Morgan Kiser checked in the second week winner in the Lake Erie Fall Brawl, an 11.07-pound, 29.5-inch trophy walleye that won $2,500. The walleye was weighed at Central Basin Bait, Tackle and Carryout in Huron. The Fall Brawl is in action until Sunday, Dec. 8 on Lake Erie, including walleye caught while fishing from boats or casting from the shoreline. (Submitted photo)

The late season walleye fishing around Lake Erie is in full swing, and Fall Brawl anglers are reporting that large schools of trophy fish are moving toward the waters off Huron, the prime pre-staging waters for the spring spawning season.

The Lake Erie water temperatures are in the high 50s, encouraging walleye to put on the feed bag and chase schools of gizzard shad and shiner minnows.

The entry deadline is over for the Fall Brawl and the Walleye Slam derby, which ends Dec. 1. The Fall Brawl has eight weigh-in stations along Lake Erie, including Bay’s Edge Bait & Tackle in Port Clinton.

Despite windy conditions, in recent days good reports have been posted by trolling fishermen working the 30- and 40-foot waters north of Huron, Vermilion and Lorain. While some big walleye are being caught in deeper waters, anglers are having to sort through schools of smaller walleye in near-shore areas.

Sandusky Bay anglers are still catching walleye in the deeper areas around the bay, with Flicker Minnows and blade baits an option for both casting and trolling. Expect to see trolling fishermen moving to the near-shore Lake Erie waters along the Ohio shoreline in the coming days, especially after the sun goes down.

Walleye are still chasing small trolling spoons, but diving plugs, or crank baits, have begun to dominate. The Dead Eye Baby lures have been especially productive, along with a wide variety of plugs such as Bandits, Flicker Minnows, Reef Runners and Perfect 10s. Many lures are in special colors that will earn anglers a $500 bonus if they win weekly or tournament prizes.

The piers and break walls in the Sandusky area have already been hot spots for shore anglers casting after dark. Fishermen are also crowding piers around the Lake Erie Islands, Marblehead, Catawba Island, Huron, Lorain, Cleveland and Fairport Harbor.

A standout pier lure is the Dead Eye Junior, a jerk bait that is a very slow sinking plug. Also catching walleye from shoreline are swim baits, Rat-L-Traps and blade baits.