Walleye and smallmouth bass are the stars of the show on Lake Erie, but a trophy channel catfish can liven up a day on the water.

BY MARK CAHLIK

The Lake Erie walleye fishing continues to be extremely friendly, with fishing guides and sport anglers all along the Ohio shoreline having wonderful success. Even as we continue to battle with the weather, no matter where we go, we are catching walleye.

We started the past week by fishing between E Can and D Can off Camp Perry, and the fishing was awesome. Fishermen will have to sort through the various sizes of the walleye, with young walleye and older, larger fish roaming these waters. There is constant action, with anglers often catching a limit of fish early in the day and releasing the walleye they’re reeling to the net late in a fishing trip.

Late last week and into the weekend, we got lovely winds out if the Southwest, letting us head north to the Middle Island area to catch fish. We found some of the larger walleye, but on Sunday the fishing weather was best on the west side of the Lake Erie Islands, where we sought a little cover from the winds.

Tactics for catching walleye have changed to single hook Weapon-style spinner rigs with a 3/4-ounce or 1/2-ounce barrel sinker, depending on the winds. Don’t be afraid to change the color of the blade on your small spinner rig. Gold is most often best, but we had success with silver blades on those dirty water days.

Trollers are continuing to work the deeper waters with No. 40 Tru-Trip diving planers at 20 to 35 feet back. The walleye are suspending mid-range lately in the water column. The best speeds for trolling have been from 1.9 to 2.1 miles per hour. When the winds have subsided, the fishing have been very enjoyable for regular sport anglers and fishing charters.

Catfish catches continue to sparkle around Sandusky Bay. The hottest bait lately has been chicken livers, and Shannon over at Bays Edge Bait and Tackle has plenty in stock and ready to go. Smallmouth bass fishing has been best while casting tube jigs with Erie Green soft plastic tubes on the deeper edges of the rocks in about 20 to 22 feet of water.

It is great to see the towns of Port Clinton and Marblehead with so many people enjoying the area as we all make a comeback from a very difficult spring. The COVID-19 pandemic rules had been a major setback, but all of the bars and restaurants are now open, and all of the fishing charters are in action.

Until next week, stay safe and keep a tight line!