The fall fishing for Lake Erie smallmouth bass has been good around the Lake Erie Islands of late, and catch-and-release fishing is recommended to protect the growing numbers of the feisty bass. Make sure to wet your hands before unhooking bass and gently releasing them back into Lake Erie.

BY MARK CAHLIK

There are a few wrinkles in the Outdoor Beacon Fishing Report this week. To start with, a few walleye have been being caught at night while casting shallow-running crankbaits, or diving plugs. Some of the well known lures that are good to use while night fishing are little lip Bandits and Smithwick P-10s, both heavy enough to cast a country mile.

The best bass fishing spots have been from the Catawba docks and all along the rocky points along the western Catawba shoreline.

Most of the bass being caught have been in 16 to 20 feet of water, targeting fish feasting on crayfish around the rocks, as well as round gobies. Many of us at this time of year like to go to Canada for bass fishing but with the borders being closed we have had to concentrate more in Ohio waters.

The smallmouth bass fishing has improved drastically along the Ohio shoreline of Lake Erie and around the Lake Erie Islands. The reason for the late summer bonanza has been that anglers are using the catch-and-release method much more often, and keeping a limit of the plentiful walleye for dinner.

The yellow perch fishing has remained slow again this week, but L Can off Camp Perry and Port Clinton was producing good catches. It seems that rock fishing for perch has been the best way to go. Many times there doesn’t seem to be as many perch hanging around the rock structures, but they are there to feed and some are biting.

Casting for walleye has been up and down, with some good catches being caught throughout the week. As with the perch, targeting the rock piles has been best. Water depths of 10 to 15 feet have been the prime depths for best fishing.

Trolling for walleye has been the most consistent lately. Anglers are relying on Bandits and Reef Runners as they probe the Lake Erie waters eight to 10 miles east of Kelleys Island. Setting Bandits and Reef Runners back 100 to 110 feet behind the boat and rigging them with 2-ounce weights is working best.

Fishing for channel catfish in the Sandusky Bay area picked up this past week. As usual, raw shrimp is working best. Nice catches have been brought in daily.

This should be a busy weekend for Port Clinton and all the businesses, so be safe everyone. Let’s continue to keep our COVID-19 numbers down. As always, keep a tight line!