Louie Peterson of Bay’s Edge Bait & Tackle takes a rare afternoon off to catch a limit of Lake Erie walleyes. (Photo by D’Arcy Egan)

By Mark Cahlik

Anglers choosing to cast for some walleye have been going a little farther east, finding success towards the weather buoy in the Vermilion area. The winds that have been coming out of the north and northwest have knocked the schools of walleye around.

You need the bigger schools of fish when you are drifting and casting for walleye. As a result, anglers are casting in waters that are 40 feet, and deeper. Bottoms bouncers have been working well, and with these rigs you will want to be 10 to 15 cranks off the bottom of the lake. Also, they have been casting single hook “weapons,” or small casting rigs, with 1-ounce to 1.5-ounce one-ounce weights, letting the rigs sink to about a 20 count.

Trollers have been going three to four miles east of Kelleys Island. Since trolling anglers are constantly moving, they can work with schools of fish that are not as concentrated. Speeds of 2.2 to 2.3 miles per hour have been the best speeds lately. As long as you are using Tru-trip diving planers with Silver Streak and Stinger spoons set anywhere from 35 to 60 feet behind the boat, you should fill your cooler.

Trophy walleye have been a little harder to find and catch as the dog days of August arrive. (Photo by D’Arcy Egan)

Now I know that we have all been hoping the yellow perch would finally come in and we have gotten some early reports that southwest of West Sister Island and B Can have started to produce limits of perch. The area straight up out of West Harbor between Kelleys Island and the Perry Monument have had some sporadic perch movement. The use of either emerald shiners, when and if you can get them, or golden shiners have been working great.

As the walleye population west of the islands begins to decrease, hopefully this means the perch will begin to school up. Ohio Division of Wildlife data shows excellent numbers of perch. The commercial fisherman have even began to get them.

Catfish are still biting around the Sandusky Bay whether it is day or night. The best baits to use are nightcrawlers, raw shrimp and any of the manufactured baits.
Until next week, stay safe out there and enjoy yourselves. As always, keep a tight line.