CLEVELAND, Ohio — Smallmouth bass along the Lake Erie shoreline have been heading up the Ohio rivers and streams right now to spawn and feed, a window of opportunity for anglers who enjoy hooking up with trophy smallmouth bass in the lower stretches of the waterways.
May is prime time for the feisty spawning bass, and they’re often much larger than the resident bass that are in the tributaries throughout the year.
The smallmouth bass being caught right now are ranging from two to three pounds, and trophy fish in the four- to five-pound class are possible. Anglers with spinning tackle are finding success casting tube jigs, diving plugs, small spoons and spinners, as well as live bait worked under a float. Emerald shiner minnows and crayfish worked close to the river bottom in deeper pools are best for tempting bass to bite.
Fly fishermen usually rely on small minnow-style streamers, with the black wooly bugger a big favorite when river fishing right now. The Rocky and Chagrin rivers are top bass waters throughout May, but when the water is chilly, target slower, deeper waters around structures.
If the river current is strong, consider a sink-tip fly line to take small streamers to the depths where bass are feeding.
Shop Day at Chagrin River Outfitters: Fly fishing seminars will be featured at a free Shop Day at Chagrin River Outfitters in Chagrin Falls on Saturday, May 7 that includes a cookout from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and streamer fly tying demos from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. The seminars include: Spring Run Smallmouth (9 a.m.); Pennsylvania Trout and Mayflies (10:30 a.m.); Pike & Bass on a Fly (12:30 p.m.); and Musky on the Fly (2 p.m.).
“The seminars will focus on targeting specific species, times to do so, and the gear required, such as recommended fly rods, rod weights, fly lines, flies and retrieves to be consistently effective,” said shop owner Dan Pribanic.
Cold fronts a speed bump for Lake Erie walleye: The chilly weather returned this week along the Lake Erie shoreline, making the walleye and smallmouth bass fishing difficult at times. Fair to good walleye catches are still being reported by trolling anglers in about 40 feet of water from the Lake Erie Islands all of the way to Lorain and Cleveland, relying on trolling speeds of about 1.5 to 1.6 miles per hour.
The spring jig and blade bait fishing for walleye around Western Lake Erie’s reef complexes off Camp Perry and the Toussaint River has been very good, with purple, black or green hair jigs with a stinger hook the top tactic. Hopping the jig a foot, or two, off the bottom can trigger light strikes.
The smallmouth bass are just beginning to stage off their spawning grounds, but the big females are feeding. Work a shallow-running jerk bait with long sweeps of the fishing rod.
One last splurge of rainbow trout: The Cleveland Metroparks wrapped up its rainbow trout stockings in the East Branch of the Rocky River, and some steelhead trout are still hanging around the spawning rivers. Wallace Lake had trout releases as well. State trout stockings recently included Hinckley and Shadow lakes.
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