Yellow perch catches have been in the spotlight west of the Lake Erie Islands in recent days. (Submitted photo)

Lake Erie walleye fishermen are heading to deep Canadian waters around the Canadian border to find schools of walleye, and anglers around the Lake Erie Islands have been scoring on yellow perch close to home, despite the blistering temperatures and warm waters.

The party fishing boats in Port Clinton and Marblehead have been having good success in recent days. Small boats have been working the waters on the west side of Green and Rattlesnakes islands and around the drop-offs along the Lake Erie Firing Zone off Port Clinton and Camp Perry.

Perch fishermen are anchoring and working traditional crappie rigs and perch spreaders baited with emerald shiner minnows, with perch fly rigs also very productive. To escape the heat and the crowds of perch anglers, dawn and dusk fishing are recommended.

Walleye are being caught east of Kelley’s Island, and off Huron, Vermilion and Lorain in 25 to 40 feet of water. The large schools of walleye have been east of Middle Island and Kelleys Island Shoal to the weather buoy along the Canadian border. Diving planers trailed by a variety of spoon sizes, smaller crank baits and single and tandem spinner rigs tipped with nightcrawlers have been successful.

Central Basin anglers off Cleveland, Fairport Harbor and Conneaut have been doing very well while heading to the 65 to 75-foot depths. Some steelhead trout are also being caught, but the trout have been scattered.

The solid Lake Erie walleye fishing has also been the story in the New York waters of Lake Erie, where David Hoisington of Warren, Pa., captured a two-day, 146-angler National Walleye Tour event in Dunkirk, N.Y.

Hoisington had a two-day limit of 10 walleye weighing 69 pounds, 2 ounces to win $15,000, a Ranger 620FS boat and a Ranger bonus of $10,000. Duane Hjelm of Pierre, S.D. was second with 66.12 pounds. Mike Miller (62.11, 10th place) of Medina was the top Buckeye State angler, followed by Mathew Leben of Chardon (61.11 pounds, 17th); Daniel Harper of Sheffield (59.14, 26th), Ryan Buddy, Amherst (59.11, 27th) and Nicholas Oleksy, Streetsboro (58.14, 31st).