BY MARK CAHLIK

Ryan J. Smith of Olmsted Township weighs in the 12.54-pound winning LakeErie walleye on Saturday, Dec. 2 at Shine’s Live Bait in the Cleveland area of Lake Erie to capture the 2023 Fall Brawl. The walleye was caught on Friday, Dec. 1 at 11:45 p.m.

While the Fall Brawl, the popular Lake Erie walleye fishing derby, has ended for the year, it was a great fishing season for the many thousands who pursued walleye, yellow perch, channel catfish and smallmouth bass around the wide waters of Lake Erie.

As good as the fishing had been this year, the forecast for 2024 is for yet another wonderful season of walleye fishing and plentiful schools of game fish.

People still are fishing this season, if they can get out. They’ve been running Dead Eye Crankbait lures 60 to 90 feet behind the boat with 2-ounce weights to put lures in the strike zone.

Huron still seems the hot spot for walleye fishing success right now, as schools of walleye gather to feed and get ready for the spring spawning season around the Western Lake Erie reefs, and the Maumee and Sandusky rivers. Good walleye catches are being reported while trolling offshore and casting from shoreline areas after dark.

Throughout the Fall Brawl derby, the Dead Eye Crankbaits had a weekly contest for the biggest walleye caught on the cutting-edge lures. The final winner for the last week of the derby was Terry Chapman, a local fishermen out of Sandusky. The overall Dead Eye Crankbait winner was Scott Riley with a 9.28-pound walleye.

The whole crew would like to thank everyone for their support over the past year, making this a very successful season for Bay’s Edge Bait & Tackle, Mark I Charters, Bay’s Edge Fish Cleaning and Bay’s Edge Townhomes and Lodging.

Thanks for enjoying our Outdoor Beacon fishing reports this year, as well, and the great reviews. Have a wonderful holiday season. The New Year is around the corner and some great fishing will soon return before we know it!

Captain Mark Cahlik, Port Clinton

Fall Brawl Final Results (10,317 entries)

Weights in pounds

Overall

1st Place- Ryan Smith 12.54

2nd Place – Robert Eggleston 11.57

3rd Place – Brandon Risner 11.52

Weekly Winners

Week 1 – Marvin Marner 9.67

Week 2 – Charles H. Reed Jr. 10.07

Week 3 – Joseph Bednarski 11.01

Week 4 – Gary Burmeister 10.93

Week 5 – Willis Miller 10.78

Week 6 – Stephen Anderson 11.16

Kayak/ Shore Division

Overall 4th Place – Brandon Risner 11.52

1st Place – Jon Grose 10.85

2nd Place – Anthony Avancini 10.84

3rd Place – Miguel B. Rivera 10.38

Women’s Division

1st Place – Teresa Plummer 10.25

2nd Place – Karly Humbert 10.18

3rd Place – Katie Provot 10.02

Youth Division

1st Place – Fisher Bayus 10.43

2nd Place – Alix Lamar Hostetler 10.24

3rd Place – Brent Oost 10.19

Dead Eye “Fall Brawl Bait”

1st Place – Scott Riley 9.28

Blaster Bonus

1st Place – Darryl Brundage 10.99

Snakebite Bonus – Amber Foster 9.02