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