CLEVELAND, Ohio — There are certain times of the year when preparation is a better game plan than going fishing. The next week or two may be one of those times. The Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch aren’t cooperating right now. Even the bluegills, rock bass, crappies and channel catfish can be difficult to catch.
Changing wind and weather conditions and temperatures are the culprits.
Now would be a good time to straighten out the tackle box, add a few lures to the collection, swap the fishing line on rods and reels and add a few dabs of oil to the fishing reels. And get fresh containers of sunscreen and bug spray.
A top notch idea is to plug in the 28th annual Steelhead Expo on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. at the Rocky River Nature Center, 24000 Valley Pkwy., North Olmsted.
The Expo on the Rocky River will have top speakers from the Great Lakes area making informative presentations covering fly and spey fishing, fly tying, spin fishing and center pin float fishing. It will help you unlock the secrets to locating and catching Ohio steelhead.
Conservation organizations will be on hand to educate about protecting our rivers and the steelhead fishery, including the sponsoring Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders Association and the Cleveland Metroparks. For decades, steelhead fishermen have enjoyed an advantage by listening to the experts at Steelhead Expo seminars, or beginning their river fishing adventures under the watchful eye of a steelhead trout fishing guide. Many guides and experts will be at the show.
Local tackle and clothing companies will have displays with advice on the right equipment and products at the Steelhead Expo, and you can buy the latest gear from vendors and exhibitors. Check clevelandmetroparks.org for more details regarding programs and speakers.
Cold front tosses monkey wrench in fishing: A cold front has been messing with the Lake Erie fishing in recent days.
While more temperate weather is in the forecast, the big lake waters are mixed up right now with temperatures registering at about 80 degrees from the surface waves to the deepest waters along the lake bottom.
“We’ve been finding both the schools of walleye and steelhead trout in about 70 feet of water off Lorain. The schools of fish are suspending at about 50 feet,” said Mike Chaffin at Erie Outfitters in Sheffield Lake.
Chaffin said that trolling medium-sized spoons behind diving planers has been the best bet. While the steelhead trout seem to prefer silver-blue color patterns, the walleye like to chase a lure that has some orange in the color pattern.
Western Basin walleye waiting: The walleye and yellow perch fishing around the Lake Erie Islands and the Western Basin is in a bit of a funk, as well, because of the August doldrums. Limits of fish have been difficult to catch the last few days, although not impossible.
The best walleye fishing has been around the Sandusky and Huron dumping areas, with trolling diving planers and spoons the top tactic. The diving plugs, such as Bandits, Dead Eyes and Reef Runners, might be good for the deeper waters off Geneva and Conneaut.
The perch fishing around the Lake Erie Island area has been hit or miss, with fishermen reporting a dozen perch being an average catch this week. Many bait shops have perch minnows, and some have uncooked shrimp or processed baits for channel catfish.
New York walleye fishing a bonus: Because of its deeper, cooler waters and fresh schools of migrating walleye, the Eastern Basin waters of Lake Erie along the New York shoreline have been giving up some good catches. That’s why the National Walleye Trail had chosen Dunkirk, N.Y., just to the east of Lake Chautauqua, for its national champion this week.
The three-day tournament runs through Sunday in Dunkirk, and after Thursday’s first-day action, John Hoyer of Orono, Minn., was the leader with a limit of five walleye weighing 39.81 pounds, a 7.5-pound average. Sammy Cappelli of Poland, Ohio, was 28th with 23.20 pounds. Stay tuned. The tournament ends on Sunday afternoon.
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