red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good off of the Vermilion breakwall in 35 to 38’ of water, off of the Lorain lighthouse, northwest of Gordon State Park (Cleveland) in 42 feet, north of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) in 40 feet, north-northwest of Fairport Harbor in 40 to 52 feet, and north of Conneaut in 53 to 58 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Shore fisherman are catching yellow perch at the Lorain ore dock pier using perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

Steelhead fishing has been very good at the mouths of the rivers and major streams and anglers are catching fish at the Lorain Ore dock, East 72nd St Pier in Cleveland, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Geneva State Park, 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.

Walleye fishing has been spotty on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) in 69 to 72 feet and northeast of Ashtabula in 68 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with spoons and worm harnesses ranging in copper, black/purple, tangerine, watermelon, wonderbread, antifreeze and gold/orange.

Steelhead fishing has been good and is being caught off the Fairport and Ashtabula, Conneaut breakwalls in 10 to 25 feet and also in the Ashtabula and Grand Rivers. Anglers are catching steelhead trolling green/white, red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good off of the Vermilion breakwall in 36’ of water, off of the Lorain lighthouse, north of Gordon State Park (Cleveland) in 42 to 50 feet, north of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) 40 to 51 feet, north-northwest of Fairport Harbor in 30 to 58 feet, and north of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 55 to 60 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Shore fisherman are catching yellow perch at the Lorain ore dock pier using perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye, also inshore near the mouth of the Chagrin River and adjacent to the Eastlake Power Plant.

Steelhead fishing has been good as fish begin to move up into the rivers and creeks and anglers are catching fish in the Lorain Ore dock, 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.

The Lake Erie surface temperature is 58 degrees off of Toledo and 64 degrees off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been spotty on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north of Geneva 72 feet, and north-northeast of Conneaut in 70 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with spoons, stick baits and worm harnesses ranging in copper, black/purple, tangerine, watermelon, wonderbread, antifreeze and gold/orange.

A few steelhead are being caught by walleye anglers trolling off Geneva and Conneaut in 70 to 72 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good off of the condos east of Vermilion, off of the Lorain lighthouse, north-northeast of Gordon Park (Cleveland) in 52 to 54 feet, north-northwest of Euclid in 52 to 56 feet, north-northwest of Fairport Harbor in 48 to 62 feet, and north of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 55 to 70 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good near Ruggles Reef in the Huron area, in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye, also inshore near the mouth of the Chagrin River and adjacent to the Eastlake Power Plant.

Steelhead fishing has been good as fish begin to move up into the rivers and creeks and anglers are catching fish in the 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.

We have had very nice weather for the most part this fall to work with as well. Just like this entire season, long stretches of bad weather have been non existent. Sure, we have had the occasional one day blow here and there but not enough to screw anything up. The lake hasn't even turned over yet, which usually happens in mid September. This is a phenomenon where after a big blow the warm water on the surface mixes with the cold water below the thermocline. It usually screws the fishing up for a few days.

And with this stable weather and the lake not flipping, even the Walleyes are still hanging around ! Although I have only been running Perch trips myself, I have seen very many nice cooler fulls of Walleye still coming in. The word among the Walleye fisherman is that they are super, super deep now. We're talking right on the bottom in 65 to 70 foot of water. Although I would be interested in running a Walleye trip should someone request it, I am perfectly content chasing Perch now that I have started doing so, especially after running Walleye trips day after day for 6 months now !

My October schedule is very light at this point. If anybody is interested in a fun filled day of catching Lake Erie gold, I would be more then happy to welcome you aboard "The Trophy" for a late season day on the water. Remember, old man winter is just around the corner now and the opportunity to do a trip still this year is fast slipping away ! As always, I can be reached directly on my cell phone (216) 387-2656 for a list of what is still available or to secure a day. I have to go now..., I'm going to go back now and have a Perch sandwich. Mmmmmm Mmmmmmmm !!!

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been spotty on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, northwest and northeast of Ashtabula in 63 to 72 feet, and northwest and northeast of Fairport in 65 to 72 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with spoons, stick baits and worm harnesses ranging in copper, black/purple, tangerine, watermelon, wonder bread, antifreeze and gold/orange.

A few steelhead are being caught off Fairport and Ashtabula in 63 to 72 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good west of the Sandbar, off Lorain in 45 feet of water, north-northeast of Euclid in 55 to 62 feet, northwest and northeast of Chagrin River in 55 to 61 feet, northwest of Fairport Harbor in 47 to 57 feet, and north of Conneaut in 57 to 70 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good near Ruggles Reef in the Huron area, in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye, also inshore near the mouth of the Chagrin River and adjacent to the Eastlake Power Plant.

Walleye fishing has been very good on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north-northwest of Gordon Park and Edgewater in 60 to 71 feet, north-northeast of Ashtabula in 60 to 72 feet, and north of Conneaut in 58 to 65 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers, down riggers and wire line with spoons and stick baits ranging in copper, black/purple, tangerine, watermelon, wonder bread, antifreeze and gold/orange.

Steelhead are being caught from Geneva to Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good just off of the Vermilion breakwall, north-northeast of Gordon Park in 56 feet, north-northwest of Euclid in 54 to 55 feet, northwest of Fairport Harbor in 46 to 55 feet, and north of Conneaut in 61 to 65 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye, also inshore near the mouth of the Chagrin River and adjacent to the Eastlake Power Plant.

This past week we ran our first few Perch trips along with what seemingly may have been my last couple of Walleye trips for the year. At least on the books, I only have Perch trips scheduled from here on out although the Walleye fishing was still so good that I may try to squeeze another Walleye trip or two in the next week or so if anyone would be interested in trying it one more time.

Thursday Sept.13th was the last Walleye trip that I took out. We headed out with not much certainty as to what to expect after loosing Tue.and Wed.to gale force winds and forecasted waves to 14 feet ! And absolutely nothing changed. We killed the Walleyes pretty much where we had left off about 15 miles offshore. It was fast and furious. Nice fish too. The junk fish such as the White Bass and Sheephead weren't bad either. A nice way to end the Walleye season if indeed that turns out to be my last one.

We have a lot of open dates now as we enter the fall season. Perch fishing is already great and will only get better as the water cools and the true Jumbo Perch start to move in and turn on. Walleye was still good this past week but we are dangerously close to that time of year around here where the Walleye fishing seems to go from really good to crap almost overnight. Still though, anyone interested in whatever trip can call me as always directly on my cell 216-387-2656.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been very good on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north-northwest of Gordon Park in 63 to 71 feet, northeast of Geneva in 70 to 72 feet, and northeast of Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers, down riggers and wire line with spoons and stick baits ranging in copper, black/purple, gold, boy/girl, superman, wonder bread, antifreeze and chartreuse.

Steelhead are being caught from Geneva to Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good in 35’ of water off of the condos east of Vermilion, 5 miles north-northeast of Gordon Park in 56 feet, 4 to 6 miles north-northwest of Euclid in 54 to 55 feet, 3 to 6 miles northwest of Fairport Harbor in 48 to 58 feet, and 4 to 6 miles north-northeast of Conneaut in 53 to 65 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye.

Walleye fishing has been very good on the south end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north-northwest of Euclid in 68 to 76 feet, north-northwest of Chagrin River in 70 to 75 feet, northeast of Geneva in 69 to 74 feet, and north-northeast of Ashtabula in 72 to 75 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers, down riggers and wire line with spoons and stick baits ranging in copper, black/purple, gold, boy/girl, superman, wonder bread, antifreeze and chartreuse.

Steelhead are being caught from Geneva to Ashtabula in 69 to 75 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 35’ of water off of the condos east of Vermilion, 5 to 7 miles north-northwest of Edgewater State Park in 60 feet, 5 to 8 miles north-northeast of Euclid in 47 to 61 feet, 4 to 6 miles north-northwest of Fairport Harbor in 48 to 58 feet, and 4 to 6 miles north-northeast of Conneaut in 48 to 64 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 20 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye.

The last week or so has seen some sanity return to our fishing as a lot of the fish have dramatically moved back north towards the Canadian border making it a lot tougher to get on and stay on the fish, especially if it is rough out. We've also been plagued with nuisance Sheephead and White Bass in incredible amounts on some days. Still, in between whatever the lake throws at us we've been consistently pulling limit after limit of beautiful Walleyes and the occasional Steelhead Trout. I can not remember the last time that we did not "get them all" !

We sure had our share of thunderstorms that we had to navigate around the last couple of weeks of August. I was so thankful that I had all of the Raymarine electronics that I have on board to help me make educated decisions as to whether it was safe to cast off or not or if we were already out, whether to keep fishing or not. It sure impressed a lot of my customers as we tracked heavy bands of thunderstorms almost daily with the state of the art Sirius weather service displayed on my Raymarine E-120. We also would track the closer squalls on the regular Raymarine boat radar. Never a dull moment out on the big lake, especially when you are out 20+ miles offshore.

As I mentioned earlier, Perch season is now just around the corner. Others have already started to Perch and are doing EXCELLENT ! Anyone interested in a Perch trip with me aboard "The Trophy" can call me directly on my boat/cell number: (216) 387-2656. As of this report, we have the following open dates available in September: Sept. 19th or 20th for either a Walleye or Perch trip. Then the last week of Sept. we have Sept. 25th and 27th available for preferably a Perch trip. October still has a lot of open dates left. For a complete up to the minute list of what is available please call me at the above mentioned number or drop me a e-mail at trophy@trophycharters.com

Capt. Walt

The last week or so has seen some sanity return to our fishing as a lot of the fish have dramatically moved back north towards the Canadian border making it a lot tougher to get on and stay on the fish, especially if it is rough out. We've also been plagued with nuisance Sheephead and White Bass in incredible amounts on some days. Still, in between whatever the lake throws at us we've been consistently pulling limit after limit of beautiful Walleyes and the occasional Steelhead Trout. I can not remember the last time that we did not "get them all" !

We sure had our share of thunderstorms that we had to navigate around the last couple of weeks of August. I was so thankful that I had all of the Raymarine electronics that I have on board to help me make educated decisions as to whether it was safe to cast off or not or if we were already out, whether to keep fishing or not. It sure impressed a lot of my customers as we tracked heavy bands of thunderstorms almost daily with the state of the art Sirius weather service displayed on my Raymarine E-120. We also would track the closer squalls on the regular Raymarine boat radar. Never a dull moment out on the big lake, especially when you are out 20+ miles offshore.

As I mentioned earlier, Perch season is now just around the corner. Others have already started to Perch and are doing EXCELLENT ! Anyone interested in a Perch trip with me aboard "The Trophy" can call me directly on my boat/cell number: (216) 387-2656. As of this report, we have the following open dates available in September: Sept. 19th or 20th for either a Walleye or Perch trip. Then the last week of Sept. we have Sept. 25th and 27th available for preferably a Perch trip. October still has a lot of open dates left. For a complete up to the minute list of what is available please call me at the above mentioned number or drop me a e-mail at trophy@trophycharters.com

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been very good on the south end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north-northeast of Cleveland in 63 to 77 feet, north-northeast of Ashtabula in 70 to 76 feet and north-northeast of Geneva in 64 to 74 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers, down riggers and wire line with spoons and stick baits ranging in black/purple, gold, boy/girl, superman, wonder bread, antifreeze and chartreuse. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught from Geneva to Ashtabula in 70 to 74 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 35’ of water off of the condos east of Vermilion, 3 to 5 miles northeast and northwest of Eastlake in 55 to 65 feet, 3 to 5 miles north-northwest of Fairport Harbor in 48 to 60 feet, and 5 to 6 miles north-northeast of Conneaut in 58 to 62 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 20 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Lorain Ore Dock, Eastlake CEI pier, Fairport Harbor pier, and Conneaut breakwall; early mornings and evenings have been the best. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs or small spinners.

Walleye fishing has been very good on the south end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, northeast of Ashtabula in 65 to 72 feet, and north-northwest of Conneaut in 63 to 72 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers and down riggers with spoons and stick baits ranging in black/purple, gold, silver/silver, superman, wonder bread, antifreeze and chartreuse. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught from Geneva to Conneaut in 65 to 72 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been good 3 miles north of Edgewater State Park in 43 to 51 feet, 3 miles north of Eastlake in 47 feet, 3-5 miles northwest of Fairport Harbor in 48 to 55 feet, and 5-6 miles north-northeast of Conneaut in 48 to 65 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 20 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Lorain Ore Dock, Eastlake CEI pier, Fairport Harbor pier, and Conneaut breakwall; early mornings and evenings have been the best. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs or small spinners.

The Lake Erie surface temperature is 70 degrees off of Toledo and 73 degrees off of Cleveland.

Aboard "The Trophy" we've been going just about as fast and non stop as we can go from the moment we first start to set lines till the last Walleye is netted. I just simply can not even catch my breath. There is always half a dozen or so things that need my immediate attention constantly. And even though I get all my crews heavily involved in running and setting the lines, it really has been overwhelming. There is almost always constantly 2, 3, 4 and sometimes even more fish on at the same time. It's a fine act of juggling people around, netting fish and still be running lines back out so that you are not caught with no lines in the water. I am very happy with how well all my crews have handled all the mass organized chaos. We truly have worked well together.

We are still catching some monster Walleyes but the bulk of the fish are just the nice average sized eaters, maybe 18 to 22 inches. It just doesn't get any better for table fare. And the occasional Steelhead Trout is still showing up almost on a daily basis just to add a twist of excitement to the almost out of control fun. The junk fish such as the Sheephead are also starting to become a bit of a problem. Still though, we deal with it and move on. Most trips we have been back before noon. It has been very nice to be wrapped up and done before the extreme August afternoon heat kicks in. This has been a special year. It will not always be like this so we have to enjoy it while we can. It could all change in a matter of days.

And it don't even seem possible but it's already time to start thinking about and booking your Jumbo Perch trips for late next month and all of October. As good as the Walleye fishing is right now off of Ashtabula, we only have about a month to go before switching over for the last part of our season. And even in past record good years, when it's over around here, it's over. As fast as these fish show up in record numbers, they also disappear. I do not like to book Walleye trips any later then I am confident that we can do well. This usually occurs in late Sept. We just switch over to Perch for about 6 weeks and then call it a year. Anyone interested in a Perch Charter can call me at 216-387-2656. Maybe I'll be able to finally catch my breath ! Naw !!

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been very good on the Huron dumping grounds, on the south end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north of Edgewater State Park in 68 to 72 feet, north of Chagrin River in 68 to 72 feet, north northwest of Geneva in 68 to 72 feet, and north-northeast of Ashtabula in 67 to 75 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers or jet divers off planers with spoons and stick baits ranging in black/purple, gold, blue/silver, wonderbread, antifreeze and chartreuse with copper backs. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught off Lorain, Vermilion, and Cleveland in 68 to 72 feet, and Geneva to Ashtabula in 67 to 75 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 39’ of water off of the Vermilion breakwall, 4-6 mi north of Cleveland in 40 to 60 feet, north of Eastlake in 50 to 55 feet, 4-6 mi northwest of Fairport Harbor in 48 to 55 feet, and 4-6 mi north-northeast of Conneaut in 48 to 56 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 20 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Lorain Ore Dock, Eastlake CEI pier, Fairport Harbor pier, and Conneaut breakwall; early mornings and evenings have been the best. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs or small spinners.

Walleye fishing has been very good on the south end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, northwest of Gordon Park (E 72nd St. in Cleveland) in 60 to 72 feet, 10 mi north of Chagrin River in 68 to 72 feet, west northwest of Fairport in 60 to 72 feet, and north-northeast of Ashtabula in 68 to 72 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers or jet divers off planers with spoons and stick baits ranging in black/purple, gold, wonderbread, antifreeze and chartreuse with copper backs. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught off Lorain, Vermilion, and Cleveland in 68 to 70 feet, and Geneva to Ashtabula in 70 to 73 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been good 3-5 mi north of Cleveland in 30 to 55 feet, north of Eastlake in 50 to 55 feet, 4-6 mi northwest of Fairport Harbor in 50 to 56 feet, and north-northeast of Conneaut in 48 to 65 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 20 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Lorain Ore Dock, Eastlake CEI pier, Fairport Harbor pier, and Conneaut breakwall; early mornings and evenings have been the best. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs or small spinners.

There is no one spot now that we are relying on as more and more schools of hungry feeding Walleyes are setting up shop in the deeper, cooler waters offshore of Ashtabula for this hot part of summer. Water temp's are now around 75 degrees yet the Walleyes that we are pulling in from 50 to 60 foot level below the surface are nice and cold. Tons of baitfish are showing up now, especially the Smelt and the Walleyes are in a literal feeding frenzy with their metabolism in high gear!

Aboard "The Trophy" we are relying heavily on the old Storm deep diving Jr. Thunderstick. This lure is identical in size and shape to the Lake Erie Smelt. When you hold each in hand, it's easy to see why the Walleyes are so easily fooled. Best colors for us as always seem to me the metallic colors with gold's and silvers seemingly the very best. Copper spoons on the riggers and divers are also doing very well. Everything is now set super deep for these hungry Walleyes and that means a lot of cranking but as I tell all my groups, "more winding and less whining

It is especially vital with this heat to get off the dock bright and early and that means you need to be loaded up and ready to roll no later then 5:30 a.m.if you have a trip booked with us. The fish are a good ways offshore now so there is a considerable amount of travel time. We want to arrive at the fishing grounds just as dawn is breaking so that we can cash in on the early morning heavy bite and try to be off the lake before the heat of the afternoon becomes unbearable. So far, almost all of my groups have been very good about showing up very early all bright eyed and ready to go fishing. That gets us out and fishing when the walleyes are biting like crazy and others are still waiting for their charters to show up! Thanks for helping me look good !!

Capt. Walt

The past couple of weeks we've been bouncing around from one hot spot to another, trying to keep our guests on top of the very best Walleye action that I become aware of. We have been offshore as far as 20 miles and for a few trips we've been working back in some very shallow water after a nice school was discovered in about 40 foot of water. What those fish are doing in such shallow water in the middle of the summer is beyond me but I liked it while it lasted. That particular bite appears to be slowing down although there are still fish in there if you are willing to weed thru all the junk fish.

We took many limits of Walleyes from both the near shore and far off shore waters of Ashtabula Harbor in the past couple of weeks. Steelhead trout are still showing up almost on a daily basis when we work our way further out in the lake but not in the crazy numbers that we were catching back in June. We even boated a very nice Brown Trout recently! The size on the Walleyes has been a pleasant mix of year classes although the "03"s have still been dominant. Even as such, these are nice sized perfect eaters. We even have been seeing numerous throw back under size Walleyes while working the shallower waters a few days. A wonderful sign!

I believe that fishing in the next few weeks weather permitting is going to be an offshore event. I really liked what I saw on the fish finder out there this past week. This may be the mother load that we've all been waiting to set up. Too bad with gas prices as they are that these fish choose to be out there that far. Aboard The Trophy we easily burn 60-70 gallons a day plus depending on lake conditions and other factors when making these runs. At $3.50 plus a gallon that sure cuts into the bottom line! And fuel is only one of the many expenses that the charters incur maintaing their operations. Hopefully everybody that charters any boat appreciates their captains efforts and realizes that we're definitely not getting rich playing this game.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Huron to Vermilion in 19 to 22’ of water (including Ruggles Reef), on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, and at Avon point. Fishing has also been excellent north of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) in 45 to 52’, north of Chagrin River in 68 to 72’, northwest of Fairport in 60 to 75’, north of Geneva in 68 to 70’, and northeast of Ashtabula in 35 to 45’. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with spoons ranging in fire tiger, monkey puke, copper back, chartreuse, blueberry muffin, or watermelon color combos. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught off Lorain, Vermilion, Cleveland in 62 to 65’, Eastlake to Fairport in 68 to 72’, and Geneva to Ashtabula in 60 to 70’. Anglers are catching steelhead on gold, red/white, chartreuse and copper back spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been best in 34’ north of Cranberry Creek, north of Cuyahoga River in 44’, north of Chagrin River in 32’, northeast of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 55’, and north of Conneaut in 50’. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport, Mentor Headlands and Conneaut. The mornings and evenings have been the best. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 10 to 25’ along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are catching fish at the Lorain Ore Dock, Avon Lake pier, Eastlake CEI pier and Fairport Harbor piers. The mornings and evenings have been the best. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs along with small spinners.

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Huron to Vermilion in 19 to 22’ of water (including Ruggles Reef), on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, and at Avon point. Trolling dipsys or jet divers with spoons or worm harnesses has been productive. Fishing has also been excellent off Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) in 45 to 70’, north-northwest of Euclid in 50 to 65’, northwest of Fairport in 40 to 60’, and northwest of Ashtabula in 55 to 70’. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with spoons ranging in blue/green, black/purple, copper back, chartreuse, blueberry muffin, or watermelon color combos. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) and long crankbaits have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught off Lorain, Vermilion, Eastlake to Fairport in 62 to 70’, and Geneva to Ashtabula in 60 to 70’. Anglers are catching steelhead on gold, red/white, chartreuse and copper back spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been best in 34’ north of Cranberry Creek, off of the Vermilion condos, off Gordon Park State Park (in Cleveland) in 40 to 50’, off Euclid in 30 to 40’, off Fairport Harbor in 25 to 35’, and off Conneaut in 30 to 45’. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport, Mentor Headlands and Conneaut. The mornings and evenings have been the best. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 10 to 25’ along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are having good success at the Lorain Ore Dock, Avon Lake pier, Eastlake CEI pier and Fairport Harbor piers. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs along with small spinners.

Surface temperatures range from 74 degrees off of Toledo to 71 degrees off of Cleveland.

Our best water depths the past few days have been in the 60 to 70 foot range. The Walleyes that we have been catching aboard "The Trophy" are coming from around the 40 to 45 foot mark below the surface, or right before the thermocline. We have now switched to our usual summer trolling program and we are pulling deep diving crankbaits on the wire fishing line. This has always worked well for us. Most all of my regular July and August groups know this for a fact.

Wow, what a wonderful summer weather wise we are having! I can not remember being this comfortable everyday out on the big pond doing my job. Most mornings have been starting out on the cool side and then have warmed up nicely but not to the point you can't stand it like some of the other summers we've had around here. The waves (knock on wood!) have not been terribly bad either the last couple of weeks. I hope things stay just the way they are the rest of the summer (wishful thinking!).

As I mentioned in my last report, it has been an extreme early morning bite. The fish have been on fire the first couple of hours of daylight and then the action drops off dramatically. I've been urging everyone that has a trip booked with us to be at the dock and ready to roll no later then 5:30 a.m. I get to the boat at 5:00 a.m. everyday and it only takes me a few minutes to load up my ice and warm the engines and we're off. Plus with the heat of the afternoon it's nice for everyone to have a bit of a earlier quit rather then drag lures around when it's not happening any longer and the sun is way high. So, again please be early so we can take advantage of the early morning feeding frenzy.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Cedar Point to Sawmill Creek, off of Cranberry Creek, off of the Vermilion condos east of the river, on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, and at Avon point. Trolling dipsys or jet divers with spoons or worm harnesses has been productive. Fishing has also been excellent off Euclid and west and east of Eastlake in 40 to 60 feet of water, north-northwest of Fairport in 45 to 60 feet of water, and northwest of Geneva in 45 to 60 feet of water. Anglers are trolling jet divers or dipsy divers with spoons ranging in purple/black, copper back, chartreuse, blueberry muffin, or watermelon color combos. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) and long crankbaits have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught off Lorain, Vermilion, Fairport in 50 to 60 feet of water, Geneva and Ashtabula in 55 to 70 feet of water . Anglers are catching steelhead on gold, red/white, chartreuse and copper back spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Lorain lighthouse, off of the Vermilion condos, and off Edgewater State Park (in Cleveland) and Euclid in 30 to 40 of water, off Fairport Harbor in 35 to 50 of water, off Conneaut in 40 to 50 feet of water. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport, Mentor Headlands and Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are having good success at the Lorain Ore Dock, Avon Lake pier, Eastlake CEI pier and Fairport Harbor piers. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs along with small spinners.

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Cedar Point to the Vermilion condos east of the Vermilion River. Recently the best fishing has been in 38 to 40’ of water off of Cranberry Creek. Trolling crankbaits and dipsys or jets with spoons or worm harnesses has been productive. Also excellent fishing off Euclid and west and east of Eastlake in 40 to 60 feet of water, north-northwest of Fairport in 35 to 45 feet of water and 45 to 60 feet of water, and northwest of Geneva in 45 to 60 feet of water. Anglers are trolling jet divers or dipsy divers with spoons ranging in purple/black, red/green, chartreuse, blueberry muffin, or watermelon color combos. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) and long crankbaits have also been successful.

Steelhead are starting to show up with the walleye catches off Lorain, Vermilion, Ashtabula and Geneva. Anglers are catching steelhead on chartreuse and copper back spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Lorain lighthouse, off of the Vermilion condos, and off Edgewater State Park (in Cleveland) and Euclid in 30 to 40 of water, off Fairport Harbor in 25 to 40 of water, off Ashtabula and Conneaut in 48 to 55 feet of water. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport, Mentor Headlands and Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

The Walleye fishing remains good although we did experience a bit of a slow down from the incredibly fast action that we had here in Ashtabula the first half of June. Most of the slow down lately resulted because of the heavy winds we had here this past Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We still managed to fish and we still did good but without being able to circle on the active pockets of fish in the big waves, we came up short of the limits of walleyes which seemed almost automatic this season. Ah, such is fishing. Maybe a bit of a reality check for all of us!

The Walleyes and the Trout are still quite close to shore which with the high price of gasoline is a blessing for everyone. We all know however that this won't last long. We go thru this every year. Before you know it we will be back off shore 15-20 miles and cursing our daily fuel bills.For now though, the 50 to 60 foot range just outside of the harbor has been holding good numbers of mixed sized Walleyes and silver bullets. Most fish are being caught suspended in the 30 to 35 foot range. Most everyone is still pulling Jet Divers although that will surely change as well real soon as the fish start to drop deeper in the water column.

It has been an extreme early morning bite. The fish have been on fire the first couple of hours and then the action drops off dramatically. I've been urging everyone that has a trip booked with us to be at the dock and ready to roll no later then 5:30 a.m.
I get to the boat at 5:00 a.m. everyday and it only takes me a few minutes to load up my ice and warm the engines and we're off. Plus with the heat of the afternoon it's nice for everyone to have a bit of a earlier quit rather then drag lures around when it's not happening any longer and the sun is burning us up. So, again please be early so we can take advantage of the early morning feeding frenzy.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Cranberry Creek to the Vermilion condos east of the river in 20 to 32 feet of water, including Ruggles Reef. Trolling crankbaits and dipsys or jets with spoons or worm harnesses has been productive. Walleye have also been caught trolling in 35 to 50 feet of water off Cleveland, Eastlake, and Rocky River, also two to four miles off Eastlake, Fairport, Geneva and Ashtabula in 45 to 55 feet of water. Anglers are trolling jet divers or dipsy divers with spoons ranging in purple/black, blue/silver, or copper/orange color combos. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors and watermelon) and long crankbaits have also been successful. Some steelhead are starting to show up with the walleye catches off Ashtabula and Geneva.

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Lorain lighthouse, off of the Vermilion condos, and in 25-35 or in 45-55 feet of water off of Edgewater Marina (in Cleveland), Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport, Mentor Headlands and Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

Surface temperatures range from 72 degrees off of Toledo to 62 degrees off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Cranberry Creek to Beaver Creek in 30 to 40 feet of water and also occasionally as shallow as 16’, including Ruggles Reef. Trolling dipsys or jets with spoons or worm harnesses has been productive. Drifters are catching fish on bottom bouncers with worm harnesses. Walleye has been very good 3 to 4 miles off Eastlake, Fairport, Cleveland and Geneva in 47 to 55 feet of water. Anglers are trolling jet divers or dipsy divers with spoons ranging in watermelon, copper, monkey puke, purple/black, blue/silver color combos. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) has also been successful.

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Lorain lighthouse, 2 to 3 miles N of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) in 30-40 feet of water, 2 to 3 miles NW of Fairport in 25-35 feet and 1 to 2 1/2 miles off Ashtabula and Conneaut in 20 to 45 feet of water. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport and Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

Surface temperatures range from 67 degrees off of Toledo to 62 degrees off of Cleveland

Aboard "The Trophy" we have been hanging around Ashtabula Harbor but I know for a fact that the entire south shore of Lake Erie is on fire with the Walleyes. Conneaut, Geneva and Fairport Harbor have all been excellent with the bulk of the guys fishing in close and crushing the "Eyes" We are still on a Jet Diver and planer board program and the shorter leads have worked great with the fish that are actively feeding suspended in the top twenty foot of water. We are seeing deeper fish but they are reluctant to go yet.

Big Dipsy divers on a 3 1/2 setting about 70-80 foot back with little Stinger spoons have also been hot for us along with the inside divers at a 2 1/2 setting about 50-60 foot back. Best colors have been anything metallic with copper colored lures being our number one producer. We have not even had enough time to be bothered with trying to run the down riggers each day. They will however have a role to play in our arsenal once the fish start to move out and start to drop down deeper. I love it when the riggers start to work !

We have one prime open date still available for the first week of July and that is Friday, July the 6th. Anyone that may be interested in it can call me at any time on my mobile number, 216-387-2656. Information about this Ashtabula charter can be found thru out the www.trophycharters.com website. Also we are available for afternoon, slightly shorter trips although with us limiting out regularly thus far this summer, this has been a non issue. These trips are ideally suited for folks that are a bit more local and can be at the boat earlier should we finish up earlier on my day run. We stay in touch by phone and set up a departure time accordingly for that particular day. The only thing that I ask is to keep the party size to 4 or less for my second trip of the day. It's a little more personal for you and easier on me after having been out once already that day. Fishing right now is as good as it gets !

Capt. Walt

Aboard "The Trophy" we have been hanging around Ashtabula Harbor but I know for a fact that the entire south shore of Lake Erie is on fire with the Walleyes. Conneaut, Geneva and Fairport Harbor have all been excellent with the bulk of the guys fishing in close and crushing the 'Eyes" as well. We are still on a Jet Diver and planer board program ourselves and the shorter leads have worked great with the fish that are actively feeding suspended in the top twenty foot of water. We are seeing deeper fish but they are reluctant to go yet.

Big Dipsy divers on a 3 1/2 setting about 70-80 foot back with little Stinger spoons have also been hot for us along with the inside divers at a 2 1/2 setting about 50-60 foot back. Best colors have been anything metallic with copper colored lures being our number one producer. We have not even had enough time to be bothered with trying to run the down riggers each day. They will however have a role to play in our arsenal once the fish start to move out and start to drop down deeper. I love it when the riggers start to work !

We have one prime open date still available for the first week of July and that is Friday, July the 6th. Anyone that may be interested in it can call me at any time on my mobile number, 216-387-2656. Information about this Ashtabula charter can be found thru out the www.trophycharters.com website. Also we are available for afternoon, slightly shorter trips although with us limiting out regularly thus far this summer, this has been a non issue. These trips are ideally suited for folks that are a bit more local and can be at the boat earlier should we finish up earlier on my day run. We stay in touch by phone and set up a departure time accordingly for that particular day. The only thing that I ask is to keep the party size to 4 or less for my second trip of the day. It's a little more personal for you and easier on me after having been out once already that day. Fishing right now is as good as it gets !

Capt. Walt

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Lorain lighthouse, off of the Vermilion breakwall, and in 40 to 55 feet of water off of Ashtabula and Conneaut. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport and Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Cranberry Creek to Beaver Creek in 26 to 32’ of water, including Ruggles Reef and Vermilion. Trolling dipsys or jets with spoons or worm harnesses has been productive. Drifters are catching fish on bottom bouncers with worm harnesses. Walleye have also been caught trolling in 10-30’ of water off Eastlake, Fairport, Cleveland and Rocky River, also 2-3 miles off Ashtabula in 50-60 feet of water. Anglers are trolling jet divers with silver and gold spoons. Anglers are also catching walleye along the piers at Eastlake, Cleveland and Lorain at night using surface rapalas.

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Lorain lighthouse, off of the Vermilion breakwall, and in 20-30 of water off of Fairport Harbor and Conneaut. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas and in 15 to 25’ of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs,

crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows or leeches.

About 5 hours later and 106 gallons lighter on gasoline (at $3.89 OUCH!), we pulled in to Ashtabula about 114 miles east of Port Clinton. Ashtabula is my home port and where we will remain the rest of the season. Normally I leave a couple day window between trips just for traveling should we have any problems with weather but not this year. I ran my last trip in Port Clinton on Sunday and my first trip out of Ashtabula the next morning, Monday, Memorial Day.

Conditions were ideal for my first trip out east where the waves can be challenging with no islands to hide behind. With the flat lake Monday morning, I decided even with the high gas prices to run about 20 miles back west toward Perry for my first troll of the summer season. We were not disappointed. It wasn't long after we set lines we started hitting the Walleyes. Best depths turned out to be 51 - 54 ft. of water with #40 Jets about 120 ft. back working well. We took back to back 29 and 29 1/2 inchers on a 3 1/2 setting Dipsy about 115 ft. back. Wow! Can you tell we're back in the Central Basin? Although we did not limit out, we did end up with around 20 Walleyes for the day. Not too bad for not having anything figured out yet!

Fishing will only get better with each passing day now. Water temps are pushing 60 degrees already, the magic number for us here in the east. I have several days open for a charter that I would like to fill coming up if anybody would be interested in catching some trophy sized Walleyes. These early trips back home here seem to produce the biggest fish of the year. I have this Thursday, May 31st available as well as Sunday, June 3rd, and Monday, June 4th open because of a last minute two day cancellation (very frustrating). Anyone interested can call me any time of the day or night on my cell 216-387-2656. We are also available for afternoon trips for those that may be a bit more local.

Capt. Walt

**From May 1 through June 29 black bass (largemouth and smallmouth bass) are illegal to possess on Ohio waters of Lake Erie. It is legal to fish for black bass during the closed season, but any that are caught must me immediately released.**

**The walleye daily bag limit is 6 fish. The minimum size limit for walleye is 15”.**

**On May 16 the steelhead trout bag limit returned to 5. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.**

Central Basin

Walleye have been caught trolling in 10-20’ of water off Eastlake, Cleveland and Rocky River and along the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland at night using surface rapalas.

Fish have been caught on worm harnesses, crankbaits and spoons.

Yellow perch fishing has been best in 30 of water off of Fairport Harbor and Chagrin. Perch have also been caught off of the piers in Lorain. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas and in 15 to 25’ of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, tube jigs, or by trolling crankbaits.

Colder temperatures are returning. Based on the 1/9/07 forecast the weather will start limiting main lake access compared to the mild weather the first week of January.

Lake Erie continued to produce rare January open water walleye fishing opportunities with some limit catches including trophy fish up to and over 10 pounds. The best fishing recently has been around the Huron dumping grounds and nearshore from Huron to Vermilion. Fish have also been caught along the Cleveland lakefront. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, Wonderbread, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Most fish have been caught in the upper portion of the water column. Night fishing success from both piers and boats has been sporadic.

Mild weather has returned and boat anglers are getting a rare opportunity to fish the main lake in January. As of January 3rd the 10 day forecast still has highs in the 40’s and 50’s.

Walleye fishing improved with some limit catches including trophy fish up to and over 10 pounds. The best fishing recently has been around the Huron dumping grounds and nearshore from Huron to Vermilion. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, Wonderbread, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Most fish have been caught in the upper portion of the water column. Night fishing success from both piers and boats has been sporadic.

*Conditions deteriorated starting the weekend of December 13 with near gale force winds and rain. Unseasonably warm weather should allow boat anglers to get back out on the main lake, however, anglers are advised to use caution.

Walleye fishing improved with some limit catches including trophy fish up to and over 10 pounds. The best fishing recently has been around the Huron dumping grounds, Lorain, Vermilion, and Ruggles Reef. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, Wonderbread, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Most fish have been caught in the upper portion of the water column. Night fishing success from both piers and boats has been sporadic.

*Conditions greatly improved starting the weekend of December 16. Unseasonably warm weather and south winds have allowed boat anglers to get back out on the main lake.

*Over the past week (week of 12/4) weather conditions have limited Lake Erie fishing opportunities. The fishing report from the week of Thanksgiving is listed below, since no new information is available. If temperatures recover and the wind decreases the walleye fishing should continue to be good in the same areas listed below.

Report from 11/28/06:

Walleye fishing remains hot from Cedar Point to Vermilion, as well as in Cleveland. Water depths have ranged from 25’ to 45’, with some fish coming in shallower water. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, Wonderbread, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Most fish have been caught in the top 10 to 15’ of water. Night fishing success from both piers and boats has been sporadic.

Yellow perch fishing had been spotty. Few catches have been reported as most anglers have either switched to walleyes or finished for the year. Try traditional areas from Catawba to Cleveland. Be prepared to search for fish.

Steelhead: For recent updates on the steelhead fishery visit the Division of Wildlife steelhead web page at: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

With decreasing water temperatures, be sure to take extra precaution when fishing on Lake Erie.

*Over the past week (11/27 to 12/4) walleye fishing was excellent just prior to the weather front that moved through on 11/30. Since the front passed through air temperatures have been in the 20’s and 30’s with substantial wind. The prior week’s fishing report is listed below, since no new information is available. If temperatures recover and the wind decreases the walleye fishing should continue to be good in the same areas listed below.

Report from 11/28/06:

Walleye fishing remains hot from Cedar Point to Vermilion, as well as in Cleveland. Water depths have ranged from 25’ to 45’, with some fish coming in shallower water. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, Wonderbread, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Most fish have been caught in the top 10 to 15’ of water. Night fishing success from both piers and boats has been sporadic.

Yellow perch fishing had been spotty. Few catches have been reported as most anglers have either switched to walleyes or finished for the year. Try traditional areas from Catawba to Cleveland. Be prepared to search for fish.

Steelhead fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Cowles Creek, Geneva State Park, 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. Boat anglers have caught steelhead by trolling near the Vermilion breakwall. For recent updates on the steelhead fishery visit the Division of Wildlife steelhead web page at: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

With decreasing water temperatures, be sure to take extra precaution when fishing on Lake Erie.

Walleye fishing remains hot from Cedar Point to Vermilion, as well as in Cleveland. Water depths have ranged from 25’ to 45’, with some fish coming in shallower water. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, Wonderbread, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Most fish have been caught in the top 10 to 15’ of water. Night fishing success from both piers and boats has been sporadic.

Yellow perch fishing had been spotty. Few catches have been reported as most anglers have either switched to walleyes or finished for the year. Try traditional areas from Catawba to Cleveland. Be prepared to search for fish.

Steelhead fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Cowles Creek, Geneva State Park, 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. Boat anglers have caught steelhead by trolling near the Vermilion breakwall. For recent updates on the steelhead fishery visit the Division of Wildlife steelhead web page at: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

Walleye fishing remains hot from Cedar Point to Vermilion, as well as in Cleveland. Water depths have ranged from 25’ to 36’, with some fish coming in shallower water. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Night trolling in shallow water is popular. Night pier fishing is better; try casting Husky Jerks from dark to mid-night.

Yellow perch fishing had been spotty. Few catches have been reported as most anglers have either switched to walleyes or finished for the year. Try traditional areas from Catawba to Cleveland. Be prepared to search for fish.

Walleye fishing has been hot around from Cedar Point to Vermilion, especially at Huron. Water depths have ranged from 20’ to 30’, with some fish coming in shallower water. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners and Ripsticks (Blueberry Muffin, Barbie, and Mooneye Minnow are good colors to try). Night trolling is getting popular. Night pier fishing is still sporadic, but reports are improving.

Yellow perch fishing had been spotty. The best reports have been from Cleveland to Huron, where scattered schools of fish have yielded a slow but steady bite. Be prepared to search for fish; start at 40’ and move in or out until you find active schools. Fish have ranged from 8 to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Cowles Creek, Geneva State Park, 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.

Yellow perch fishing had been spotty with recent weather patterns, but should improve when conditions allow. The best reports have been from Cleveland, where a steady bite has been found in 40’ to 43’ of water. Fish have ranged from 8 to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

With decreasing water temperatures be sure to take extra precaution when fishing on Lake Erie.

Central Basin

Walleye fishing was good before the gale wind on 10/28. Walleye were caught from Cedar Point to Huron south of the 30 N latitude line. Fish have been caught on spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers and also on deep diving crankbaits.

Yellow perch fishing had been excellent in the central basin and should improve when conditions allow. The best areas had been off the condos E of the Vermilion River, 3 miles N of Lakewood (Gold Coast) in 42’ of water, 4 miles NE of the Cleveland water intake crib in 48’ of water, 3-4 miles N of Fairport in 55’ of water, and 3-4 miles N of Ashtabula 50 to 55’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Cowles Creek, Geneva State Park, 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. For recent updates on the steelhead fishery visit the Division of Wildlife steelhead web page at: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

Walleye fishing from Sandusky to Vermilion has been good as the number of fish present continues to increase. Walleye have been taken from the Huron dumping grounds to Vermilion around the 27 to 30 north latitude lines. Fish have been caught on spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers and also on deep diving crankbaits.

Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin 3 miles N of Lakewood (Gold Coast) in 42’ of water, 4 miles NE of the Cleveland water intake crib in 48’ of water, 3-4 miles N of Fairport in 55’ of water, and 3-4 miles N of Ashtabula 50 to 55’ 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 fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Cowles Creek, Geneva State Park, 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 48 to 56 degrees.

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 N of the Huron dumping grounds, on the N end of the Sandbar, and sporadically around Ruggles Reef. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers, and also on deep diving crankbaits.

Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin in 25 to 30’ of water off of the Vermilion breakwall and off of the condos E of Vermilion near Beaver Creek, within 1 mile of Lorain and Avon point, 1-2 miles NW of Cleveland (E. 72nd St. lighthouse) in 38’ of water, 2 miles NE of Eastlake in 38' of water, 3 miles N of Fairport in 50 to 55’ of water, and 2-3 miles N of Ashtabula 45 to 55’ 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 fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Geneva State Park, 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.

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 on the Huron dumping grounds, between the Vermilion dumping grounds and the sandbar at the 37/24 lines, and around the weather buoy on the north end of the sandbar. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers, and also on deep diving crankbaits.

Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin in 27’ of water off of the Vermilion breakwall, off of the condos E of Vermilion near Beaver Creek, within 1 mile of Avon point, 3 miles N of Cleveland (E. 72nd St. lighthouse) in 42’ of water, 2-3 miles N of Euclid in 38-42' of water, 2-3 miles N -NW of Fairport in 40 to 50’ of water, and 2-3 miles N of Ashtabula 40 to 50’ 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 fishing has been good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Geneva State Park, 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 58 to 62 degrees.

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, and 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 NE of Cleveland (E. 72nd St. lighthouse) in 43’ of water, 2-3 miles N of Euclid in 42' of water, 2-3 miles N -NW of Fairport in 40 to 45’ of water, and 2-3 miles N of Ashtabula 45 to 50’ 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 fishing has been good 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 60 to 64 degrees.

On most days "The Trophy" has been anchored anywhere from a mile to four miles off of Ashtabula Harbor. All the fish we have been catching are smack on the bottom. Lake Shiners as always have been the preferred bait. A couple of days when all we could get for bait was Golden Shiners (pond raised), we had to work a lot harder to catch our Perch. Bait has been a bit of an issue this fall. I sure hate to be at the mercy of the local bait shops. Whatever they have for bait is what we end up using.

Bait has not been cheap either with the marina bait shops charging $2.50 - $2.75 per dozen. That's around a quarter a minnow! With the new increased Perch limits, we are going through a ton of bait. Always something in this business. On our Perch trips everything is furnished. Just bring your lunch!

On a somewhat related note, I have dropped the fuel surcharge now that the marina has dropped the fuel price below $3.00 a gallon. (Now that the season and my usage is over.) That was the deal however, and fair is fair. I still appreciate all of the generous tips that most everyone has graciously added at the end of the day. I think most everyone understands how costly trying to maintain a top notch operation such as ours is and still try to make a living while doing so.

We have about 5 weeks left in the season and we have lots of weekdays available come October. Anyone interested in a Perch trip may reach me directly on my boat/mobile number at 1-216-387-2656 anytime Lets all keep our fingers crossed for some nice weather the remainder of this fall.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing in the central basin has also slowed down with anglers switching over to perch. A few walleye have been taken at the N end of the sand bar between Vermilion and Lorain, 7-9 miles NE of Geneva in 60-70‘of water and 7-9 miles NW of Ashtabula in 60 to 70’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses trolled with dipsy divers. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 35 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin from 1-3 miles N of Huron to Lorain, 4 miles N of Euclid in 49’ of water, 2 miles NE of Rocky River in 38' of water, 2-3 miles N -NW of Fairport in 51’ of water, and 2 miles N of Ashtabula 45’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent 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.

The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails or small spoons.

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, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 67 to 69 degrees.

Over the week of August 28 strong winds greatly limited fishing. Even though the wind has finally calmed most of the Ohio Lake Erie shoreline is muddy from the rough waves. Fishing should improve as the lake settles down and the water clears.

Central Basin

Poor weather and rough lake conditions during the past week limited fishing activity.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been very good. Fish have been caught 5-6 miles N of Cleveland Crib in 58-62‘of water, 10 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) to Eastlake in 68-70’ of water, 10 to 12 miles NE of Ashtabula and 10 to 12 miles NW of Conneaut in 68 to 74’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons colored in scarlet and gray, purple and black, or white and red with copper backs, trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 35 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing is very good in the central basin 5 miles N of Bratenahl in 42-50 feet of water, 4-6 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) in 42 to 51’ of water, 2 to 4 miles N of Fairport in 39 to 52’ of water, and 2 miles or less N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 45 to 55’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 29’ 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.

The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails or small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 67 to 71 degrees.

Today, Monday, Sept. 4th seemed like the first day back to school for me. And guess what? It was like the Walleyes had never eaten before. Action was fast and furious. Even though I had my doubts as we headed out.

On a hunch, I headed out way further than we've been fishing. Right around the 20 mile mark was as good as I've seen it all summer. I don't believe that we actually ever did get all of the rods in the water! Awesome! What a tribute to how good the fishing has been this summer. Even a six day blow did little to slow down the record setting Walleye action that we've experienced this summer aboard "The Trophy". It's truly been a year to remember!

As we enter September, my Walleye trips are finally winding down. In a few weeks we'll be switching our focus to the incredible Jumbo Perch fishing that this area has to offer each fall. I would like to remind everyone that we have plenty of dates still available for our fall Perch season. Anyone interested may reach me directly at 216-387-2656.

I would also like to take a moment and thank everyone that has fished with us thus far this season. We've all experienced something very special. I look forward to seeing some of you back for one more trip this fall during our final days of 2006 for our Perch season. It's been a very fast, and incredibly successful season here on the Walleye Capital of the world, Lake Erie.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been very good. Fish have been caught on the S end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, 8-10 miles out N of the Cleveland Crib in 60‘ of water, 12 miles N Eastlake in 68-70’ of water, 10 to 12 miles NW of Geneva in 70 to 72’ of water, and 10 to 12 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 to 72’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons colored in white/red, purple/black, copper, trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 35 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing is improving in the central basin with good catches reported 1/2 to 2 miles off Vermilion, Lorain and Avon Pt., 4 miles N of Bratenahl in 39 feet of water, 4 miles N of Eastlake in 42’ of water, less than 2 miles NW of Fairport in 40 to 50’ of water, and less than 2 miles N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 35 to 55’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 29’ 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.

The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails or small spoons.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been very good. Fish have been caught on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, 5-6 miles N of the Cleveland Crib in 58-62‘of water, 10 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) to Eastlake in 68-70’ of water, 10 to 12 miles N of Geneva in 68 to 74’ of water, and 10 to 12 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 to 74’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons colored in orange and black, red and black, or purple and black with copper backs, trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 35 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing is improving in the central basin with very good catches reported 5 miles N of Bratenahl in 49-60 feet of water, 4 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) in 42 to 45’ of water, 2 to 4 miles N of Fairport in 35 to 50’ of water, and 2 to 4 miles N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 55 to 65’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 29’ 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.

The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails or small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures are in the mid 70’s.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been good. Fish have been caught on Ruggles Reef, W of Huron off of Sawmill Creek and Point Retreat in 26 to 34’ of water, 1 mile N of the Rocky River in 28‘ of water, 10 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) in 70’ of water, 10 to 14 miles N-NE of Geneva in 70 to 74’ of water, and 10 to 14 miles N-NW of Ashtabula in 70 to 74’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or wonderbread, bloody nose, watermelon, killer bee and copper/back spoons trolled with dipsy divers or trolled with jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 30 to 50'.

The best yellow perch fishing in the central basin has been 1 to 2 miles N of Lakewood in 42-46 feet of water, 4 miles N of Edgewater State Park around the Cleveland Crib in 45 to 48’ of water, 4 miles N of Eastlake in 40-42’ of water, 3 to 5 miles N of Geneva in 45 to 55’ of water, and 3 to 5 miles N of Fairport in 45 to 55’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and 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.

The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are also reporting catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers, using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails and small spoons.

The biggest problem hitting us again is the soaring fuel prices at the marina pumps. Fuel at River Marine where I dock here in Ashtabula is at $3.30 per gallon as of this report's date. Word from the marina's owner is that this trend will continue with even higher prices expected. I want to remind all of my upcoming trips that a $5.00 a man fuel sur-charge is in effect aboard "The Trophy" at this time. This is on top of the regular charter rate and is added to the balance due at the end of the trip. Such is the times we live in. We are now doing more and more offshore fishing trips, and are going through a ton of fuel.

On the bright side, we are running into more larger Walleyes again although the "03" year class is still very dominate. Steelhead Trout continue to be few and far apart. It has still been a morning bite so I urge all of my trips to be on the boat and ready to roll no later than 5:30 a.m.

Water temps are now well into the seventies. Wire line and stick baits have been working wonderfully for us. Let's keep our fingers crossed that August's weather continues to be nice!

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been good. Fish have been caught on Ruggles Reef, NW of the Huron pier lighthouse in 34 to 36’ of water, 6 miles N of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland Crib) in 50-56‘ of water, 3 to 4 miles N of Bratenahl in 51’ of water, 12 miles N of Geneva in 72 to 74’ of water, and 10 to 11 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 to 72’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or wonderbread, bloody nose, watermelon, killer bee and copper/back spoons trolled with dipsy divers or trolled with jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 30 to 50'.

The best yellow perch fishing in the central basin has been 1 to 2 miles N of Lakewood in 42-46 feet of water, 4 miles N of Edgewater State Park around the Cleveland Crib in 44’ of water, and 4 to 5 miles N of Ashtabula in 62’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and 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.

White bass fishing has been very good 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are also reporting good catching of white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers, using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails and small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 75 to 78 degrees.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been excellent. Fish have been caught on Ruggles Reef, between Beaver Creek and Lorain in 35’ of water, on the N end of the Sandbar between Lorain and Vermilion, 6 miles N of the Cleveland Crib in 58‘ of water, 8 miles N of Eastlake in 62’ of water, 7 to 8 miles NW of Fairport Harbor in 70 to 74’ of water, and 7 to 8 miles NW of Geneva in 70 to 74’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or monkey puke, bloody nose, watermelon, killer bee and copper/back spoons trolled with dipsy divers or trolled with jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 30 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing has slowed down this past week and just fair catches have been reported. The best areas are 4 to 5 miles N of Ashtabula in 50-58’ of water, and 4 to 5 miles N of Conneaut in 54-56’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and 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.

White bass fishing has been good 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are also reporting good catching of white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers, using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails and small spoons.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been excellent. Fish have been caught on Ruggles Reef, 4 to 5 miles N of Lorain, 6 miles N of the Cleveland Crib in 58‘ of water, 8 miles N of Eastlake in 62’ of water, 8 to 10 miles N-NW of Fairport Harbor in 60 to 72’ of water, and 8 to 10 miles N-NW of Geneva in 60 to 72’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or monkey puke, bloody nose, watermelon, killer bee and copper/back spoons trolled with dipsy divers or trolled with jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 30 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing has slowed down this past week and just fair catches have been reported. The best areas are less than 2 miles N of Ashtabula in 48-50’ of water, and less 2 miles N of Conneaut in 48-50’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 10 to 25’ of water. Fish have been caught on tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

White bass fishing has been good 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails.

Shore anglers are also reporting good catching of white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River and Avon Lake piers, using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails and small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 71 to 76 degrees.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been excellent. Fish have been caught in 38’ of water north of Cranberry Creek, 4 to 5 miles N of Lorain, 4 to 5 miles NE of Lorain (E of the old trash dump),

6 miles N of the Cleveland Crib in 50 to 58 ‘ of water, 4 to 5 miles N of Eastlake in 45’ to 55’ of water, 3 to 6 miles NE of Fairport Harbor in 50 to 70’ of water, and 3 to 6 miles NW of Geneva in 50 to 70’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or monkey puke, bloody nose, watermelon, killer bee and copper/back spoons trolled with dipsy divers or trolled with jet divers off planer boards. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 30 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent 2 miles N of Wildwood State Park in Euclid in 42 to 45' feet of water, 2 miles N of Bratenal in 40', 2-3 miles N of Ashtabula in 50-55’ of water, 2 to 3 miles N of Conneaut in 50-55’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 10 to 25’ of water. Fish have been caught on tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

White bass fishing has been fair 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails.

Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI pier using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails and small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 71 to 74 degrees.

Still though, on most trips we are managing to catch a few bigger ones although not very many at this point. Steelhead Trout have been few and far between as well. I have been way out, in close to shore, east, and west, it just doesn't seem to matter. We are just being inundated with these beautiful three year olds which will carry this lake for years to come. Somehow we'll get through this year, next year we will see all these fish at 4 lbs. plus.

Though, I wish everyone could catch nothing but monster Walleyes, have calm seas, and a picture perfect day. You have to take what the lake gives you, and just be thankful that you are catching fish. For some of the groups where limits have come extremely fast, the alternative is to be out there all day and not catch anything. I've been on both sides of that fence. Believe me, I'll take the quick limits anytime.

Most of these fish are now being taken in the 60 - 70 ft. depths. Aboard "The Trophy" we have switched to a wire line and crankbaits program off the big planer boards. The big Dipseys have been very productive as well. The bottom line is when you are heavy into the fish, everything works. We've waited a long time to see fishing this good.

I have one day that just opened up due to a cancellation that I need to fill if anyone is interested. That date is next week, Tuesday, July 11th. Anyone interested may contact me on my mobile/boat number 216-387-2656. Water temps are holding at around 72 degrees, and marina fuel prices are around $3.149. The weather looks great for the next few days.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been good. Fish have been caught 4 to 5 miles NW of Lorain (E of the S end of the sandbar), 4 to 5 miles NE of Lorain (E of the old trash dump), 4 to 5 miles N of the Cleveland Crib in 45 to 50 ‘ of water, 12 miles N of the Cleveland Crib in 62’ to 65’ of water, 2 to 3 miles N-NW of Fairport Harbor in 54 to 60’ of water, and 2 to 3 miles N-NW of Geneva in 54 to 60’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or monkey puke, bloody nose, watermelon, killer bee and copper/back spoons trolled with dipsy or jet divers. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 20 to 40'.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent 3 miles N of Willowick in 38 to 42' feet of water, 2 miles N of Bratenal in 32', 3 miles N of Ashtabula in 54’ of water, 2 miles NW of Conneaut in 42-54’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent from Fairport Harbor to Perry in 10 to 24’ of water. Fish have been caught on tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

White bass fishing has been good 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white and yellow jigs.

Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI pier using agitators with white/yellow twistertails and small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 70 to 72 degrees.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been good. Fish have been caught 3 miles offshore from Vermilion to Lorain, 5 miles N of Cleveland in 42’ to 48’ of water, 6 miles N of the Wildwood State Park in 60 to 64' of water, 2 to 4 miles NE of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 65’ of water, and 2 to 4 miles NW of Geneva in 50 to 65’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or bloody nose, watermelon, killer bee and copper back spoons trolled with dipsy or jet divers. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 20 to 40'.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent less than 1 mile out of Lorain, 2 miles N of Willowick in 38' feet of water, 2 miles N of Bratenal in 32-35', 2 miles NE of Ashtabula in 24-36’ of water, 2 miles N of Conneaut in 36-42’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch at Mentor Headlands pier and Fairport Harbor pier. Anglers are using spreaders with shiners.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent from Fairport Harbor to Perry in 10 to 24’ of water. Fish have been caught on tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

White bass fishing has been good 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white jigs.

Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI pier using agitators with white/yellow twistertails and small spoons.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been good. Fish have been caught 3 miles offshore from Vermilion to Lorain, 5 miles N of the Cleveland in 52’ to 58’ of water, 6 miles N of the Wildwood State Park in 60 to 63' of water, 2 to 3 miles E of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 50’ of water, and 2 to 3 miles W of Geneva in 45 to 50’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons trolled with dipsy or jet divers. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 20 to 40'.

Yellow perch fishing has been good less than 1 mile out of Lorain, 2 miles N of Willowick in 38' feet of water, 3 miles NE of Eastlake in 32-40', 1 miles N of Ashtabula in 35’ of water, 1 mile N of Conneaut in 35’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Shore anglers are catching yellow perch at the west pier along the Black River in Lorain, E 55th St. piers in Cleveland, Mentor Headlands and Fairport Harbor.
Anglers are using spreaders with shiners.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent from Fairport Harbor to Perry in 10 to 24’ of water. Fish have been caught on tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

White bass fishing has been good 1/4 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white jigs.

Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI pier using agitators with white/yellow twistertails and small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 68 to 70 degrees.

As of this writing, the "03" class of Walleyes have really turned on. Hopefully we'll continue to get at least a mix of some nice sized Walleyes with this incredible onslaught of three year olds that everyone is catching wherever you go in Lake Erie. I am so excited for the years to come as I watch these beautiful Walleye grow like a proud father. At the present time I would say most are 18 - 22 inches in length, and average 2 - 3 lbs. Throw in a few big ones for bragging rights and you've had a heck of a day.

One thing that I have really noticed is that on most days, it is an early morning bite. I can not tell you how important it is to get an early start. I urge all of my charters to be on the boat and heading out by 5:30 a.m. Just a few hours after daylight the action is down to almost nothing. Simply amazing. The past few days we left at 5:00 a.m.! We caught 2/3 of all our fish in the first couple hours of daylight and then really struggled to finish out the box. All I can say at this point is for everyone to make every effort possible to hit the water by dawn if you expect a full box. I can only do so much after they shut off. Weird but that's the way it has been going so far this year.

Water temps are now in the mid 60's. Fuel prices at the marina pumps are at $3.05 a gallon. Most of our day trips are now booked for the season but we do take a cancellation from time to time. Please do not hesitate to inquire. Another option for those that don't have to drive too far is an afternoon trip. However I do cap these trips at a maximum of four persons. Anyone interested in more info or for any other reason may reach me on my cell/mobile number at any time 216-387-2656.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been excellent. Fish have been caught 2 miles N of Beaver Creek, 3 miles N of the Chagrin River in 24’ to 40’ of water, N of the Cleveland Crib in 60’ of water, 1 to 2 miles NE of Fairport Harbor in 25 to 30’ of water, and 1 to 2 miles NW of Geneva in 25 to 30’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons trolled with dipsy or jet divers.

Yellow perch fishing has been good less than 1 mile out of Lorain, in the Cleveland area 2 miles N of E 55th St. in 34’ of water, 3 miles N of Willowick in 38' feet of water, 2 miles NW of Fairport Harbor in 30 to 35’ of water, and less than 1 mile NW of Ashtabula in 24’ of water. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent from Fairport Harbor to Perry in 10 to 24’ of water. Fish have been caught on tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 66 to 68 degrees.

Fishing this past week was fair. On most days we managed to get into the teens for numbers of Walleyes caught with some real beauties mixed in the catch. The majority of the fish however are still the 03 class of Walleyes that continue to dominate the catch wherever you go in this lake. These 3 year old fish are on average 18 - 22 inches, and about 2-3 lbs. Great eating size! Each day though we've managed to mix in a few "hogs" just for bragging rights. We've done 7 or 8 Fish Ohio citation sized fish here since I've been back, ranging anywhere from 28" to 30". We've yet to land a Steelhead although we've had a couple on.

Fishing patterns are typical of early June. There seems to be a few fish most everywhere and no particular one place in the water column. If I had to narrow it down, probably 45 - 48 ft. has been the best with the Walleyes 20 - 30 ft. down. We've been pulling #40 Jet Divers behind the big planer boards anywhere from 50 to 100 ft. back using Stinger Spoons. A few came on the big Dipsies and hardly anything on the downriggers.

As I mentioned before, we have a fairly heavy schedule coming up but did just take a cancellation for Thursday, June 22nd that I would like to fill. Anyone interested in that date or for whatever reason, may reach me on my mobile/boat number at 216-387-2656, 24/7. Water temps off of Ashtabula harbor are about 64 degrees at the surface, and in the upper 50's down deeper. I was greeted back to Ashtabula with a $3.25 per gallon fuel price at the marina where I dock. The trend appears to be easing at the marina pumps by a few pennies but not enough to make a whole lot of difference when it's still $3.00 plus a gallon. The weather looks to be picture perfect this whole upcoming week.

Capt. Walt

Central Basin

Walleye have been caught at night off of the Cleveland piers on Rapalas.

Walleye
The best walleye fishing recently has been offshore from Lorain to Huron in water over 40’ deep. The sandbar and the deep water to the west of the sandbar have been productive, along with 42 to 44’ of water from Vermilion to Huron. Many of the fish being caught have ranged from 15 to 18� from the 2003 year class, but a few larger fish up to 11 pounds have been reported. Spoons or crawler harnesses trolled deep with dipsy divers, jet divers or downriggers have produced the most consistent catches.

Yellow Perch
The best yellow perch fishing has been 2 to 3 miles N of Geneva, 2 to 3 miles N from Ashtabula to Conneaut in 52’ of water, 3 mile NW of Euclid Creek in 42’ of water, and 5 miles N of the Chagrin River in 53’ of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 8-12 inches.

For up-to-date steelhead fishing information visit: http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/Fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

Walleye
The best walleye fishing recently has been offshore from Lorain to Huron in water over 40’ deep. The sandbar and deeper water to the west of the sandbar have been productive, along with 42 to 44’ of water from Cranberry Creek to Huron. Many of the fish being caught have ranged from 15 to 18� from the 2003 year class, but a few larger fish up to 11 pounds have been reported. Spoons or crawler harnesses trolled deep with dipsy divers, jet divers or downriggers have produced the most consistent catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been excellent 2 to 3 miles N of Geneva, 2 to 3 miles N from Ashtabula to Conneaut in 52’ of water, and from the Cleveland Crib to 4 miles NE of Edgewater park in 52’ of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 7-13 inches.

Steelhead
Steelhead are starting to be caught by casting off of the Fairport Harbor pier, the Chagrin River and Euclid Creek with small spoons or spinners. Fish have ranged from 16 to 28�.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 58 to 64 degrees.

Walleye
Walleye fishing has been fair in Ohio waters of the central basin. The best areas were the northern end of the sandbar off Lorain, 7 to 9 miles N-NE of Ashtabula in 68 to 70’ of water, and 7 to 8 miles N-NE of Fairport Harbor in 65 to 70’ of water. Trolling 30 to 50 feet down with spoons or crawler harnesses, using planer boards, jet divers, or dipsy divers have produced the best catches. Fish have ranged from 15-24 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been excellent 4 miles N of Wildwood State Park and Euclid in 51’ of water, 3 to 4 miles N of Ashtabula in 52’ of water, and 2 to 5 miles N between Eastlake and Fairport Harbor in 44 to 60’ of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 7-13 inches.

Steelhead
Steelhead are starting to be caught by casting off of the Fairport Harbor pier, the Chagrin River and Euclid Creek with small spoons or spinners. Fish have ranged from 16 to 28�.

Walleye
Walleye fishing has been fair in Ohio waters of the central basin. The best areas were the northern end of the sandbar off Lorain, 7 to 9 miles N-NE of Ashtabula in 68 to 70’ of water, and 7 to 8 miles N-NE of Fairport Harbor in 65 to 70’ of water. Trolling 30 to 50 feet down with spoons or crawler harnesses, using planer boards, jet divers, or dipsy divers have produced the best catches. Fish have ranged from 15-24 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been excellent 4 miles N of Wildwood State Park and Euclid in 51’ of water, 3 to 4 miles N of Ashtabula in 52’ of water, and 2 to 5 miles N between Eastlake and Fairport Harbor in 44 to 60’ of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 7-13 inches.

Steelhead
Steelhead are starting to be caught by casting off of the Fairport Harbor pier, the Chagrin River and Euclid Creek with small spoons or spinners. Fish have ranged from 16 to 28�.

Walleye
Walleye fishing has been good in Ohio waters of the central basin. The best areas were E of the northern end of the sandbar off Lorain and 8 to 10 miles N Conneaut in 68 to 70’ of water. Trolling 30 to 50 feet down with spoons or crawler harnesses, using planer boards, jet divers, or dipsy divers have produced the best catches. Fish have ranged from 15-24 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been good on the southern end of the sandbar off of Lorain. Further east, excellent perch fishing can be found 5 miles N of E 72nd Street of Cleveland in 48’ of water, 2 to 4 miles N of Ashtabula to Conneaut in 48 to 52’ of water, and 2 to 3 miles N between Eastlake and Fairport Harbor in 45 to 50’ of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 7-13 inches.

Steelhead
Steelhead are starting to be caught by casting off of the Fairport Harbor pier with small spoons or spinners. Fish have ranged from 16 to 28�.

Just like the Walleye, there seems to be Perch just about everywhere we go. And just like the last couple of months of Walleye fishing, an unbelievable amount of young Perch from the hatches of 2003 are also showing up. These two year olds are just overwhelming. Some are keeper size, others we just throw back.

I don’t know why the Walleye and Perch hatches were so successful that spring but I know it is going to be incredibly awesome fishing for many years to come! We’ve run several Perch charters now aboard “The Trophy” and I’ve been pleased with the action. We are still getting a nice mix of “Jumbos” along with lots of mid grade sized Perch. Since I’ve been letting our groups take my limit of Perch as well on these trips, it makes up for some of the smaller ones that we’re forced to keep because they’ve swallowed the hook and are going to die anyway.

What a blast it is to catch these tasty eaters! My experience over the years is that the very biggest Perch come from later in the fall when the water starts to really cool off. We’ve still got some open dates left for October. I can be reached directly on the boat/cell # 216-387-2656. “The Trophy” comes out of the water Nov. 1st. I would like to thank everyone that booked with us this season and helped make our 19th year such a huge success!

Capt. Walt

Walleye
Walleye fishing has been good in Ohio waters of the central basin. The best areas were E of the sandbar off Lorain and 5 to 12 miles N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 63 to 72’ of water. Trolling 30 to 50 feet down with spoons, crawler harnesses or stickbaits, using planer boards, dipsy divers, or jet divers have produced the best catches. Fish have ranged from 15-24 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been good from Vermillion to Lorain in 30 to 40’ of water. Further east, excellent perch fishing can be found 1 to 2 miles N of Wildwood State Park in 38 to 42’ of water, 4 to 7 miles N of Ashtabula to Conneaut in 50 to 65’ of water, and 2 to 6 miles N between Eastlake and Fairport Harbor in 40 to 60’ of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 6-13 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around breakwalls and rocky drop-offs from Lorain to Avon point. Tube jigs and drop-shot rigs with goby imitations have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead were caught by walleye anglers in the same areas mentioned in the walleye report. Fish have ranged from 16 to 28�.

Lake Erie surface temperatures are in the low to mid 70’s.

Walleye
Walleye fishing has been good in Ohio waters of the central basin. The best areas were the sandbar NW of Lorain near the 35/15 and 38/19 lines, and 5 to 15 miles N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 60 to 72’ of water. Trolling 30 to 50 feet down with spoons, crawler harnesses or stickbaits, using planer boards, dipsy divers, downriggers or jet divers, have produced the best catches. Fish have ranged from 15-24 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been excellent N of Lorain in 37 to 43’ of water, 1 to 2 miles N of Wildwood State Park in 38 to 42’ of water, 3 to 6 miles N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 50 to 60’ of water, and 3 to 5 miles NE and NW of Fairport Harbor in 40 to 60’ of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 7-11 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around breakwalls and rocky drop-offs from Lorain to Avon point. Tube jigs and drop-shot rigs with goby imitations have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by walleye anglers in the same areas mentioned in the walleye report. Fish have ranged from 16 to 28�.

Lake Erie surface temperatures are in the low to mid 70’s.

Walleye
Walleye fishing has been good in Ohio waters of the central basin. The best areas were the sandbar NW of Lorain, 7 to 14 miles N of Geneva in 68 to 72’ of water, and 7 to 14 miles N of Ashtabula in 68 to 72’ of water. Trolling 30 to 50 feet down with spoons, crawler harnesses or stickbaits, using planer boards, dipsy divers, downriggers or jet divers, have produced the best catches. Fish have ranged from 15-27 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been excellent N of Lorain in 37 to 43’ of water, 3 miles N of Wildwood state park in 32 to 40’ of water, 3 to 6 miles N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 50 to 62’ of water, and 2 to 6 miles NE and NW of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 60’ of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 7-11 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around breakwalls and rocky drop-offs from Lorain to Avon point. Tube jigs and drop-shot rigs with goby imitations have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by walleye anglers in the same areas mentioned in the walleye report. Fish have ranged from 16 to 28�.

Lake Erie surface temperatures are in the low to mid 70’s.

Walleye
Walleye fishing has been good in Ohio waters of the central basin. The best areas were 7 to 10 and up to 20 miles N of Geneva in 65 to 72’ of water, and 7 to 10 or 16 to 18 miles N of Ashtabula in 65 to 72’ of water. Trolling 30 to 50 feet down with spoons, crawler harnesses or stickbaits, using planer boards, dipsy divers, downriggers or jet divers, have produced the best catches. Fish have ranged from 15-27 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been excellent just N of the Huron River mouth, 1 mile N of Edgewater state park in 32 to 35’ of water, 3 to 6 miles N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 50 to 62’ of water, and 2 to 6 miles NE and NW of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 60’ of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 7-11 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around breakwalls and rocky drop-offs from Lorain to Avon point. Tube jigs and drop-shot rigs with goby imitations have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by walleye anglers in the same areas mentioned in the walleye report. Fish have ranged from 16 to 28�.

This year looks to go in my books as probably the best year we’ve ever had in 19 years of chartering for getting out. Along with the heat and humidity has come fairly calm seas. Unlike last year where we had a somewhat cool and windy summer, and many lost trips because of rough lake conditions.

The past week or so we’ve seen the Walleye action shift closer to shore. We are not seeing the big on slot of Sheephead either that we had to weed through the last couple years when the fish moved in. The only slightly downside of this late summer fishing this year has been the incredible abundance of young 14 – 17 inch Walleyes that are aggressively now attacking our lures. I’ve never seen anything like it! Next year these fish will all be in the 20-inch plus class. This is all the result of the record setting spawn and hatch we had two years ago in the spring of 2003. These fish will carry the lake for years to come. Lake Erie’s future looks bright indeed.

We still have a handful of open dates left for Walleye fishing in September that I would like to fill. We are also now booking Perch trips for this fall. Anyone interested may call me directly on my boat/mobile number (216)-387-2656.

Capt. Walt

Walleye
Walleye fishing was excellent again over the past weekend (8/13/05) in
Ohio waters of the central basin. The best areas were 10 to 20 miles N
of Geneva in 70 to 74' of water, and 5 to 10 or 12 to 20 miles N of
Ashtabula in 60 to 72' of water. Trolling 30 to 45 feet down with
spoons, crawler harnesses or stickbaits, using planer boards, dipsy
divers, downriggers or jet divers, have produced the best catches. Fish
have ranged from 15-28 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing remains excellent 1 to 2 miles N of Wildwood and
Lakewood in 35 to 42' of water, 2 to 4 miles N of Ashtabula in 50 to 55'
of water, and 2 to 4 miles N of Conneaut in 35 to 55' of water. A perch
spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have
ranged from 6-12 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around breakwalls and rocky
drop-offs from Lorain to Avon point. Tube jigs and drop-shot rigs with
goby imitations have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by walleye anglers in the same areas
mentioned in the walleye report. Fish have ranged from 16 to 28".

Lake Erie surface temperatures have dropped into the mid 70's.

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been around Ruggles Reef W of Vermilion, 10
to 16 miles N from Fairport Harbor to Geneva in 70 to 72' of water, and
10 to 20 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 to 72' of water. Trolling 30 to 50
feet down with spoons or crawler harnesses using planer boards, dipsy
divers or jet divers, have produced the best catches. The best spoon
colors have been confusion, watermelon and black/silver. Fish have
ranged from 15-28 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 3 miles N of Eastlake in 37 to 44' of
water, 2 to 4 miles N-NE of Ashtabula in 45 to 56' of water, and 2 to 4
miles N-NE of Conneaut in 44 to 55' of water. A perch spreader tipped
with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 7-11
inches.

Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass fishing has been good around breakwalls and rocky
drop-offs from Lorain to Avon point. Tube jigs and drop-shot rigs with
goby imitations have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by walleye anglers in the same areas
mentioned in the walleye report. Fish have ranged from 22 to 30".

White Bass

The best white bass fishing has been from shore at the Eastlake CEI wall
and in Cleveland on the E 72nd and E 55th street piers. Anglers are
using agitators with small spinners and twister tails. Fish have ranged
from 8 - 14 inches.

Walleye
Walleye fishing has been good in eastern Ohio's waters of the central
basin. The best fishing has been around Ruggles Reef W of Vermilion, on
the sandbar NW of Lorain, 10 to 15 miles N of Geneva in 70 to 72' of
water, and 10 to 15 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 to 72' of water.
Trolling 30 to 50 feet down with spoons or crawler harnesses using
planer boards, dipsy divers or jet divers, have produced the best
catches. The best spoon colors have been confusion, watermelon and
black/silver. Fish have ranged from 15-28 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 1 mile N of Eastlake in 25 to 30' of
water, 2 to 4 miles N-NE of Fairport Harbor in 35 to 45' of water, and 2
to 6 miles N-NE of Conneaut in 40 to 65' of water. A perch spreader
tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from
7-11 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass fishing has been good around breakwalls and rocky
drop-offs from Lorain to Avon point. Tube jigs and drop-shot rigs with
goby imitations have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by walleye anglers in the same areas
mentioned in the walleye report. Fish have ranged from 22 to 30".

White Bass

The best white bass fishing has been from shore at the Eastlake CEI wall
and in Cleveland on the E 72nd and E 55th street piers. Anglers are
using agitators with small spinners and twister tails. Fish have ranged
from 8 - 14 inches.

Walleye
Walleye fishing continues to be good in eastern Ohio's waters of the
central basin. The best fishing has been 5 to 15 miles N of Geneva in
65 to 72' of water and 7 to 15 miles N-NE of Ashtabula in 65 to 72' of
water. Trolling 30 to 50 feet down with spoons or crawler harnesses
using planer boards, dipsy divers or jet divers, have produced the best
catches. The best spoon colors have been confusion, watermelon and
black/silver. Fish have ranged from 15-28 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 1 mile N of Edgewater state park in
34' of water and 4 to 6 miles N-NE of Conneaut in 44 to 60' of water. A
perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish
have ranged from 7-11 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass fishing has been good around breakwalls and rocky
drop-offs from Lorain to Avon point. Tube jigs and goby imitations have
been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by walleye anglers in the same areas
mentioned in the walleye report. Fish have ranged from 22 to 30".

White Bass

The best white bass fishing has been from shore at the Eastlake CEI wall
and in Cleveland on the E 72nd and E 55th street piers. Anglers are
using agitators with small spinners and twister tails. Fish have ranged
from 8 - 14 inches.

We’ve had many limit catches with some very impressive sized Walleyes being landed. A couple weeks ago, we landed a 34-inch, 13 lb. monster. That fish even had me shaking! Steelhead Trout have made themselves scarce. At best we are doing 1 or 2 a day. Our best day so far has been 5 Trout that we landed out of the 8 that we hooked. Most fish are now being caught 8 to 12 miles off shore of Ashtabula, OH. The fish are now very deep, and we’ve been using wire line on crankbaits. The big Dipsey Divers have been productive as well. For the most part, its’ trophy Walleye season aboard “The Trophy” as usual this time of year.

As always, I urge all my charters to be ready to roll absolutely no later than 5:30 a.m. Our best fishing has been by far the first couple hours of daylight. By mid day, with the extreme heat, and sunlight that we’ve been receiving, the action dies down to next to nothing.

Anyone interested in a trip may reach me on my boat/mobile number 216-387-2656. I must apologize that the fishing reports are fewer and farther between this time of year. I am so busy, and tired with all this heat, that things like this get pushed off to the side. I will try to have another report up about the 1st of August. Anyone interested in an up to the minute report on conditions and fishing, is welcome to call me on the above mentioned number as well at any time.

Tight Lines!
Capt. Walt

Walleye
Walleye fishing continues to be good in eastern Ohio's waters of the
central basin. The best fishing has been 7 to 9 miles N off Fairport
Harbor in 65 to 72' of water and 7 to 9 miles N of Ashtabula in 65 to
72' of water. Trolling 30 to 50 feet down with spoons or crawler
harnesses using planer boards, dipsy divers or jet divers, have produced
the best catches. The best spoon colors have been confusion, watermelon
and black/silver. Fish have ranged from 15-28 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 1 mile N of Euclid in 30' of water, 2
to 4 miles N of Ashtabula in 40 to 55' of water, and 2 to 4 miles N of
Conneaut in 40 to 55' of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is
the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 7-13 inches.

White Bass

The best white bass fishing has been from the shore at the Eastlake CEI
wall. Anglers are using agitators with small spinners and twister
tails.

Fish have ranged from 8 - 14 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass fishing has been good on Ruggles Reef and around the
shoreline and harbors in 15 to 30 feet of water around Fairport, Geneva,
Ashtabula and Conneaut. Jigs tipped with shiners, tube jigs, jerkbaits
and crankbaits have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by walleye anglers in the same areas
mentioned in the walleye report. Fish have ranged from 22 to 28".

Walleye
Walleye fishing continues to be good in eastern Ohio's waters of the
central basin. The best fishing has been 5 to 7 miles N off Fairport
Harbor in 60 to 70' of water, 5 to 9 miles NW of Ashtabula in 60 to 71'
of water, and 4 to 7 miles N of Geneva in 60 to 70' of water. Trolling
20 to 40 feet down with spoons or crawler harnesses using planer boards,
dipsy divers or jet divers, have produced the best catches. The best
spoon colors have been confusion, watermelon and black/silver. Fish
have ranged from 15-28 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing remains excellent 1-3 miles out from Fairport
Harbor in 30 to 50' of water and 1 to 3 miles out from Ashtabula to
Conneaut in 25 to 50' of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is
the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 7-13 inches.

White Bass

The best white bass fishing has been from the shore at the Eastlake CEI
wall. Anglers are using agitators with small spinners and twister
tails.

Fish have ranged from 8 - 12 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef and around
the shoreline and harbors in 15 to 30 feet of water around Fairport,
Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Jigs tipped with shiners, tube jigs,
jerkbaits and crankbaits have been the most productive lures.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 71 to 74 degrees.

Walleye
Walleye fishing has been excellent in eastern Ohio's waters of the
Central Basin. The best fishing has been 3 to 5 miles N off Fairport
Harbor in 50 to 70' of water, 3 to 7 miles NW of Ashtabula in 50 to 70'
of water, and 3 to 5 miles N of Geneva in 50 to 70' of water. Trolling
spoons or crawler harnesses using planer boards, dipsy divers or jet
divers, have produced the best catches. The best spoon colors have been
confusion and watermelon. Fish have ranged from 15-28 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been excellent 1-3 miles out from Fairport
Harbor to Geneva in 30 to 50' of water and 1 to 3 miles out from
Ashtabula to Conneaut in 25 to 50' of water. A perch spreader tipped
with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 7-13
inches.

White Bass

The best white bass fishing has been from the shore at the Eastlake CEI
wall. Anglers are using agitators with small spinners and twister
tails.

Fish have ranged from 9 - 12 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef and around
the shoreline and harbors in 15 to 30 feet of water around Fairport,
Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Jigs tipped with shiners, tube jigs,
jerkbaits and crankbaits have been the most productive lures.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 68 to 74 degrees.

Walleye
Walleye fishing is heating up in the Central Basin and fishing has been
good 3 to 5 miles N off Fairport Harbor in 40 to 60' of water, 3 to 5
miles NW of Ashtabula in 48 to 62' of water, and 5 mile N of Eastlake in
50 of water. Trolling spoons, crankbaits, or crawler harnesses using
planer boards, dipsy divers or jet divers, have produced the best
catches. The best spoons have been rainbow colors with blues and pinks.
Fish have ranged from 15-28 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been good 1-2 miles N of East 72nd St in
Cleveland in 35 to 40' of water and 1 to 3 miles out from Fairport
Harbor to Conneaut in 30 to 45' of water. A perch spreader tipped with
shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from 8-12 inches.

White Bass

The best white bass fishing has been from the shore at the Eastlake CEI
wall. Anglers are using agitators with small spinners and twister
tails.

Fish have ranged from 8 - 12 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass fishing has excellent on Ruggles Reef and around the
shoreline and harbors in 15 to 30 feet of water around Fairport, Geneva,
Ashtabula and Conneaut. Jigs tipped with shiners, tube jigs, jerkbaits
and crankbaits have been the most productive lures.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 66 to 69 degrees.

We are now getting plenty of the undersize fish from the 2003 record hatch. Most of these fish are just shy of the 15” minimum size requirement. I figure by mid July a lot of these fish will start making the grade. We are still fishing mostly west of Ashtabula but not that far from shore. At this time the magic depth seems to be 58 to 62 feet of water. Best action by far has been in the very early morning. By mid day it dies down to next to nothing. On Sunday we were headed out at 5:00 a.m. and it paid off big. I urge all of my charters to be at the dock and ready to cast off no later than 5:30 a.m. It’s that important to get in on the early morning bite!

Also just like somebody just flipped a switch, we are now taking one or two Steelhead each day as well. How exciting when one of those bullets hits! All of ours have come on the bigger Michigan spoons. This fishing will also only get better with each passing day as we start to edge our way further and further from shore.

And now for a shameless plug, we have one day that is still open for this month that I need to fill. That date is Monday, June 20th. If anyone is interested, please call me on my boat/mobile number at 216-387-2656. The fishing is awesome right now and should only get better with each passing day. Man, I think we are in for a heck of a summer!

Capt. Walt

We’ve already run a handful of Walleye trips, and just like the past years, the early trips have provided some monster fish. Although the overall numbers could be better, the quality has been excellent. Each day we have caught at least one monster Walleye that went 30 inches or better! Best action has been to the west of Ashtabula harbor in water running from 45 to 60 feet. Most Walleye are being caught off of the boards using #40 Jet Divers and Stinger Spoons. Leads from 70 to 140 feet back have all caught us fish with the most consistent at around 90 feet.

The new Raymarine digital E Series High Definition fishfinder continues to show the Walleyes suspended in the now deeper water of the central basin along with tons of baitfish. What an awesome fishfinder this unit has proven to be. In 19 years of chartering, this unit has become the most precise, astonishing display that I have ever experienced. What a show!

I have yet to catch my first Steelhead. The fish must be way off shore. No problems yet with the smaller undersize Walleyes either that we were plagued with the last couple of weeks that I was in Port Clinton. I expect that to change as well. Quite a few smaller white bass and Sheephead have been showing up already. Oh boy, here we go again with those guys!

We still have a handful of open dates for Ashtabula Walleye. I can be reached on my cell phone 216-387-2656.

Good Fishing
Capt. Walt

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been around Ruggles Reef E of Huron, 3 to 5
miles N of Fairport Harbor in 50 to 60' of water, 3 to 5 miles NW of
Ashtabula in 50 to 60' of water, and 1 mile N of Eastlake in 20 to 30'
of water. Trolling spoons, crankbaits, or crawler harnesses, and
drifting crawler harnesses have produced the best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 1 to 2 miles N of the Vermilion River
mouth, 1 to 2 miles off of Lorain, 1 mile N of the E 72nd street
lighthouse of Cleveland in 30' of water, 1 mile N of Eastlake in 20 to
30' of water, and 1 to 3 miles out from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in
30 to 45' of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most
popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around the shoreline and
harbors in 15 to 30 feet of water around Fairport, Geneva, Ashtabula and
Conneaut. Jigs tipped with shiners or leeches, tube jigs and crankbaits
have been the most productive lures.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 57 to 67 degrees.

There is not much fishing on open Lake water due to iced-in ramps.

Steelhead (December 28, 2004)

Most rivers and streams are in poor shape: stream reaches are locked
up with the latest cold snap. Smaller streams have been frozen with
thick side ice and slushy flows. Heavy snow has blanketed the area.
The next thaw will raise streams to high (unfishable) flows. Look for
headwaters and smaller tribs to open up first.

Most rivers and streams are in moderately poor shape with higher flows
and lower clarity with the last week's showers and now our heavy
snowfall. Most NE Ohio areas have received a foot or more of snow
which may make travel on back roads hazardous. This snow will add to
river flows slowly as it melts (unless we see a quick warm up or more
rain). Smaller tribs and rivers will clear first. Expect fresh fish in
the major rivers and smaller tribs. Active fish can be found from the
beaches to the upper stream reaches.

Vermilion River: Fish from the river mouth up to Birmingham.

Rocky River: Fish from the Emerald Necklace marina up to the Nature
Center.

Cuyahoga River: Fish from the harbor area up past the Rt. 82 dam up to
Edison Dam.

Chagrin River: Fish from the soccer fields to Daniels Park.

Grand River: Fish from the Fairport pier up to Harpersfield Dam. Don't
neglect Paine and Big creeks. Mill Creek should see fish soon.

Arcola Creek: Fish in the estuary pond area and beach.

Ashtabula River: Fish from the Walnut Creek breakwall up through Indian
Trails Park.

Conneaut Creek: Fish from the harbor up to the State line.

Surface temperatures range from 42 to 45 degrees.

As water temperatures continue to drop fewer anglers are fishing the
main lake. Most walleye and perch fishing is taking place within a few
miles of shore. Walleye can be caught in nearshore areas by trolling or
casting minnow-imitating stickbaits in water less than 20 feet deep.
Rock breakwalls and river mouths from Catawba to Cleveland will continue
to produce trophy walleye occasionally over 10 pounds. Although shore
fishing has been spotty at best walleye continue to be caught by shore
anglers casting off breakwalls and piers. Yellow perch can still be
caught by using shiners on perch spreaders or crappie rigs fished near
the bottom within a few miles of most central basin harbors.

Steelhead (December 1, 2004)

Most rivers and streams are in poor shape with higher flows and lower
clarity with the spate of recent showers. Smaller tribs and rivers will
clear first. Expect fresh fish in the major rivers and smaller tribs.
Active fish can be found from the beaches to the upper stream reaches.

Vermilion River: Fish from the river mouth up to Birmingham.

Rocky River: Fish from the Emerald Necklace marina up to the Nature
Center.

Cuyahoga River: Fish from the harbor area up past the Rt. 82 dam up to
Edison Dam.

Chagrin River: Fish from the soccer fields to Daniels Park.

Grand River: Fish from the Fairport pier up to Harpersfield Dam. Don't
neglect Paine and Big creeks. Mill Creek should see fish soon.

Arcola Creek: Fish in the estuary pond area and beach.

Ashtabula River: Fish from the Walnut Creek breakwall up through Indian
Trails Park.

Conneaut Creek: Fish from the harbor up to the State line.

Walleye

Walleye fishing had been excellent at times from Cedar Point to
Cleveland. Fish were caught during the day by anglers fishing offshore
in water from 35 to 45' deep from Cedar Point to Lorain. Trolling
crankbaits or spoons has produced the most fish. At night fish were
caught by trollers fishing near Catawba, from the Mazurik access to
Marblehead, from Cedar Point to Vermilion, and near the Lorain and
Cleveland breakwalls. Exceptional catches of fish over 10 pounds were
common off of the Cleveland breakwall at night. Trollers are using
minnow-imitating stickbaits pulled behind inline planer boards along
breakwalls and in shallow nearshore areas around the locations mentioned
earlier. Pier fishing has also been good this fall. Cast crankbaits
that imitate shad or shiners in any of the following areas: Catawba,
Lakeside/Marblehead, Huron, Lorain and Cleveland.

Yellow Perch

Yellow perch fishing was exceptional with limit catches of fish between
9 and 13 inches being common. The best areas included (but are not
limited to): Cleveland, Lorain and Marblehead. Use shiners on spreaders
or crappie rigs near the bottom in areas within a few miles of shore for
best results.

Steelhead (December 1, 2004)

Most rivers and streams are in poor shape with higher flows and lower
clarity with the spate of recent showers. Smaller tributaries and rivers
will clear first. Expect fresh fish in the major rivers and smaller
tributaries. Active fish can be found from the beaches to the upper
stream reaches.

Vermilion River: Fish from the river mouth up to Birmingham.

Rocky River: Fish from the Emerald Necklace marina up to the Nature
Center.

Cuyahoga River: Fish from the harbor area up past the Rt. 82 dam up to
Edison Dam.

Chagrin River: Fish from the soccer fields to Daniels Park.

Grand River: Fish from the Mentor Headlands and Fairport piers up to
Harpersfield Dam. NOTE: Construction advisory in Painesville Twp. at SR
84

Arcola Creek: Fish in the estuary pond area and beach.

Ashtabula River: Fish from the Walnut Creek breakwall up through Indian
Trails Park.

Walleye

Walleye fishing has been excellent at times from Cedar Point to
Cleveland. Fish have been caught during the day by anglers fishing
offshore in water from 35 to 45' deep from Cedar Point to Lorain.
Trolling crankbaits or spoons has produced the most fish. At night fish
have been caught by trollers fishing around Catawba, from the Mazurik
access to Marblehead, from Cedar Point to Vermilion, and near the Lorain
and Cleveland breakwalls. Exceptional catches of fish over 10 pounds
have been common off of the Cleveland breakwall at night during the last
few weeks. Trollers are using minnow-imitating stickbaits pulled behind
inline planer boards along breakwalls and in shallow nearshore areas
around the locations mentioned earlier. Pier fishing has also been good
this fall. Cast crankbaits that imitate shad or shiners in any of the
following areas: Catawba, Lakeside/Marblehead, Huron, Lorain and
Cleveland.

Yellow Perch

Yellow perch fishing has been exceptional with limit catches of fish
between 9 and 13 inches being common. The best areas have included (but
are not limited to): Cleveland, Lorain and Marblehead. Use shiners on
spreaders or crappie rigs near the bottom in areas within a few miles of
shore for best results.

Steelhead (as of November 18, 2004)

Most rivers and streams are in good shape with low flows and good
clarity in spite of the recent showers. Expect fresh fish in the major
rivers and smaller tribs. Active fish can be found from the beaches to
the upper stream reaches.

Vermilion River: Fish from the river mouth up to Birmingham.

Rocky River: Fish from the Emerald Necklace marina up to the Nature
Center.

Cuyahoga River: Fish from the harbor area up past the Rt. 82 dam up to
Edison Dam.

Chagrin River: Fish from the soccer fields to Daniels Park.

Grand River: Fish from the Mentor Headlands and Fairport piers up to
Harpersfield Dam. NOTE: Construction advisory in Painesville Twp. at SR
84

Arcola Creek: Fish in the estuary pond area and beach.

Ashtabula River: Fish from the Walnut Creek breakwall up through Indian
Trails Park.

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been from W of the sandbar to Huron, and
nearshore between Huron and Vermilion. As temperatures drop nearshore
fishing opportunities should improve. Trolling spoons or worm harnesses
using divers and also trolling crankbaits have produced the best
catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 2 miles NE of Lorain, E of the middle
of the sandbar, within 3 miles of Vermilion, 3 miles NW of Fairport
Harbor in 50 to 52 feet of water, 3 to 4 miles N of Cleveland in 40 to
52 feet of water, and 4 miles N of Ashtabula in 55 to 60 feet of water.
A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles reef. Use tube
jigs, drop shot rigs with goby imitations, soft craws or shiners for
best results.

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been about 10 miles N-NW of the Vermilion River
in the area W of the sandbar, and around Ruggles reef between Huron and
Vermilion. Trolling spoons or worm harnesses using divers and also trolling
crankbaits have produced the best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 2 miles NE of Lorain, E of the middle of
the sandbar, 1 to 2 miles NW of Vermilion, 3 to 4 miles NW of Fairport
Harbor in 55 to 58 feet of water, 3 to 4 miles N of Cleveland in 40 to 52
feet of water, and 4 to 5 miles N of Ashtabula in 60 to 65 feet of water. A
perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles reef and Avon. Use
tube jigs, drop shot rigs with goby imitations, soft craws or shiners for
best results.

Meanwhile, the Jumbo Perch fishing has been on fire. Limit catches are almost automatic. I’ve never seen anything like it. The Perch are everywhere and on a lot of days, they are truly in the “jumbo” class. Best action is also 8 – 12 miles out. I don’t know why the Perch are hanging that far out but they are. You can catch some Perch almost anywhere but when I run a Perch trip, I go straight for the “juggler”! On the two days that I Walleye fished, it was a real mess; we had to dodge around anchored Perch boats all day. All of the fish are mixed in together in the same area. A good many Steelhead Trout are starting to run up the Ashtabula River also.

I would like to remind everyone that we have quite a few open dates left for Oct. and if the weather holds out, we will even keep trying for the Walleyes. If you’ve never Perch fished before, this is the year for it. It is just unbelievable fun! To book a date, you may call me directly on my cell phone 1-216-387-2656. The boat comes out for the season on Nov. 1st.

Capt. Walt

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been N of the sandbar, W of the N end of the
sandbar, around Ruggles reef between Huron and Vermilion, and 6 to 7 miles N
of Ashtabula in 68 feet of water. Trolling spoons or worm harnesses using
divers or downriggers and also trolling crankbaits have produced the best
catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 2 miles NE of Lorain, E of the middle of
the sandbar, 1 to 2 miles N of Vermilion, 3 miles NW of Fairport Harbor in
50 to 55 feet of water, 4 to 5 miles N of Cleveland and Eastlake in 42 to 56
feet of water, and 4 to 5 miles N of Ashtabula in 60 to 65 feet of water. A
perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles reef and Avon. Use
tube jigs, drop shot rigs with goby imitations, soft craws or shiners for
best results.

Steelhead
Steelhead are present in most of the Lake Erie tributaries. Low water
levels in the rivers could make fishing conditions tough. Concentrate on
areas with the deepest water and fish during low light periods. Spawn bags
or jigs tipped with maggots will produce the best results.

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been E of the N end of the sandbar, W of the N
end of the sandbar, around Ruggles reef between Huron and Vermilion, and 7
to 9 miles NE of Ashtabula in 68 to 70 feet of water. Trolling spoons or
worm harnesses using divers or downriggers and also trolling crankbaits have
produced the best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 2 miles NE of Lorain, E of the middle of
the sandbar, 1 to 2 miles N of Vermilion, 2 to 3 miles NW of Fairport Harbor
in 50 to 55 feet of water, 3 to 4 miles N of Cleveland in 40 to 52 feet of
water, and 4 miles N of Ashtabula in 55 to 60 feet of water. A perch
spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles reef and Avon. Use
tube jigs, drop shot rigs with goby imitations, soft craws or shiners for
best results.

Steelhead
Steelhead are beginning to show up in the rivers. Over the past weekend
fish were caught in Conneaut Creek up to the Rt. 7 bridge and in the Grand
River at the Fairport Harbor pier and Painesville Dam. Anglers are using
spawn sacs and jigs and maggots.

White Bass
White bass have been caught by anglers using shiners or agitators with jigs
at Edgewater and the Cleveland lakefront in 30 to 50 feet of water.

The Walleyes have still not moved out of the area. We are doing very well in 72 ft. of water, anywhere from 10 to 17 miles out. The fish are quite deep but are very active. Very few Steelhead are being caught this season but we are still getting a few almost every trip out. This past Saturday we had a group from Wisconsin that just couldn’t get over the size of our Walleyes! Out of the fine batch of fish that we had, two were over 10 lbs. and the big Walleye of the day came in at 12 lbs.; a nice reward after driving so far.

I ran my first Perch charter on Sunday. While others have been running Perch trips right along, I’ve been very busy chasing the “Eyes”. It didn’t take long to get back in the swing of things. We had 150 truly big jumbos in the cooler by 9:00 a.m.! We anchored just east of the harbor in 55 ft. of water. Very impressive! In fact, it was such a nice day that we ran out a few more miles and trolled for a couple of hours and topped the catch off with a dozen or so huge Walleyes! Some days are just picture perfect.

I want to remind everyone that we still have some open dates for Perch in October. You can call me direct on my mobile number at 216-387-2656.

Capt. Walt

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been N of Lorain along the east side of the
sandbar, N of Vermilion in 40 to 44 feet of water, 10 to 12 miles N of
Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet of water, and 7 to 8 miles NW of Conneaut in 70
feet of water. Trolling spoons or worm harnesses using divers or downriggers
has produced the best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 1 to 3 miles N of Vermilion and Lorain, 3
miles NE of Fairport Harbor in 50 feet of water, 4 to 5 miles NE of
Cleveland in 40 to 52 feet of water, and 4 to 5 miles N of Conneaut in 60 to
65 feet of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular
set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles Reef. Tube jigs
have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by anglers trolling spoons 10 to 12 miles N of
Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet of water and 7 to 8 miles NW of Conneaut in 70
feet of water. Target areas with schools of baitfish where walleye are also
being caught.

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been N of Lorain along the east side of the
sandbar, 7 to 10 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet of water, and 8 miles
NW of Conneaut in 70 feet of water. Trolling spoons or worm harnesses using
divers or downriggers has produced the best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 1 to 2 miles N of Vermilion and Lorain, 4
to 5 miles N of Eastlake in 40 to 52 feet of water, 3 miles NW of Fairport
Harbor in 47 to 50 feet of water, 4 to 5 miles N of Cleveland in 40 to 52
feet of water, and 4 miles N of Conneaut in 60 to 65 feet of water. A perch
spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles Reef and Avon
Point. Tube jigs have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by anglers trolling spoons 6 to 8 miles N-NW of
Ashtabula in 68 to 70 feet of water. Target areas with schools of baitfish
where walleye are also being caught.

White Bass
White bass have been caught by anglers using shiners at Edgewater and the
Cleveland lakefront in 15 to 30 feet of water, and 4 to 5 miles N of
Cleveland in 48 to 57 feet of water.

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been around the ruggles reef area, N of Lorain
along the east side of the sandbar, 6 to 8 miles N-NW of Ashtabula in 68 to
70 feet of water, and 8 to 10 miles N of Conneaut in 70 feet of water.
Trolling spoons or worm harnesses using divers or downriggers has produced
the best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 1 to 2 miles N of Vermilion, 4 to 5 miles
N of Eastlake in 48 to 52 feet of water, 3-4 miles NW of Fairport Harbor in
50 to 52 feet of water, and 5-6 miles N of Conneaut in 60 feet of water. A
perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles Reef and Avon
Point. Tube jigs have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by anglers trolling spoons 6 to 8 miles N-NW of
Ashtabula in 68 to 70 feet of water. Target areas with schools of baitfish
where walleye are also being caught.

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been N of Lorain along the east side of the
sandbar, 10 to 12 miles N-NE of Ashtabula in 69 to 72 feet of water, and 8
to 10 miles NW of Conneaut in 70 to 72 feet of water. Trolling spoons or
worm harnesses using divers or downriggers has produced the best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 1 to 2 miles N of Vermilion, 3 to 5 miles
NE of Cleveland in 40 to 50 feet of water, 3 miles NE of Fairport Harbor in
45 to 50 feet of water, and 3 miles N of Conneaut in 50 feet of water. A
perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles Reef and Avon
Point. Tube jigs have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by anglers trolling spoons 10 to 12 miles N-NE of
Ashtabula in 69 to 72 feet of water and 12 to 15 miles N of the Chagrin
River in 70 to 76 feet of water. Target areas with schools of baitfish
where walleye are also being caught.

Aboard “The Trophy” we are still using Storm Thundersticks fished off of the planer boards using wire line to get the job done. These fish are about 50 to 60 ft. down. The down side of all this is the incidental fish we have to weed through each day to get our Walleyes. The Sheephead and White Bass are really heavy in the same area. Last year’s Walleye hatch is coming on strong. We can hardly keep the 10-inch little guys off of lines. We are all in for a big treat in a couple of years. All of the experts are saying the hatch of 2002 be the greatest in all of Lake Erie’s history! The Steelhead continue to be scarce but again I attribute this to the location where we are doing the bulk of our fishing. I suspect the real big schools of Trout are way off shore.

I would like to remind everyone that we are now booking our fall Perch trips for September and October. Anyone interested can call me direct on my mobile number at 216-387-2656. The boys that are already Perch fishing are doing very well. It should get better as the cooler weather sets in.

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been N of Lorain along the east side of the
sandbar, 12 to 13 miles N-NE of Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet of water, and 7
miles N of Conneaut in 68 to 70 feet of water. Trolling spoons or worm
harnesses using divers or downriggers has produced the best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 1 to 2 miles N of Vermilion, 4 to 5 miles
N of Cleveland in 48 to 57 feet of water, 3 miles NW of Fairport Harbor in
47 to 50 feet of water, and 2 to 4 miles N of Conneaut in 45 to 52 feet of
water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles Reef and Avon
Point. Tube jigs have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by anglers trolling spoons 14 to 16 miles N of
Ashtabula in 70 to 74 feet of water and 12 to 15 miles N of Fairport Harbor
in 70 to 76 feet of water. Target areas with schools of baitfish where
walleye are also being caught.

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been N of Lorain along the east side of the
sandbar, 12 to 13 miles N-NE of Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet of water, and 3
miles E of Conneaut in 34 to 40 feet of water. Trolling spoons or worm
harnesses using divers or downriggers has produced the best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 2 to 3 miles N of Lorain and Beaver
Creek, 4 to 5 miles N of Cleveland in 48 to 57 feet of water, 3 miles NW of
Fairport Harbor in 45 to 50 feet of water, and 4 to 5 miles out from
Ashtabula to Conneaut in 52 to 60 feet of water. A perch spreader tipped
with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles Reef and the
shoreline and harbors in 15 to 30 feet of water from Fairport Harbor to
Conneaut. Jigs tipped with shiners, tube jigs and crankbaits have been the
most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by anglers trolling spoons 12 to 13 miles N-NE of
Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet of water and 10 miles N of the Chagrin River in
65 to 70 feet of water. Target areas with schools of baitfish where walleye
are also being caught.

White Bass
White bass have been caught by anglers using shiners at Edgewater and the
Cleveland lakefront in 15 to 30 feet of water.

Such is the nature of this business. If I could write the script, I would have everyone fishing under calm seas with limit catches; but this is fishing and anything can happen. In the past few weeks, I’ve seen some fantastic catches, and some that have been so-so. But everyone has had a good time which is the most important thing about the trip.

We are now mostly fishing off shore. Our average daily run is about 15 – 20 miles off shore. The Walleyes that we are catching are a decent size. A lot of Steelhead Trout are showing up as well. Most of the Walleyes are coming off of the planer boards with wire line and crankbaits. Aboard “The Trophy” we are using Jr. Thundersticks fished back anywhere from 300 to 400 on wire fishing line. I figure these Walleyes are between 50 - 60 feet down in water, which is 72 – 74 feet in depth. The Trout are coming mostly on the riggers and Dipsey Divers with Copper and Gold colored spoons being the best for us.

The numbers of Trout are getting better with each passing day. We are averaging anywhere from 5 – 10 Trout per day right now. A nice plus considering the Walleye action is a bit slower than I would like to see it. Hopefully we will have some real summer like weather this month!

Walleye

The best walleye fishing has been N of Lorain east of the sandbar, 11 miles
NE of Ashtabula in 72 feet of water, and 10 miles NW of Fairport Harbor in
65 to 70 feet of water. Trolling spoons or worm harnesses using divers or
downriggers has produced the best catches.

Yellow Perch

Yellow perch fishing has been best 3 to 4 miles N of Euclid in 48 to 52 feet
of water, 3 miles NW of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 50 feet of water, and 4 to
5 miles out from Ashtabula to Conneaut in 60 to 65 feet of water. A perch
spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass

The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles Reef and the
shoreline and harbors in 15 to 30 feet of water from Fairport Harbor to
Conneaut. Jigs tipped with shiners, tube jigs and crankbaits have been the
most productive lures.

Steelhead

Steelhead have been caught by anglers trolling spoons 10 miles NW of
Fairport Harbor in 65 to 70 feet of water. Target areas with schools of
baitfish where walleye are also being caught.

White Bass

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been N of Lorain east of the sandbar, 7 to 13
miles N of Ashtabula in 72 to 77 feet of water, and 8 to 9 miles N of the
Chagrin River in 52 to 70 feet of water. Trolling spoons or worm harnesses
using divers or downriggers has produced the best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 3 to 4 miles N of Cleveland in 45 to 55
feet of water, 3 to 4 miles NW of Fairport Harbor in 55 feet of water, and 6
to 7 miles N of Conneaut in 66 feet of water. A perch spreader tipped with
shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles Reef and the
shoreline and harbors in 15 to 30 feet of water from Fairport Harbor to
Conneaut. Jigs tipped with shiners, tube jigs and crankbaits have been the
most productive lures.

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been N of Lorain between the old trash dump and
the sandbar, 10 to 12 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 feet of water, 1 to 3 miles
N of the Chagrin River in 38 to 50 feet of water, and 3 to 4 miles W of
Fairport Harbor in 35 to 45 feet of water. Trolling spoons or worm
harnesses using divers or downriggers has produced the best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best 2 to 3 miles N of Cleveland in 35 to 48
feet of water, 3 to 4 miles N of Fairport Harbor in 50 to 56 feet of water,
and 3 to 4 miles out from Ashtabula to Conneaut in 50 to 55 feet of water.
A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around Ruggles Reef and the
shoreline and harbors in 15 to 30 feet of water from Fairport Harbor to
Conneaut. Jigs tipped with shiners, tube jigs and crankbaits have been the
most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught occasionally by walleye anglers trolling spoons 8
to 9 miles N of the Chagrin River in 52 to 70 feet of water. Target areas
with schools of baitfish where walleye are also being caught.

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been from Vermilion to Beaver Creek, from
Lorain to Avon Point, 4 to 6 miles NE of Ashtabula in 50 to 60 feet of
water, 8 to 9 miles N of the Chagrin River in 48 to 60 feet of water, and 3
to 6 miles E of Geneva in 50 to 60 feet of water. Trolling spoons and
crankbaits have produced the best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Vermilion River mouth, within
one mile of Lorain, 3 to 4 miles N of Cleveland in 30 to 40 feet of water, 1
to 2 miles out from Geneva to Conneaut in 30 to 40 feet of water, and 2 to 4
miles NW of Fairport in 42 to 52 feet of water. A perch spreader tipped
with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Awesome! With each passing day the fishing off of Ashtabula, OH, just keeps getting better and better. In our second week back home at our homeport, I’ve seen more 30 inch Walleyes caught aboard “The Trophy” than I’ve seen in a long time!

Most of the Walleyes that we’re pulling right now are coming off of the planer boards with #40 Jet Divers and Michigan Stinger spoons. Best colors have been golds and coppers. The big Dipseys have been catching some fish each day but have not been dominant yet. When the fish drop a little deeper, they will start to light up. The Down Riggers for all practical purposes have been a waste of time. In two weeks of fishing, we’ve taken two down rigger fish. The same holds true for the riggers; when the fish go deeper, they will also have their moments. All of the fish that we are catching right now have been in 50 to 60 feet of water. This past week we also caught one Steelhead and of all things, we caught two Brown Trout on two different days! Most of the better Steelhead fishing is further out in the lake right now but the better Walleye fishing is closer in. This will all change when the Walleyes move out a bit.

I would like to remind everyone that we are also available for afternoon trips each and every day. These trips can be arranged at the spur of the moment, and with the Walleyes in close, limits can still be caught with the time we have to work with. These trips are generally from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The very best action is always in the morning and again towards the evening. If anyone is interested, please call me on my cell at 216-387-2656.

Whether you are bringing up your own boat or looking for a charter, I can assure you it’s happening big time right now off of the shores of Ashtabula and not to far out either!

We’re back home! After what feels like a blur, our two-month stay at Port Clinton, OH is behind us, and we are back at our homeport, Ashtabula, OH for the rest of the season. The fishing is awesome! The last two to three weeks at Port Clinton was impressive but the size of the Walleyes that we are catching right now in front of Ashtabula is simply unbelievable.

In our first four trips, we’ve taken 11 Walleyes over 28 inches, 6 of them over 30 inches, and one bruiser that measured 32 ½ inches! Our early trips have landed anywhere from 15 – 28 Walleyes. With catches like this, limits are not far away but it really doesn’t matter as long as we are doing consistent catches of truly trophy caliber Walleyes in good numbers. All of our groups thus far have been blown away.

The huge fish are still in rather close to shore with most of our fish being found in 54 to 64 feet of water. Stinger spoons fished off of the jet divers and planer boards are getting the job done. Just like early last summer, hardly any Steelhead Trout are being caught. I know they are schooled up well off shore, and once we venture out further, we’ll see plenty of Trout action mixed in with our Walleye catches.

Water temps as of early June are running in the low 60’s. I’m very impressed with this early action. It will only get better with each day. We are booked quite heavy for most of the summer but we do have a dozen or so openings still available. Please call or email us for the most current list of available dates. We also offer afternoon trips and these are for the most part wide open. If you’ve never experienced our Walleye season here in Ashtabula, OH, I invite everyone onboard “The Trophy” for a day of incredible fishing!

Capt. Walt

Walleye
The best walleye fishing has been from Vermilion to Lorain in 34 to 42 feet
of water, 5 to 6 miles W of Fairport in 40 to 60 feet of water, 7 to 8 miles
NE of the Chagrin River in 48 to 60 feet of water, and 6 miles NW of Geneva
in 45 to 50 feet of water. Trolling spoons and crankbaits have produced the
best catches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Vermilion River mouth, within
one mile of Lorain, 3 to 4 miles N of Cleveland in 30 to 40 feet of water, 2
to 4 miles N of Conneaut and Ashtabula in 40 to 50 feet of water, and 2 to 4
miles NW of Fairport in 42 to 52 feet of water. A perch spreader tipped
with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Fished for smallies off Conneaut on Friday. The first fish came quick as we started to drift for smallmouth bass.

Moments later a six pounder was on board. The fish were hitting best 20 to 15 feet. Water temperature was 50 degrees and the wind was out of the north. Chilly!

Doubles could be found on the better rock piles.

Even a nice walleye made the cooler along with some yellow perch.