CLEVELAND, Ohio — The big schools of Lake Erie walleye are finally moving to their Western Lake Erie spring spawning haunts, and fishermen are reporting the sometimes agreeable fishing weather has been a late season bonus.
Very good numbers of trophy walleye have been in the mix lately, as well. Those lunker walleye, which had been difficult to find during the recent walleye fishing derbies on Lake Erie, are now showing up in angler’s coolers.
Despite some windy early weekend days in the weather forecast, the 36-foot depths have provided outstanding catches from Cleveland to the Lake Erie Islands.
While brisk winds are in the forecast along the Cleveland shoreline, better fishing weather is just around the corner. Don’t look for shoreline ice to be a problem. Water temperatures off of Cleveland were hovering around 50 degrees heading into the weekend, cooling to 39 degrees off of Toledo.
Anglers had better keep on eye on the weather, though. Those water temps are very dicey and don’t allow for mistakes.
The best walleye fishing continues to be very early and late in the day, with walleye moving to shallow waters to feed after dark. Trolling with diving plugs such as the Dead-Eye, Bandit and Perfect 10 crank baits are working in conjunction with planer boards. Some anglers are trolling spoons and spinner rigs tipped with a nightcrawler.
Ice fishing adventures should start soon: It’s time to get out the ice fishing gear to wet a line during the early winter one the small ponds and lakes, as well as from the Western Lake Erie waters when the good winter angling ice returns. Thin ice and big winds are going to be a problem during the early ice fishing season.
Fall Brawl, Walleye Slam fishing derbies are official: The Fall Brawl and Walleye Slam walleye fishing derbies on Lake Erie that wrapped up on Nov. 27 are now official, with some help from metal detectors and lie detector tests. Like many of the competitors in the popular derbies, winner James Holton of Holly, Mich., entered both derbies, capturing the two titles with a single 13.62-pound walleye caught off Lorain. Holton’s fish won the top prize boats in each derby, a Ranger 622FS Pro in the Fall Brawl worth $125,000, and a Warrior V238 Boat in the Walleye Slam.
Tammy Stanton of Hartville, Ohio, finished second in both derbies, winning a Ranger 622FS Pro worth $110,000 in the Fall Brawl and $50,000 in the Walleye Slam with her 13.44-pounder. Finishing third through fifth in both the Walleye Slam and Fall Brawl derbies, their combined winnings were: Shannon James, Powell, Ohio, 12.74 pounds, $90,000; James Trent, Amherst, Ohio, 12.22 pounds, $80,000; and Raymond Withers, Streetsboro, Ohio, 12.22 pounds, $60,000.
“I believe that the efforts of the derby sponsors had a lot to do with this year’s success,” said Craig Lewis of Erie Outfitters in Sheffield Lake, which weighed the entries in the Walleye Slam. “The lie detector tests and all of the added security after last year’s cheating scandal had anglers in a good mood and encouraged entries. We’ve enjoyed this year’s angler excitement and attitude.”
Steelhead trout fishing heads east: Low water in the Chagrin and Rocky Rivers has slowed the steelhead trout fishing in those streams, but a better flow in Grand River and Conneaut Creek are helping fly and spin anglers to catch steelhead trout.
Fly fishermen are reporting that glow bug eggs, white woolly buggers and white zonkers are the leading flies for hooking big trout, report the guides at Chagrin River Outfitters. Spinning tackle fishermen are wading to float marabou jigs and maggots and small spawn bags tied in colorful mesh.
Cuyahoga River Gorge Dam finally history: Ohio will contribute $25 million to support the highly-anticipated Cuyahoga River Gorge Dam Removal Project. It will remove an estimated 900,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment, restore fish and wildlife habitat, and restore more than a mile of the river for recreational use.
“Improving water quality across the state has been a key focus of my administration, and generations of Ohioans will benefit from the improvements that will be realized by removing the Gorge Dam,” said Gov. Mike DeWine. “This project will return the Cuyahoga River to a free-flowing river from Kent to the mouth of Lake Erie, will vastly improve water quality in the Cuyahoga River, and will pave the way for recreation, tourism, and economic development opportunities in this area.”
The Gorge Dam was originally constructed in 1913 to provide hydroelectric power, but hydroelectric generation ended at the dam by 1958. In the spring of 2009, the power generating station on the dam was razed. The 58-foot tall and 425-foot wide dam, which has no necessary use today, prevents the river from flowing freely, causes sediment buildup and negatively impacts water quality and fishing.
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