Walleye fishing has been very good in 70 to 72’ NE and NW of Ashtabula and 70-75’ NW of Conneaut. Anglers are fishing down 54-60’. Trollers are using pink, black, orange, green, and yellow spoons and stick baits off dipsy divers, planer boards and jet divers.

Yellow perch fishing has been good to excellent in 37-48’ NW of Gordon Park, 37-40’ also 50’ NW and NE of Wildwood State Park, 41-47’ NW of Fairport Harbor and 47’ NE of Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

White bass fishing has been fair off the Eastlake CEI and Fairport Piers. Always difficult to predict when they will come in close to shore. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs along with small spinners. Mornings and evenings have been the best.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 73 degrees off of Toledo and 74 degrees off of Cleveland.

Monday was very rough, probably as rough as the day before when we cancelled last Sunday. This time we elected to go. It took longer to get out to the fish then it did to limit out. I cranked it out 25 miles in a stiff northeaster and with the very first rod out, it was as fast as we could go. Totally awesome ! Tuesday started out choppy but became very manageable. Fishing was good but it felt different. The screen on the fish finder was strangely blanker and we worked hard to catch our last few fish. Something which was was unheard of just a few days earlier for weeks on end. Wednesday on a hunch I stopped short and fishing was very good amongst a spectacular display of waterspouts. I was sorry I didn't think of snapping a few pictures of the beasts but it seemed like I was always the busiest netting fish in the height of it all or undoing tangles that my buddies the Sheephead had created for me. Thursday again met us with a howling stiff cold front and heavy north winds. Again we decided to push on out there but this time the long run north just so we could ride the wind and waves back was futile and a waste of time and gas as we went hours and hours with next to nothing till we got well south. Somehow we salvaged the day. But wow, what a difference a day or two can make around here !

The next few days the weather Gods cooperated nicely and with a pretty good idea of where we needed to be, we sorted thru and toughed thru the zillions of Sheephead to eventually end up with some pretty impressive limits of Walleyes. Not in record time mind you but still very respectable considering the travel time still involved and the fact that we were catching a couple two three Sheephead for every 'Eye that we ended up boxing. Good enough. Just a lot of work. A LOT OF REALLY HARD WORK !

This week was no different then most all of the other weeks thus far this summer. We had incredibly windy and rough lake conditions that we had to overcome more days then not in the last 7 days. More days then not we had to suffer through a long grueling 2 hour boat ride before we ever even wet a line . Tough on the crew, tough on the equipment and it certainly is wearing on me. But if we chose to only go on the nice days, well, we wouldn't fish very often. The big difference is the insane distance that we are running right now. There is a HUGE difference in fishing in 3-5 footers when you are out only 7 or 8 miles as opposed to having to go out 20 some miles in the same conditions. HUGE... Todays trip, Sunday morning I met my guys at the marina with the flags standing stiff and snapping wildly. The forcast was changed from 2-4 footers to 4-6 footers out of the north. Just can't be done. Not that far out. Sadly I sent the guys packing. Yet another loss.

I do not charge a fuel surcharge but boy if I ever wanted to, this week was the week that I would have liked to have started. It is totally ridicules how much fuel I went through this past week to try and keep my boys on what I felt was worth running for. Every other trip right now goes strait to the marinas cash register just to pay for the gas. Never mind all the other bills that still keep streaming in including the repair bills that are now popping up from my little dilemma that I had with my starboard engine here a couple of weeks ago. About 3 G worth... Yikes ! I often ask people if they know what BOAT stands for ? Most people do not. B.O.A.T. = Break - Out - Another - Thousand ! How very true lol ! Super extra thanks to the couple of trips that dug deep at the end of the day this past week and apparently felt my pain as I winced at the spinning digits on the gas pumps.

Walleye fishing has been excellent in 55 to 75’ NE of Lakeshore Park Ashtabula, and 70 to 75’ NW of Conneaut. Anglers are fishing down 54-60’. Trollers are using silver, pink, red, black, orange, perch, and silver spoons and worm harnesses off dipsy divers, planer boards and jet divers.

Yellow perch fishing has been good to excellent in 35-42’ NE of Gordon Park, 30-37’ also 44-46’ N-NE of Wildwood State Park, and 47 to 55’ NE of Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

White bass fishing has been fair off the Eastlake CEI and Fairport Piers. Always difficult to predict when they will come in close to shore. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs along with small spinners. Mornings and evenings have been the best.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 76 degrees off of Toledo and 76 degrees off of Cleveland.

And through it all, the Walleye fishing off shore of Ashtabula harbor continues to be as good as it could possibly be. Just fabulous ! Barring heavy sea conditions which hamper us now and again, limits have been very common place aboard "The Trophy" this summer and most all the other boats out there. The fishing has been excellent anywhere from right around 65 foot and north clear to the Canadian line and anywhere from Geneva clear to the OH - PA line. Simply amazing the amount of Walleyes that are in this area right now !

On top of all of that, these fish are HUGE ! Just for the fun of it every now and again this whole summer we've been weighing the live weight of our catch and consistently keep coming up with about a 6 pound average for the fish that we are bringing in this season. Truly remarkable ! When I stop to think about what we have brought in this summer thus far aboard "The Trophy" it is just mind boggling. Not counting what we did this spring out at Port Clinton but just the Ashtabula fish, "The Trophy" has brought in to date 1,636 of these huge beauties. At a 6 pound average, that's nine thousand, eight hundred and sixteen pounds of Walleyes or 4 and a half TONS of fish ! That's a whole lot of fish sandwiches ! LOL !

So we are exactly at the half way mark for August meaning I only have about a months worth of Walleye trips left before I make the switch over to the Perch fishing mid September. This whole summer sure is passing us by quickly. I have not mentioned any open dates for a while because I have been blessed with a pretty good schedule this summer unlike a lot of the other charters that have done a lot of sitting around with the sluggish economy. I do have a couple of open dates however coming up the first of September that I would like to mention. These are Sept. the 1st and 2nd, a Wed. & Thur. for a Walleye trip. And we have a nice collection of open available dates to choose from for a Perch outing starting mid Sept. and running right up to November the first when the boat comes out of the water. The way this summer has gone, Sept. & Oct. will be here and gone before you know it !

And through it all, the Walleye fishing off shore of Ashtabula harbor continues to be as good as it could possibly be. Just fabulous ! Barring heavy sea conditions which hamper us now and again, limits have been very common place aboard "The Trophy" this summer and most all the other boats out there. The fishing has been excellent anywhere from right around 65 foot and north clear to the Canadian line and anywhere from Geneva clear to the OH - PA line. Simply amazing the amount of Walleyes that are in this area right now !

On top of all of that, these fish are HUGE ! Just for the fun of it every now and again this whole summer we've been weighing the live weight of our catch and consistently keep coming up with about a 6 pound average for the fish that we are bringing in this season. Truly remarkable ! When I stop to think about what we have brought in this summer thus far aboard "The Trophy" it is just mind boggling. Not counting what we did this spring out at Port Clinton but just the Ashtabula fish, "The Trophy" has brought in to date 1,636 of these huge beauties. At a 6 pound average, that's nine thousand, eight hundred and sixteen pounds of Walleyes or 4 and a half TONS of fish ! That's a whole lot of fish sandwiches ! LOL !

Walleye fishing has been good around the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, 70’ NW of the Chagrin River, 79 to 80’ N of Wildwood State Park, 71 to 73’ N of Lakeshore Park Ashtabula, and 72 to 75’ NW of Conneaut. Trollers are using pink, red, gold, black, perch, silver spoons and worm harnesses off dipsy divers, planer boards and jet divers.

Yellow perch fishing has been good to excellent in 42’ NE of Gordon Park, 37 to 41’ N-NE of Wildwood State Park, 45 to 50’ NW of Fairport Harbor and 58 to 62’ NE of Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

White bass fishing has been fair off the Eastlake CEI and Fairport Piers. Always difficult to predict when they will come in close to shore. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs along with small spinners. Mornings and evenings have been the best.

Wednesday while coming in after yet after another great day on the water "The Trophy" experienced some serious mechanical issues with the starboard engine/ transmission which required the boat to come out of the water and for the engine/ transmission to have to come out and be repaired. Serious business ! After everything was fixed and the boat was about to go back in the water late Friday evening yet another problem cropped up requiring the engine to be pulled yet again on Friday evening as late as 7:30 at night long after everyone else had already long called it a day !

Special thanks goes out to Ronnie at Jacks Marine for going out of his way and giving me 110% of his effort to get me up and running as quickly as possible. Well, I can't thank you enough for working well past quitting time to get the boat up and running again just as you had promised me that you would and have it back to me for my Saturday early morning trip... THANK YOU !

Walleye fishing has been good W of the sandbar (N of Vermilion), 71 to 73’ N of Lakeshore Park Ashtabula, and 72 to 75’ NW of Conneaut. Anglers are fishing down 50 to 64’. Trollers are using pink, red, gold, black, perch, silver spoons and worm harnesses off dipsy divers, planer boards and jet divers.

Yellow perch fishing has been good to excellent in 38 to 50’ N-NW of Edgewater State Park, 39 to 45’ N of Gordon Park, 45 to 50’ NW of Fairport Harbor and 58 to 62’ NE of Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

White bass fishing has been fair off the Eastlake CEI and Fairport Piers. Always difficult to predict when they will come in close to shore. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs along with small spinners. Mornings and evenings have been the best.

The lake conditions generally dictate which way I head out each morning and it sure is a good feeling knowing that anywhere within my 20 mile mile striking distance that there are huge numbers of Walleyes out there just waiting to be caught ! Thursday was a good example. After going down to the boat at 5am and being met with close to 30 mile an hour north winds, I knew that if we got out at all that I was going to have to crank it out and just one way troll it back to the harbor. After putting the boys on a 2 1/2 hour delay, the winds eased some and we decided to make a run for it. We headed out on a slightly N.W. heading and after a long grueling boat ride we set lines close to the border and were immediately in to the big fish. We never stopped catching as we trolled south. By 1:00 in the afternoon we were done with 30 plus HUGE Walleyes !

Then the same afternoon I had a afternoon/ evening trip and by then the lake although still choppy was very manageable. Knowing that I was fighting the clock we just ran striate out to just better then 60 foot of water and reversed the troll working our way north this time. Game on ! It was immediately happening and really was as fast as my charter, a family from Dallas TX that so desperately wanted to experience Erie while visiting in the area could handle. I don't know how many times we had 4 and 5 fish on at a time ! By a little after 6 we had yet another 30 beautiful Walleyes in the fish box for our efforts. 62 Walleyes for the day. Not bad considering we had a super late departure in the morning by my standards and a nice early quit on the 2nd run with all our tickets filled easily.

Walleye fishing has been good W of the sandbar (N of Vermilion), 72 to 74’ NE of Geneva, and in 68 to 75’ NW of Conneaut. Anglers are fishing down 50 to 64’. Trollers are using pink, red, gold, black, purple, silver spoons and worm harnesses off dipsy divers, planer boards and jet divers.

Yellow perch fishing has been good to excellent in 38 to 45’ NE of Edgewater State Park, 41 to 43’ N of Wildwood State Park, 50’ NW of Ashtabula Lakeshore Park and 45 to 54’ NE of Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

White bass fishing has been fair off the Eastlake CEI and Fairport Piers. Always difficult to predict when they will come in close to shore. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs along with small spinners. Mornings and evenings have been the best.

The fish are still moving out further and further now with each passing day. No big deal when the lake is flat but not so good when the winds blow like it did this past week and which it seems to do all the time up here on the big pond anyway all the time. It makes for just a lot of travel time and hits me very hard when it comes time to fuel up at the end of the day as well. Most of my gracious groups realize this and have taken extra good care of me at the end of the day knowing that I could have stopped them short and just tried to save a few bucks. I would never do that and most all of my regulars know this and appreciate it and there fore they seem to show their appreciation in the only way they know how and the one way that really keeps this whole operation a float. THANKS GUYS !!! It means allot to me.

The Steelies have still been making themselves very scarce still but each week we seem to manage to capture a handful anyway. And although this week we did not capture any more 13 pounders, we sure took plenty of fish again in the 5 to 10 pound class. In fact, we are still carrying a 6 pound average whenever we weigh our fish just for the fun of it at the end of the day and then do the math. Very remarkable !

So just that fast we are already into the last week of July. We have fished thru some heat waves here recently, hurricanes, and even an occasional picture perfect day which on Erie seems to be a rarity anymore but thru it all, we are catching fish. Lot's of fish. And that's what makes it all worth while. And just like my charter on just this past Monday kept chanting all day, "this ain't no kids game" . Hey, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it . LOL ! Lets see what this last week of July brings... Hopefully no more hurricanes for a while ! I am sort of beat up to be honest with you. Stay tuned !

Capt. Walt
* REMINDER There are no fishing licenses available at the marina this summer. You need to get them ahead of time ! Questions, CALL ME

Walleye fishing has been good W of the sandbar (N of Vermilion), in 70-79’ N of Edgewater State Park, 70-75’ N of the Chagrin River, 68 to 73’ NE of Geneva, and in 65 to 76’ NE of Conneaut. Anglers are fishing down 50 to 64’. Trollers are using pink, red, yellow, black, purple, orange and green spoons and worm harnesses off dipsy divers, planer boards and jet divers.

Yellow perch fishing has been good to excellent in 35-40’ NW of Edgewater State Park, 35-40’ NW of Wildwood State Park, 33-50’ NW of Fairport Harbor ( the hump) and 45 to 52’ of water NW of Ashtabula. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

The Walleyes now seemingly are on a slow constant march north now and are slipping slightly east with each passing day. Best depths have been right around the 73 foot mark now with the Walleyes holding 40 to 50 foot down in the water column. We took good numbers of Walleyes if not limits of fish each day including the above mentioned monsters. The average fish this past week after weighing our total catch each day just for the fun of it has been right at an astonishing 6 plus pounds. Very remarkable when you figure the days that we took 30 Eyes' each and the total weight pushing 200 pounds each day ! Wow is all I can say...

In fact we did not run a single trip this past week where each day we did not capture at least one Walleye that went 10 pounds or more. Pic. # 3 is of 13 year old Sarah Radich with her huge Fish Ohio award citation Walleye that she landed on Wednesday that touched the 10 pound mark. She reeled that bruiser in all by herself and never complained about how far out it was or how hard it was to crank although I know it was really a struggle to bring that huge Walleye to within netting distance for me. Great job Sarah ! Mom and Dad and brother James all did a GREAT job landing their limits of Walleyes aboard "The Trophy" as well on Wednesday and I have to say that had to be one of the funnest trips that I've had this summer. Even though I think Sarah was hustling me in the card games that we played between bites! I think she was stacking the deck every time I went back to net a fish ! LOL !!!

Walleye fishing has been good W of the sandbar (N of Vermilion) and nearshore off of Cranberry Creek marina. Farther east fishing has been good in 75’ of water N of the Chagrin River and in 79’ of water N of Edgewater. Fishing has been excellent in 70 to 76’ of water N of Geneva and in 70 to 72’ NW of Ashtabula. Anglers are fishing down 30 to 40’. Trollers are using pink, red, yellow, black, purple, orange and green spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and jet divers.

Yellow perch fishing has been good to excellent in 33 to 39’ of water NW off Edgewater Park, 45 to 50’ of water NW off Wildwood State Park, 45 to 56’ of water NW off Ashtabula and 44 to 50’ of water NE of Ashtabula lakeshore park. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

The very best action has been right at daybreak for a few hours and then even the best of spots peter out when the sun gets higher. I can not stress enough to all of my fourth coming charters how important it is to get off the dock no later then 5:30am at the latest. I get down to the boat everyday at 5am and it only takes me a couple of minutes to grab my ice and we can be on our way. I've already had several groups come stumbling in an hour or so later then they agreed to and were told because they had a "late night" so to say. And guess what ? Things did not go so well on those trips. No skin off of my back. Everyone was told. It's your trip. You can show up early and be on time and go out and catch some serious Walleye or just party all night, which you can do anytime... Your time starts as well at 5:30 whether you are there or not . It's your choice !

We are seeing more and more Steelies aboard "The Trophy" now and actually have caught several on the same trip along with our mix of Walleyes now. I better buy more Tums ! LOL !!! Knock on wood but at least on the last several trips the garbage fish have not been too bad either. We are still messing around some with the new Tru Trip 50 Jet Divers but am finding myself slipping more and more back to the good old wire fishing line along with the stick crank baits. I guess it really is hard to teach an old dog a new trick. It just "feels" right to be on the wire program now that we are this deep into summer. I mean, I've made it work for the past 24 years and it is the one thing that I probably do the best. At least I'm not constantly second guessing myself as I found myself constantly doing so with the huge new 50's.

Walleye fishing has been very good 4 to 6 miles offshore between Vermilion and Lorain, in 30’ to 35’ of water from Huron to Cranberry Creek, 70-75’ NW off Wildwood State Park, 40-44’ NE off Chagrin River, 38 to 42’ NW off Fairport, 70 to 75’ NE off Ashtabula and 65 to 72’ N off Lakeshore Park. Anglers are fishing down 30 to 40’. Trollers are using pink, red, yellow, black, purple, orange and green spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and jet divers.

Yellow perch fishing has been good to excellent in 38 to 45’ NW off Edgewater Park, 38 to 45’’ N off Wildwood State Park, 59 to 65’ NW off Ashtabula and 47 to 74’ N off Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 20’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, green, smoke and brown tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

The fish are really stacking up out there now in the 72 foot plus range. I am absolutely certain that there is now a new school of eastward bound migrating Walleyes out there moving in to mix and blend in with the early migrators already here and the local fish that we have been beating on for the last month. But then look at the calendar. After all, it is July... We are right on schedule. We are still catching the predominantly 03 year class of Walleyes. I am really hoping we get a hatch this year. You just can't keep beating on the same year class forever. Something's got to give. Odds are if we don't get a strong hatch this year, limits WILL be reduced next season. I give up loosing sleep over it. All I know is that it is very good right now whenever the lake cooperates.

Aboard "The Trophy" we have been on a deep water program as of late. We have been catching fish on both the wire line and crankbaits and also on the new Tru-Trip Jet 50's that are the latest rage on the lake. Friday we caught most everything that we caught on the new Jet Divers but the weekend itself seemed much, much slower for comparrison sakes. It will be an interesting summer to see how this all plays out. I don't do change well but it wouldn't break my heart to get away from all the nightmares that surround the super long wire line leads that all my guys are so used to in July and August. 100 foot on the new Jets seems to equate what we had to do with 350-400 foot of wire. A very serious difference. I will let you all know in about a week or so... I'm going to give them a real chance.

Walleye fishing has been good 4 to 6 miles offshore between Vermilion and Lorain, in 30’ of water between Cranberry Creek and Huron, 63’ NE off Edgewater Park, 45’ NE off Chagrin River, 38 to 42’ NW off Fairport, 70 to 73’ N-NW off Ashtabula and 66 to 74’ NW off Conneaut. Trollers are using pink, red, yellow, black, purple, orange and green spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and jet divers.

Yellow perch fishing has been good to excellent in 38 to 42’ NW off Edgewater Park, 42 to 43’’ NE off Gordon Park, 35 to 55’ NW off Fairport, and 47 to 60’ N off Geneva. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 20’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, green, smoke and brown tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 74 degrees off of Toledo and 69 degrees off of Cleveland.

I find it truly hard to believe that I have been back from the western basin a whole month already. I am always the first captain to come back of the lot of us that follow the fish from the west to east each year. The last of the traveling captains have all now arrived out east here in the central basin for the summer and I finally have some help in trying to stay on top of the fish. I don't think I did a bad job most all of this June when I would fish all day every day and most of the time never see another boat. Still it is nice to have some reliable company out there that you can compare notes with at the end of the day. There sure is a lot of water out there...

So we flip the calendar page to July in 3 days and we are right on track compared to most normal summers. The fish are now clear out to the 72 foot mark and somewhere in the 10 to 15 mile range out from the harbor depending on the angle that we are running. This does not excite me much because now we have substantial travel time involved both coming and going and crazy fuel bills. As always I sure do appreciate the extra tip money that most guys kick in to ease my "pain at the pump" at the end of the day. Thanks so much guys !

Walleye fishing has been good offshore between Vermilion and Avon, 50 to 60’ NW off Edgewater Park, 60’ NE off Gordon Park, 51 to 52’ NE off Fairport and 60 to 65’ NE off Ashtabula. Trollers are using pink, yellow, black, purple, orange and green spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and jet divers.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent in 42’ NW off Edgewater Park, 42’ NW off Wildwood Park, 50 to 55’ NW off Fairport, 47 to 58’ N off Ashtabula and 50 to 70’ NE off Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 20’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, green, smoke and brown tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

This fishing report will be a bit abbreviated as it is Fathers Day weekend and I have places to go and things to do but we will let the pictures speak for themselves ! "Just another day on The Trophy" ! Hit the clicker, LOL !!!

WE even managed to catch some Steelhead finally now that we are fishing the deeper water ! SWEET !!!

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent in 45 to 50’ NW off Cleveland and 38 to 41’ NE off Edgewater Park in Cleveland, 50 to 55’ NW off Fairport, 37’ NE off Ashtabula and 37 to 39’ NE off Conneaut. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 20’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on soft-crawls, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, green, smoke and brown tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

The Walleyes are now seemingly starting a slow march into the deeper waters right now. And "The Trophy" has been in hot pursuit ! Best depths this past week for us have been anywhere from 52 to 64 foot of water, The fish are starting to drop down a bit in the water column as well. Best lead lengths have been anywhere from 90 to 150 back off the big Planer boards with the #40 Jet Divers. It seems like the more colors you have in your spoons, the better they are working right now. But then again our 12 1/2 pounder today hit just one of my old stand bys, an all gold Savant Spoon, fished back 90 foot on a 3 1/2 setting on the starboard side Dipsy. As soon as I passed the rod off to whoever was up , the last thing that I said was "WOW, this is gonna be a monster ! " And it was, LOL !

Still no sign of any Trout this summer. Kinda weird. It does not break my heart although quite a few of my guests really hope to hook up with one of these as well on their fishing excursion. Most hook ups result in some kind of havoc ! I can understand and appreciate everyone's desire though. It does add an element of excitement ! I guess it doesn't matter much though for now . Until we move out even further where they may be lurking, I don't really expect vey many, if any actually. Junk fish such as Sheephead and White Perch have not been overwhelming yet here either although we are starting to see more and more with each passing day. Water temps have been climbing rapidly and nothing spurs the crappola fish on more then warm water. It certainly keeps us busy at times...

Walleye fishing has been excellent between Ruggles Reef and Lorain in 28 to 36’ of water, on Avon point, 45 to 55’ NW off Edgewater Park in Cleveland, 36 to 50’ NW off Fairport and 55 to 61’ NW off Geneva. Trollers are using pink, purple, orange and green spoons off planer boards and jet divers and also flatline trolling.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent in 30-40’ N off Cleveland and 35-45’ NE off Wildwood State Park, 50 to 55’ NW off Fairport, 30’ NE off Ashtabula and 32 to 38’ NE off Conneaut. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 20’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on soft-crawls, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, green, smoke and brown tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 69 degrees off of Toledo and 59 degrees off of Cleveland.

Starting with Tuesday I had a group of three come in for a 3 day trip from Maryland. What a welcome way to break into my Ashtabula trips with a smaller group knowing that we were going to have to do some searching and figuring out of things. Lawrence who's been coming for about 20 years now and always takes my earliest first available back home here gets even more excited then I do I think at the prospects of hunting down the first big loads of the year aboard "The Trophy" out east. Somehow we always pull it off. They were rewarded with 51 nice Walleyes for their 3 day outing taking home a hundred plus pounds of pure boneless skinless fillets ! Not too shabby ! The program was pretty typical for the early Ashtabula fish. Jet Divers and little Scorpion spoons off the big planer boards and the slightly larger Savant Spoons off of the big Dipseys fished close to shore. A fun filled 3 day outing for all involved, including myself.

My good luck continued on Saturday when I had yet again another 3 man charter show up and once again the fishing was very good for us aboard "The Trophy" with easy limits of Walleyes captured before noon time. We didn't even have to burn a lot of gas either for a change. Just turn the corner at the light house and start setting lines. My goodness how I would love to be able to do that all summer. We all know that I won't. Sunday it was back to reality and a harsh one at that as we were met dockside 5:00 in the morning with 30 mph winds, rain and lightning. After listening to the National Weather Service's marine forecast and watching the storm tracks on my live satellite weather feed, it did not take us long to figure out that we weren't going anywhere. At least not by boat. A crappy ending to a pretty good week. So week one back in Ashtabula for me is in the books and it looks like it's going to be a better summer then last year at this point but still Mother Nature keeps showing us who is ultimately the boss. Such is the nature of this business.

Walleye fishing has been excellent between Ruggles Reef and Lorain in 28 to 32’ of water. A few fish are being picked up nearshore in 30-50’ off Cleveland and Chagrin River. Anglers are also picking up fish 38 to 50’ NW off Geneva and 47’ NW off Ashtabula. Trollers are using crankbaits, spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and jet divers and also flatline trolling. Shore fishing is picking up on the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been fair to good in 40-50’ N off Cleveland and 40-50’ NE off Wildwood State Park, 50 to 55’ NW off Fairport and 49 to 54’ N off Ashtabula. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 20’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on soft-crawls, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, green and brown tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Walleye fishing has been excellent between Ruggles Reef and Lorain in 28 to 32’ of water, and nearshore in 10-25’ off Cleveland. Anglers are also catching fish in 35-44’ off Fairport Harbor. Trollers are using crank baits, spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and jet divers and also flatline trolling. Fishing is picking up on the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good in 40-42’ off Cleveland, Wildwood State Park, Fairport and Geneva. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 5 to 20’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on soft-crawls, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, green and brown tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 61 degrees off of Toledo and 54 degrees off of Cleveland.

Yellow perch fishing has been best in 40’ off Cleveland, Fairport and Ashtabula. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 15 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on soft-craws, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, green and brown tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

I never did fill Tue., Wed. or Thurs. of this past week. It was a blessing in disguise as another bout of wind and rain shut down most attempts at getting back on the right track. Most did not get out anyway and those that did pretty much sucked the big one. Friday aboard "The Trophy" we were able to get out finally around the "D" Can area and even though the wind was ferocious out of the west, we managed to have a pretty decent day dragging bottom bouncers and crawlers on gold worm harnesses. We rounded out the day in the low 20's with a few really nice fish in the 25'' class. I sure am glad I didn't have to troll that particular day under those conditions ! LOL !

Saturday we stunk up the joint again by only getting 7 or 8 fish in the same area that we did so well in the day before. Weird. A few others did a bit better but the overwhelming amount of anglers all struggled with the non co-operating Walleyes on Saturday. Sunday we only managed a few better than that but still very poor as far as I am concerned. We stuck to drifting on Sunday as the wind was quite brisk again out of the east. I did hear the troller's just south of Kelly's did a bit better so perhaps that will be worth investigating if the weather allows tomorrow. It really does not sound very good though for the next day or so with east winds supposedly picking up even stronger and with rain thrown in for good measure. YUCK !

I'm not going to dwell on the past fishing season too much as I am anxious to put most of the memories behind me. LOL ! Let's just say that after doing this full time for the last 23 years, 2009 will not go down in my books as one of the best of years. Right off the bat last spring the weather set the tone for the type of year that we were going to have. The very cold, windy and rainy spring followed us right into most of the summer. Conditions on the lake were trying at best most of the time. If we weren't fighting high waves and the cold it was muddy water. It was one thing after another. Traditional fish migration movements were unpredictable and the fish showed up very spottingly in the summer making catching tougher then usual. This persisted most of the 2009 fishing season. After everything was said and done though, we still ended up boating 2,591 Walleyes for the year aboard "The Trophy". Down from the 3,792 Walleyes that we brought in during the 2008 season. And although the overall total numbers were down, the average size was very remarkable! I would be willing to bet that as far as total weight goes, we probably brought in the same amount of pounds of Walleyes. Most people still went home with more than enough fillets to have an awesome fish fry. Plus they got to enjoy these spectacular sunrises !

So what is in the cards for 2010? It's anybody's guess but I don't foresee us going through another weather year as tough as we had last year. Two similar seasons in a row would be highly unusual! And it is all about the weather on Erie. Give us some real stable weather to work with and the fishing becomes nicely consistent and stays good. With last years total numbers being down for everybody however, not just us aboard "The Trophy" some fish commission officials are speculating that the limits need to be lowered slightly to help preserve the population should the fish stocks actually be down in numbers. I myself don't believe that they are. I think we just experienced weather related problems in 2009. None the less we all have to prepare ourselves for the possibility of the daily limit of 6 fish per person being reduced to possibly 5 or even in a worst case scenario, 4 Walleyes per person. We won't know for sure till sometime in May we are being told right now if there is a change at all. It is not my decision to do so but it will be one that we will all have to live with if indeed there is a change. We will just have to wait and see what happens and make the best of it. In the past 2009 season, that's about what we averaged over the coarse of the year for everyone anyway.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good 8 to 10 miles N-NE of Vermilion, 32-38 feet off Rocky River to Cleveland and 50-52 feet northwest of Fairport. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has been spotty this past week. River conditions are low and clear. Anglers are catching fish at the mouth and downstream locations in the Chagrin River, Grand River, Geneva State Park, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Anglers are also catching fish along the Cleveland breakwalls at E55 th and E 72 nd. Anglers are using small spoons, spawn sacks and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber. Fly anglers are catching fish on wooly buggers.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 49 degrees off of Toledo and 51 degrees off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing was best from Huron to Cedar Point in 30 to 42’ of water. Walleye were caught by trollers using worm harnesses with inline weights, jet or dipsy divers with spoons, or deep diving crankbaits. There were no reports targeting walleye again this past week from Cleveland to Conneaut due to the storms and being so late in the season.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good E of Vermilion off of the condos, in 45-50 feet northeast of Edgewater Park, 45-50 feet north-northwest of Wildwood State Park, 42-48 feet northwest of Fairport, 45-55 feet northeast of Ashtabula and 40 feet north-northwest of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has been good from shore and anglers are catching fish at the mouth and downstream locations in the Chagrin River, Grand River, Geneva State Park, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Anglers are using small spoons and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

For the most current steelhead information visit: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/FishingSubhomePage/fisheriesmanagementplaceholder/fishingfairportsteelhead/tabid/6166/Default.aspx

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 48 degrees off of Toledo and 54 degrees off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing was best from Huron to Cedar Point in 40 to 45’ of water. Walleye were caught by trollers using worm harnesses with inline weights, jet or dipsy divers with spoons, or deep diving crankbaits. There were no reports targeting walleye this past week from Cleveland to Conneaut due to the storms and being so late in the season.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good when the weather permits E of Vermilion off of the condos, in 45-50 feet northeast of Edgewater Park, 45-50 feet north-northwest of Wildwood State Park, 42-48 feet northwest of Fairport, and 45-49 feet north-northeast of Ashtabula. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead fishing from shore is picking up as fish begin to move up into the rivers and anglers are catching fish at the mouth and downstream locations in the Chagrin River, Grand River, Geneva State Park, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Anglers are using small spoons and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 53 degrees off of Toledo and 59 degrees off of Cleveland.

Excellent Walleye fishing was reported between Ruggles Reef and Vermilion in 35 to 40’ of water. There were no reports targeting walleye this past week from Cleveland to Conneaut due to the storms. The best spots to try are 14-16 miles northwest of Geneva in 72 feet, and 7-11 miles north-northwest of Ashtabula in 72 feet. Trollers have had success on deep diving crankbaits and worm harnesses with inline weights, along with dipsy or jet divers with spoons.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good when the weather permits in 28 feet northwest of Gordon Park, 38-42 feet north-northwest of Wildwood State Park, 45-50 feet northwest of Fairport, and 45-55 feet north-northwest of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or perch and crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead fishing from shore is picking up as fish begin to move up into the rivers and anglers are catching a few fish at the mouth and downstream locations in the Chagrin River, Grand River, Geneva State Park, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spoons and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber. For the most current steelhead information visit: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/FishingSubhomePage/fisheriesmanagementplaceholder/fishingfairportsteelhead/tabid/6166/Default.aspx

White Bass fishing has been good from the shore at the Eastlake CEI pier. Anglers are using agitators with blue and silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails. Fish range from 7-11 inches. Boat anglers watch for the gulls feeding on the surface - these are usually good spots to try for white bass which are also feeding on the same schools of emerald shiners.

*High winds on 9/28 and 9/29 kept anglers off of the lake and have greatly reduced water clarity.

Excellent Walleye fishing was reported on the W drop off of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, with the best action being on the N half of the sandbar. Anglers are still catching fish 14-16 miles northwest of Geneva in 72 feet, and 7-11 miles north-northwest of Ashtabula in 72 feet. Trollers are using monkey puke, perch, and blackjack stick baits and spoons off of dipsy divers. Trollers have also had success on deep diving crankbaits and worm harnesses with inline weights.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent between Cranberry Creek and Vermilion in 30’ of water, 40-42 feet northwest of Gordon Park, 38-42 feet north-northwest of Wildwood State Park, 35-45 feet north-northwest of Fairport, and 40-50 feet north-northwest of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or perch and crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has slowed down along with the walleye fishing off Cleveland. The best spot to try is 7-11 miles north-northwest of Ashtabula in 72 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with black and purple or silver and blue spoons.

White Bass fishing has been good from the shore at the Eastlake CEI pier. Anglers are using agitators with blue and silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails. Fish range from 7-11 inches. Boat anglers watch for the gulls feeding on the surface - these are usually good spots to try for white bass which are also feeding on the same schools of emerald shiners.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 60 degrees off of Toledo and 67 degrees off of Cleveland.

We got on these fish pretty much straight out of Ashtabula Harbor about 8 miles out and it was a joy not to have to make the 20 plus mile run just to start fishing for a change. There was nobody out there fishing either. Kinda just like the way my summer fishing started. Me and the freighters ! LOL ! The junk fish was way down too. If we had a hit, it was pretty much either a Walleye or a Steelhead. And you knew it right away too as the Steelies would send the reels a screaming ! We had plenty of trout that didn't make it to the boat as they jumped and ripped stuff up. They don't call them silver bullets for nothing !

Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday we ran our scheduled Perch charters and those trips went down right EXCELLENT ! The only down side was the stupid distances that I was running just to catch a stupid Perch. We pretty much settled into a 30 mile round trip run each day, fishing way east of Ashtabula harbor. I know that I was running over a million perch each day racing to this promised land but the area that I was working out east was finally giving up some real nice jumbos and the action was fast and furious. It's only gas, right ? Judging by all the smiles that I seen this past week from my Perch jerker guests, it was a long ride well worth it ! I was thankful we had half way decent lake conditions to allow us to make these runs. It just is not possible or feasible when you start running in to heavy seas and you end up settling for something closer to safe harbor just to be able to fish.

Excellent Walleye fishing is still being reported on the W drop off of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, with the best action being on the N half of the sandbar. Fishing farther east has slowed down this past week but anglers are still catching fish 15 miles north-northwest of Perry in 71-73 feet, and 12-15 miles north-northeast of Conneaut in 71-73 feet. Trollers are using watermelon, monkey puke, perch, and blackjack stick baits and spoons off of dipsy divers. Trollers have also had success on deep diving crankbaits and worm harnesses with inline weights.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good between Cranberry Creek and Vermilion in 30’ of water, in 40-43 feet north-northwest of Gordon Park, 40-44 feet northeast of Edgewater State Park, 35-49 feet northwest of Fairport, and 67-70 feet north-northeast of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or perch and crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has slowed down along with the walleye fishing off Cleveland. The best spot to try are 10-15 miles north-northeast of Ashtabula in 70-73 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with black and purple or silver and blue spoons.

White Bass fishing has been good from the shore at the Eastlake CEI pier. Anglers are using agitators with blue and silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails. Fish range from 7-11 inches. Boat anglers watch for the gulls feeding on the surface - these are usually good spots to try for white bass which are also feeding on the same schools of emerald shiners.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 67 degrees off of Toledo and 69 degrees off of Cleveland.

The color of the day Saturday was Black and Purple of most anything. And the fish were holding at 50'to 60'.
I hope this helps.
Good Luck To All

The rest of the week was spent Perching and sadly enough that could have gone better for us as well. On most of the days that we Perched, the lake was quite choppy also. That in it self did not stop us from catching Perch and moving around, it just was not as comfortable as I would have liked it for my folks. The real problem was that I could not get on any really good sized Perch to save my life . After running a odd Perch trip 2 weeks ago and easily knocking out a cooler full of Jumbos, I thought this was going to be easy. Then I went back to Walleye fishing for another week and this last week we mixed it up but it sure did not compare to what we did two weeks ago. Most days were very long with slow fishing and mostly small Perch.

It did not matter where I seemed to go either. We caught Perch most everywhere we tried anywhere from Ashtabula to Conneaut and from as shallow as 38 foot to nearly 70 foot of water. Some were ridiculously small and we pitched them only to watch them die and others we kept because if we didn't we wouldn't have much of anything to show for our efforts. There was some nicer ones mixed in each day but overall the cooler weights were down substantially. Sunday was the one gem of the week with a flat lake and a better grade of Perch mixed in with still some small ones. Fishing was fast with lots of doubles and we ended up with a decent box that I will call a mixed bag.

We are back to Walleyes the next two days as we run our final scheduled Walleye charters. I am hoping to end on a good note but really even myself I don't know what to expect. I guess we're just going fishing and see what happens. Stay tuned for next weeks report ! In the mean time I hope these Perch school up a little better and that we can find some of the bigger ones that I know are out there. We take another stab at the Perch Wednesday and at this point we have no trips for Thursday or Friday. Anybody wanting to go fishing, I am looking for sponsors ! LOL ! As the month draws to a close and we get into October we actually have a lot of days to choose from for a Perch charter. The Perching should improve as the water cools but after the season that I have had up to this point, who knows. All I no for sure is that we will have fun no matter what and that I will try as hard as I can to keep everyone on the very best spots that I am aware of. I have not sent a trip home yet where they did not have at least enough for dinner. Anytime you go fishing and you catch enough for supper, you had a pretty good day ! LOL !

Walleye fishing has been excellent on the W drop off of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain. Fishing farther east has slowed down this past week but anglers are still catching fish 10-15 miles north-northeast of Ashtabula in 70-73 feet and 7-10 miles north-northwest of Conneaut in 70-73 feet. Trollers are using watermelon, monkey puke, yellow jacket, perch, and blackjack stick baits and spoons off of dipsy divers. Trollers have also had success on deep diving crankbaits and worm harnesses with inline weights. Anglers east of Cleveland are fishing down 60 feet.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 38-45 feet north-northwest of Gordon Park, 35-45 feet northwest of Wildwood State Park, 49-52 feet northwest of Fairport, and 65-70 feet north-northeast of Ashtabula and 59-64 feet north-northwest of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or perch and crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has slowed down along with the walleye fishing off Cleveland. The best spots to try are 10-15 miles north-northeast of Ashtabula in 70-73 feet and 7-10 miles north-northwest of Conneaut in 70-73 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with black and purple or silver and blue spoons.

White Bass fishing has been good from the shore at the Eastlake CEI pier. Anglers are using agitators with blue and silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails. Fish range from 7-11 inches. Boat anglers watch for the gulls feeding on the surface - these are usually good spots to try for white bass which are also feeding on the same schools of emerald shiners.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 70 degrees off of Cleveland and Toledo.

Boat traffic on the lake was almost non existent. It seemed like everybody but me knew that the wheels were going to fall off the cart this week ! LOL. The weather wasn't the best either though with choppy lake conditions most everyday. Saturday was the worst with small craft advisories up and the waves running a good 4-5 foot. We could not get much of anything going in the heavy seas and by 11:00am even we cried Uncle. Sunday was much nicer in the weather department but far from calm. We pulled lines at about 1:00pm in the afternoon amongst good 3 to 4 footers with only 14 Walleyes to show for our efforts. Our toughest day in a month not counting yesterday's early quit in the extreme heavy seas. What a difference a few days makes ...

So starting with this coming week we bounce back and fourth between Perch trips and the last of my scheduled Walleye trips. I am not a big fan of running Perch charters when I know the Walleyes are still out there but this year with each passing day I find myself actually looking forward to just dropping the anchor and letting the fish come to me for a change. It seems like I have run a million miles this summer to try and keep the guys on the very best spots available. Most of this summer was like this. Only the last few weeks were like the "old days" Very good fishing and stupid easy. This past week was back to the new "normal", working very hard for everything that we are catching ! But in all honesty, I would have killed many days earlier this summer to catch what we are catching right now even on our slowest days. That's how fast we all get spoiled. Even myself.

Walleye fishing has been good in open water around the weather buoy at the N end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain. Excellent fishing continues with many boat limits 14-20 miles north of Ashtabula in 71-75 feet and 14-22 miles north-northwest of Conneaut in 72-74 feet. Trollers are using watermelon, monkey puke, yellow jacket, perch, blackjack stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses, off of dipsy divers. Anglers are fishing down 50-55 feet.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent in 42-46 feet northwest of Edgewater State Park, 42-45 feet northwest of Wildwood State Park, 65-70 feet northwest of Fairport, and 70 feet north of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or perch and crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has slowed down along with the walleye fishing off Cleveland. The best spot to try is 14-18 miles northwest off Fairport in 75-78 feet (the Cleveland Hole). Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with black and purple or silver and blue spoons. Anglers are fishing down 55-60 feet just above or in the thermocline.

White Bass fishing has been good from the shore at the Eastlake CEI pier. Anglers are using agitators with blue and silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails. Fish range from 7-11 inches. Boat anglers watch for the gulls feeding on the surface - these are usually good spots to try for white bass which are also feeding on the same schools of emerald shiners.

Based on NOAA buoy data, surface water temperature is 71 in the Western Basin and 70 at the Vermillion Weather Buoy.

I had an awful lot of fun with all of my groups this past week. It's getting to be that time of year where friendly kidding takes place almost daily between my self and my seemingly endless amount of Steelers fans on board, me being a lowly Browns fan. Everything seemed hilarious all week as we worked together as a team setting lines and scooping up net full's after net full's of fat plump central basin late summer Walleyes. The only down side to this weather being this awfully nice was that it brought out the heavy boat traffic again. I was wrong last week when I predicted that I didn't think the congestion out in the lake would not get as bad again as it was here a few weeks ago . We've all been going nuts lately trying to survive from getting run over by the literally hundreds upon hundreds of little boats that all of sudden have showed up trying to cash in on this late season Walleye rally that we've been blessed with. Well this week it was pretty much the same thing again if not worst although everybody seemed strangely much more courteous and respectful. I actually had boat after boat turn and give me way as we trolled along with as many as 4 and 5 fish on at a time. It was just great. Thank you to everyone that gave me the "break" !

Even my one Perch trip that I had scheduled for today, a full week ahead of when I actually get serious about Perching went about as well as it possibly could. After a bit of a slow start where we sat anchored for about an hour and a half with only about 8 Yellow Perch to show for it changed in a hurry. I pulled anchor and only moved a few hundred yards and no sooner was the anchor set that everybody on the boat was pulling doubles and many triples of fat jumbo Ashtabula Yellow Perch. About another hour and a half later we went from 8 Perch to a boat limit of 180 Perch for the 6 of us. Truly amazing ! Now I'm back to another full week or so of Walleye trips before I start running these Perch trips in earnest but I hope today was a pre cursor of the way things are going to go this fall. Perhaps this latter half of the season will go much better then the entire spring and early summer part of this year. One can only hope ...

Traffic out on the lake was very light this past week and with the fish spread out now from Geneva to Conneaut everyone is scattered out thinly as well. The fact that the lake was very rough most of the week further limited the smaller vessels from attempting to fish. Now with September knocking on the door I do not anticipate any more spectacles such as chaotic mob of boat traffic that we had a couple of weeks ago. Seems like after the kids go back to school and peoples vacations are winding down and we flip the calendar to September hardly anyone Walleye fishes up this way anymore even though the fish are still on fire. Weird. I see this happen every year but I am not complaining. I like my space out there ! LOL Now the focus will start to switch to the fall Perch season amongst most of the smaller private boats that choose to push on and fish into the fall. Most charters will follow suit as the business dictates and most captains will have to settle for Perch trips because they've already run the guys for Walleyes and new inquiries are scarce. I will be right there as well. In fact, I have my first scheduled Perch charter next weekend although I still have some Walleye trips left for yet another week or so there after.

Nothing much changed this week out there as far as the Walleye fishing went. Aboard "The Trophy" we continued to run our stick baits back about 300 foot on the wire line. The dipsy divers were hot this week and we got away with some of the shorter leads I've ran in a couple of months now. Our #3's were set at 150 feet and the #2's were outstanding at only 130 feet most all of last week. It was hilarious to see the mad scramble for the "shorter" rods as they went off as compared to the board lines which after being run down the tow line had close to 400 foot of cranking ahead of it to do to get the fish in. Even the new comers caught on quick ! LOL We even had a fair week with the downriggers for a change after I made a point of getting them out. Usually they are the last rods to go out and as busy as we have been most days I was never getting to them. But this week I focused on them because when they are working, you can't beat the easy in / easy out factor that they can provide. We had a couple of days where the riggers at 65 feet down and about 10 foot back with a gold Savant spoon worked, accounting for 7 or 8 Walleyes. For a downrigger, that's pretty darn good on Erie !

Walleye fishing has been good in open water around the weather buoy at the N end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, and also nearshore from Huron to Vermilion. Excellent fishing continues with many boat limits 10-13 miles north-northeast of Geneva in 70-72 feet and 7-9 miles north of Ashtabula in 70-72 feet. Trollers are using watermelon, green, yellow jacket, perch, orange, pink, or blackjack stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses, off of dipsy divers. Anglers are fishing down 50-55 feet.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 48-50 feet northwest of Edgewater State Park, 49-55 feet northwest of Wildwood State Park, 50-55 feet northwest of Fairport, 60-65 feet northeast of Ashtabula and 60-68 feet north-northeast of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or perch and crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has been good this past week with the best location 14-18 miles northwest off Fairport in 75-78 feet (the Cleveland Hole) while trolling using black and purple or silver and blue spoons. Anglers are fishing down 55-60 feet just above or in the thermocline.

White Bass fishing has been good from the shore at the Eastlake CEI wall, Grand River and Fairport Harbor piers. Anglers are using agitators with blue and silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails. Fish range from 7-11 inches. Boat anglers watch for the gulls feeding on the surface - these are usually good spots to try for white bass which are also feeding on the same schools of emerald shiners.

I don't know what the answer is. I guess we all have to learn to be a bit more courteous out there on the occasions that the congestion gets that bad. I am literally afraid of almost everyone that I see out there because after all these years of being put in bad situations I just automatically assume that they are not going to give me an inch. It should not have to work that way. I've always said that if you give me a little and I give you a little it is never an issue. It really works if everybody would do this. Most boats troll either dead with the wind or dead into the wind. Most problems start with the select few that elect to trough troll in the ditch or sideways to the wind and waves and create havoc with every other boat that they encounter. Nothing frosts me more then to be sliding downwind with the wind and waves like everyone else only to see a boat coming right at me sideways and not doing a thing about it forcing me into a hairpin turn just to avoid a ugly situation. Usually we have a ton of lines out with multiple fish coming in and I look up to see a boat as I described coming at me or in front of me with just a couple guys on it and 4 diver rods only in the water and not doing anything and the guys with their arms folded up watching me and not giving me a bit of a break. I don't know who is right. I guess it's not me. It never is ...

So perhaps I will try to focus more on a real fishing report from now on and keep my opinions to myself. And this past week the Walleye fishing off of Ashtabula was and is exactly how I started this report. As good as it gets. The school of fish is seemingly swelling in proportion with each passing day. In my opinion from what I am seeing and hearing there are a ton of fish now from just east of Geneva to Kingsville and anywhere from 68 foot of water to 73 foot, a good 4-5 mile wide swath of Walleyes and stretching even further east - west ! And the fish finder is showing fish like crazy ! These fish are now appearing in all parts of the water column again. Aboard "The Trophy" we are on a semi-deep trolling program and we have been doing exceptionally well targeting the fish in the 45 foot range. Our program has included trolling silver and gold Jr. Thunder sticks on the wire fishing line off the big planer boards only back 280 to 300 foot and the big Dipseys on a #3 setting back anywhere from 150 to 200 foot max with gold Savant spoons and the inside #2's back 130 to 150 back . I always try to keep at least a 30 foot spread between the outside #3's and the inside #2's . I think that there are even some extremely high fish now as well which no one is targeting because on Saturday while clearing lines we had two different times a popped Dipsey that we were reeling in as fast as we could have a Walleye twice hit the spoon with the diver almost to the boat. Simply amazing ! It's crazy the things you see when the water is saturated with fish.

Walleye fishing has been good in open water around the weather buoy at the N end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, and also nearshore from Huron to Vermilion. Excellent fishing continues with many boat limits 7-12 miles north-northeast of Geneva in 70-74 feet and 7-10 miles north of Ashtabula in 70-74 feet. Trollers are using watermelon, green, yellow jacket, perch, orange, pink, or blackjack worm harnesses and spoons, off of dipsy divers. Anglers are fishing down 45-60 feet.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 44-52 feet northwest of Edgewater State Park, 50-65 feet northeast of Wildwood State Park, 35-55 feet northwest and northeast of Fairport, 55-60 feet northeast of Ashtabula and 55-60 feet north of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or perch and crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has been very good this past week with the best location 14-18 miles northwest off Fairport in 75-78 feet (the Cleveland Hole) while trolling using black and purple or silver and blue spoons. Anglers are fishing down 45-60 feet just above or in the thermocline.

White Bass fishing has been good from the shore at the Eastlake CEI wall, Grand River and Fairport Harbor piers. Anglers are using agitators with blue and silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails. Fish range from 7-11 inches. Boat anglers watch for the gulls feeding on the surface - these are usually good spots to try for white bass which are also feeding on the same schools of emerald shiners.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 74 off of Toledo and 73 off of Cleveland.

Does not surprise me. I predicted it all year. Nobody wants to look for fish. They just want to follow the charters around when it gets good and be led to the promised land without going thru the many hours and days of looking and trying. I guess if you can have the luxury of only fishing when the hot bite is on, this is your time of year. You waited patiently for the fish to become suicidal and people like myself to post reports that the game is on and spell out exactly where the fish are. Now you can go out there, catch some fish and go home and brag what a good walleye fisherman you are and how you "found" them and figured things out. If you are noticing a bit of sarcasm in this report, you are right. I am sick and tired of people following me around like a puppy dog only to constantly be in my way and once again complicating my job. I think I've mentioned it before in many numerous past reports. It's always something on Erie. Even when it's good ...

The other thing that I was not real happy about this past week was the fact that the Sheep head are really starting to fire up. Even though the Walleyes are heavy out there right now along with them is a crap load of drum that have arrived and fired up as well and it is not pretty. We've had numerous times where every rod on the boat has been wiped out by the stupid Sheep head which in turn kills your chances at catching the prized Walleyes when all the hooks are buried deep in old rubber lips. You can't catch Walleyes when you are dragging Sheep's around and fighting to land some of these bruisers for sometimes 20 minutes at a whack. And you never loose these Bastards either. You just look at a Walleye funny and they are coming off. The sheep head, they are coming in. Every tough inch of the way. Usually dragging in a bunch of our other lines as well as they come in spinning and skiing sideways the whole way. Did I mention it is always something on Erie ? Yikes.

Walleye fishing has been good in open water E of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, and also nearshore from Huron to Vermilion. Good fishing continues 14-18 miles north-northeast of Cleveland and northwest of Fairport in 73-78 feet (the Cleveland Hole), 7-11 miles north-northeast of Geneva in 68-72 feet and 7-12 miles north of Ashtabula in 68-75 feet. Trollers are using watermelon, green, yellow jacket, perch, orange, pink, or blackjack worm harnesses and spoons, off of dipsy divers and planer boards. Anglers are fishing down 45-60 feet.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good in 42-55 feet northeast of Gordon Park, 52-54 feet northwest of Chagrin River, 62-64 feet north of Ashtabula and 60-68 feet north of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or perch and crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has been very good this past week with the best location 14-18 miles northwest off Fairport in 75-78 feet (the Cleveland Hole) while trolling using black and purple or silver and blue spoons. Anglers are fishing down 45-60 feet just above or in the thermocline.

White Bass fishing has been good from the shore at the Eastlake CEI wall. Anglers are using agitators with blue and silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails. Fish range from 7-11 inches. Boat anglers watch for the gulls feeding on the surface - these are usually good spots to try for white bass which are also feeding on the same schools of emerald shiners.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 73 off of Toledo and 72 off of Cleveland.

The first part of the week was the same old same old with us working pretty hard for everything that we managed to catch and then by Thursday it was the Ashtabula August fishing that we had all been yearning for. Stupid easy with the big Walleyes being suicidal. Thursday we had 36 by 9:30am and Fri.& Sat. were equally as good. And it was not just me. Everyone all of a sudden was pounding them. It is no small block of fish either. Everyone has been scattered out from just east of Geneva to Conneaut and anywhere from 65 to 73 foot of water. Walleye fishing was great for everyone out there and we even had good Steelhead action mixed in on a lot of the days with "The Trophy" bringing in as many as 5 Steelies on one of those days along with a nice mess of 'Eyes.

Speaking of weather we were treated to a spectacular show of water spouts on Thursday and Friday morning. In 23 years of full time fishing and being out practically every day never before had I seen a display as awesome as Thursdays. It lasted for hours! There was a heavy low hanging black cloud bank that stretched as far east as you could see and back to the west towards Geneva. By mid morning it started. And I'm not talking one or two spouts. There were dozens and dozens of them that came and went. At times there were as many as 7 or 8 touching down at the same time out of this huge cloud bank tearing up the water below. Each one was different. There was fat ones, there was skinny ones. Some looked like a live wire jumping around like a startled snake. A bit scary and incredibly fascinating. My cheapo camera did not do the pictures any justice. It was truly a spectacular sight that those that happened to witness it won't soon forget. I know I won't !

Walleye fishing has been good in open water E of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, and also nearshore from Huron to Vermilion. Fishing has been slow in the Cleveland area this past week, but good fishing continues 14-18 miles northwest of Fairport in 75-78 feet (the Cleveland Hole), 10-14 miles northeast of Geneva in 68-72 feet and 8-12 miles north of Ashtabula in 68-78 feet. Trollers are using watermelon, green, yellow jacket, perch, orange, or pink, blackjack, worm harnesses and spoons, off of dipsy divers and planer boards. Anglers are fishing down 50-60 feet.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good in 42-55 feet northeast of Gordon Park, 52-54 feet northwest of Chagrin River, 62-64 feet north of Ashtabula and 60-68 feet north of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or perch and crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has been very good this past week with some of the best catches of the season being reported. The best location has been 14-18 miles northwest off Fairport in 75-78 feet (the Cleveland Hole) while trolling using black and purple or silver and blue spoons. Anglers are fishing down 50-60 feet just above or down in the thermocline.

White Bass fishing has been good from the shore at the Eastlake CEI wall. Anglers are using agitators with blue and silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails. Fish range from 7-11 inches. Boat anglers watch for the gulls feeding on the surface, these are usually good spots to try for white bass which are also feeding on the same schools of emerald shiners.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 72 off of Toledo and 73 off of Cleveland.

On a positive note we are still catching a nice batch of fish each day including some real monsters that are really saving the day. A lot of my guys are going home this summer with more weight in fillets this year with less fish caught then in past years with limit catches ! And not all of these big fish are from the huge Walleye hatch of 2003, the dominant year class that has carried us the past handful of years. They are just too big and too old. These Trophy sized Walleyes that we are catching are from hatches dating back to perhaps 10 years back or even much more ! It makes me wonder in a few years how many 10 to 12 pound Walleyes we will see on a daily basis as the "03's" that will have survived that long reach their final years and maximum weight size. Total numbers may be down by then if we don't get some huge hatches soon but the lake will truly be a World class trophy Walleye producing Mecca. I think I named my boat appropriately !

Things seem to run in series. Last week I mentioned all the "6 packs" (6 people groups) that I got bombarded with after hardly having nor wanting that many people on the boat each day most of the season. Well for whatever crazy coincidence, this past week must have been "kids" week ! We had lots of youngsters on the boat almost each day and they had a blast. Not being spoiled before with easy limits and high expectations these kids were just so excited to be there and guess what ? They were rewarded with not only some of the big Walleyes that I've been talking about but with some of the biggest Walleyes of the entire season aboard "The Trophy" ! The smiles from the kids and the dads more than made up for all the frowns and comments from some of the repeating clientele that have been complaining about the tougher than what they are used to fishing conditions and how they've always "gotten their limits" before. I say just get over it and cherish those past memories. It might be years before it gets that easy again. I see this lake becoming a monster Walleye producing factory. Fewer numbers perhaps but world class size for sure !

As we enter August I am still holding out some hope to get at least a few days of "the dog days of summer". We have not really sweated and sweltered on any of our trips this summer and it seems weird. Normal years find me praying for a rare cooler day just to catch my breath and get rejuvenated if nothing else but for the day. This year I find myself hoping just for the opposite. If for no other reason but for old times sake. Just to remind me and others that summer is supposed to be hot, sticky and sweaty. This weeks forecast does not look to be that week. I am already hearing rumors of rain on several of the upcoming days and yet another cold front dropping through sometime mid week. So what else is new ? Guess we'll just be catching our 10 pounders again this week with long sleeved shirts and jackets on once again. What a summer, what a year !

Walleye fishing has been good in 25-30 feet of water from Huron to Lorain and also in open water E of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain. Fishing has slowed down in the Cleveland area this past week, but good fishing continues 14-18 miles northwest of Fairport in 75-78 feet (the Cleveland Hole) and 8-12 miles north of Ashtabula in 70-72 feet. Trollers are using watermelon, green, yellow jacket, perch, orange, or pink, blackjack, worm harnesses and spoons, off of dipsy divers, or jet divers and planer boards. Anglers are fishing down 50-60 feet.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good in 47-52 feet northeast of Edgewater Park, 42-45 feet northeast of Gordon Park, 58-62 feet northeast of Ashtabula and 55-60 feet north of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or perch and crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. The best location has been 14-18 miles northwest off Fairport in 75-78 feet (the Cleveland Hole) while trolling using black and purple or silver and blue spoons.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 70 off of Toledo and 72 off of Cleveland.

We had a rare treat on Saturday when a 32 1/2 inch, 15 pound Chinook King Salmon decided to attack us. It hit a port side outside planer board wire line rigged with a Jr. thunder Stick. After a spectacular fight which ended up in the tangling of all of the starboard side Dipsy lines, we managed to capture the beast. As if the 10 and 11 pound Walleyes that I seem to be netting every day now weren't heavy enough for my aching shoulder ! LOL We also had a few nice Steelhead show up here and there this past week as well. Nice bonus action for those that were lucky enough to hook up with these wild screamers.

There seems to be two bands of loosely scattered Walleyes out there right now. There are some nice fish being caught in the 65 foot of water range between Ashtabula and Geneva right now. We worked in that area a couple of days but for us the Yellow Perch and other "nuisance" fish made the fishing rather tough. And although I enjoyed the fuel savings, I hated working so hard to keep the crap off long enough for the Walleyes to have a shot at the lures. The second band of fish seem to be hanging in the 12 to 17 mile mark offshore. Big water for sure when you're fighting strong winds and waves and worried about thunder storms each day !

Walleye fishing has been good in 25 to 30 feet of water from Huron to Lorain, 12 to 18 miles out in 65 to 73 feet north-northwest out of Edgewater State Park and north-northeast out of Wildwood State Park, 10- to 12 miles N out of Geneva and north-northwest out of Ashtabula at 70 to 74 feet. Trollers are using watermelon, green, yellow jacket, perch, orange, or pink worm harnesses and spoons, off of dipsy divers, or jet divers and planer boards. Anglers are fishing down 45 to 60 feet.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good in 40 to 45 feet north-northeast of Gordon Park and north-northwest of Edgewater Park, and 53 to 62 feet NNE of Ashtabula and north-northwest of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or perch and crappie rigs with shiners fished as far up as 6 feet off the bottom have been producing the most fish.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. The best location has been offshore of Fairport and in the Cleveland Hole in 70 to 78 feet while trolling using black and purple or silver and blue spoons.

I was very fortunate in that on three different days I had 3 man trips last week and somehow on those days we actually limited out somewhat easily. Maybe this we'll be the answer down the road if we are indeed in a bit of a down cycle with the population or whatever. Just need to to come as a smaller group size. Everyone knows by now that I've always really encouraged all of my groups to come as a group of 4. In my opinion, that is the perfect sized party. Including myself, with the 5 of us onboard you are still not tripping all over each other and the action is spread more generously. And honestly, we are going to catch what we catch whether there are 6 people in the party or 4. The choice is yours. Right now and possibly in the future that's about all we can do any which way just shy of using dynamite. ( hmmm, now there's an idea ... ) LOL

With the heavy west, north west winds that we had for most of our last few outings, we have pretty much just cranked it out 20 to 25 miles out and turned around and just trolled back with the wind and waves. We are now fishing strictly in the 73 to 75 foot of water range way off shore. The marks on the fish finder that are out there have been super deep, down in the 55 to 65 foot range. I hate fishing for those super deep marks. Most of the time when the Walleyes are that deep they are inactive and just laying down there without a care in the world. They are not usually interested in feeding or even spooking because of the boat or anything else. They are just suspended there doing whatever it is that they do. When I see those marks coming up to the 40 to 50 foot mark, I get really excited. Up fish ! And more times then not, fish on !

Walleye fishing has been good in 25’ of water from Huron to Lorain, 12-18 miles out in 65 to 73 feet north-northwest out of Edgewater State Park and north-northeast out of Wildwood State Park, 10-16 miles NNE out of Geneva and NNW out of Ashtabula at 70 to 74 feet. Trollers are using watermelon, green, yellow jacket, perch, orange, or pink worm harnesses and spoons, off of dipsy divers, or jet divers and planer boards. Anglers are fishing down 40 to 60 feet.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good in 40 to 45 feet NNE of Gordon Park and NNW of Edgewater Park, in 50-58 feet NW of the Fairport Harbor, and 69-72 feet NNE of Ashtabula and NNW of Conneaut. Perch spreaders or perch and crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. The best location has been offshore in the Cleveland Hole in 77 to 79 feet while trolling using black and purple or silver and blue spoons.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 71 off of Toledo and 70 off of Cleveland.

We are finally getting further and further off shore in search of the elusive Mother Load. Still though, no matter where we go, we catch some Walleyes but not in the numbers and in the time frame that most are accustomed too. As I have mentioned in past reports, perhaps this is the new "normal"? In fishing as in all things with Mother Nature, things run in cycles with peaks and valleys. We certainly have seen it as good as it gets the last few years and now we are seeing a bit more realistic form of "just fishin". After all, that's all it is. "Just fishin".

With the spotty Walleyes showing up further and further off shore and "The Trophy" in hot pursuit and it's been great to have the generous clientele that I have for a customer base. I think this summer will smash all my records for total fuel consumption as I run all over just trying to get something going for my guys. Your generous tip money has eased the pain at the pump at the end of an already long and stressful day for me. If I thought it would help, I would run even further to just try and insure that we have all have a awesome day.

Walleye fishing has been good in 66-67’ NW off Wildwood State Park, 72-74’ NE and NW off Fairport and 72-74’ NW off Geneva. Trollers are using green, yellow jacket, orange, silver, and purple worm harnesses, crank baits, stick baits, and spoons off jet divers, dipsy divers and planer boards. Anglers are fishing down 30 to 50‘. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 40-50’ NW off Edgewater State Park, 41-46’ NW off Chagrin River, 58-70’ N off Ashtabula and Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. The best location has been NE and NW of Fairport in 72-74’. See the walleye section for trolling details.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 70 off of Toledo and 69 off of Cleveland.

Now a word about this past weeks weather. It SUCKED ! Are you kidding me ? The last week of June and the first week of July and we were dressed out there as if it were March. Cold, dreary, windy and rough. It finally broke for the weekend but man what a miserable week we just had. We had a low pressure system that sat right over the great lakes and spin and raise havoc all week. Daily heavy rains and flooding along with rough lake conditions including 6 footers on Friday which cost us the whole day were pretty much what I had to deal with every day this past week. And I wonder why things are so tough this "summer" ? This will go down in my book as the summer that "never was". Did I happen to mention that it Sucked ? Sheez. What a start to summer.

I mentioned last week also about the crap in the water which was clogging up our fishing lines. After a bit of research online I believe I identified what that stuff is. It is called a Hook Tail Water Flea. It's yet another invasive specie just like the Zebra Mussels and the Gobies that came in on the foreign ships from Tim Buck Two or wherever. Here is a link you can copy and paste in your browser box to read more about the subject if you care to: http://www.iisgcp.org/EXOTICSP/fishhook.html . Quite fascinating and depressing at the same time ! The good news is that as I suspected, the problem is somewhat easing. After peaking mid-week last week they have seemed to back off some. Where did they go ? Who knows but good riddens and I hope the rest of them take a hike as well. I just can not handle many more days of what we just went through. Did I mention, What a year !

So will this be the best week yet coming up ? It certainly looks like the real deal weather wise if you put any faith in the long range forecasts. Sunny, warm and DRY for most all of the next 7 days. Makes me wonder what will pop up next to try and break my spirit. Maybe Lake Erie Serpents or something. I'm to the point where it wouldn't surprise me. It's just been one of those kind of years. Anyway, I plan on doing even more exploring way off shore this coming week. I'm confident there are some fish out there and certainly the "Mother Load" is looming out there as well somewhere. I'm on a mission now. I'm determined to find "Mom" . And if the sea serpents don't get me, I just might find her this week ! Regardless, I'm sure we'll have fun looking !

Walleye fishing has been good at the N end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, in 65-72’ NW off Edgewater State Park, 61-66 NW off Wildwood State Park, and 65-75’ NE and NW off Fairport. Trollers are using green, yellow jacket, orange, silver, and purple worm harnesses, crank baits, stick baits, and spoons off jet divers, dipsy divers and planer boards. Anglers are fishing down 30 to 40‘. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 28-32’ NW of Rocky River, 37-43’ NW off Edgewater State Park, 38-40’ N of Fairport, and 38-42’ NW off Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on pumpkinseed, green or brown tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, and by trolling crankbaits.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. The best location has been NE and NW of Fairport in 72-76’. See the walleye section for trolling details.

It's always something on Erie. This past week the fishing has improved but all of a sudden the water is loaded with this fuzzy, scummy crap in the water that is driving all of us crazy. If you don't check your lines every few minutes your lines get so loaded up with this crap that you can't hardly reel them back in. And then trying to pry all of that stuff off is a real pain in the butt only to put them back out and have it happen all over again. I've seen this happen before but never this bad. It's very frustrating. Hopefully this will be a short lived affair. It always has been in the past ...

Boat traffic has picked up dramatically now as well. Word has gotten out that the fishing has picked up some and all of sudden a all of the Johnny come latelys are flocking to the area. This past Saturday was especially bad with all of the idiots running around. Most of them have no common courtesy when it comes to another fishing boat that is trying to run a big spread and has his hands full to begin with. That is why I live for my weekday trips. I'll take Monday thru Thursday hands down for a fishing trip anytime. Oh well, once again I deal with everything that the lake and the business throws at me. As I mentioned last week. That is my job.

So in a couple of days we flip the calendar to July. I'll be happy to put this June on the stern and not look back. I still don't have a real great feeling for the rest of the summer as of yet as I have had in past few years but fishing should be adequate enough to where everyone has fun and catches more then enough fish for some great fish fry's. The trip itself and the adventure is really what it should all be about. The days of almost automatic limits and guaranteed success may not come around as frequently as they have over the last few years. Perhaps 2009 will be a bit of a reality check and Mother Nature is just reminding us that
" Hey, after all, it's just fishin ! "

Walleye fishing has been very good in 57-64’ NW off Wildwood State Park, 58-66 NW off Gordon Park State Park, 57-64’ NW off Fairport and 60-68’ N-NW off Perry. Trollers are using green, yellow, orange, copper, and fried chicken worm harnesses, crank baits, stick baits, and spoons off jet divers, dipsy divers and planer boards. Anglers are fishing down 30 to 40‘. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 43-49’ NW of Gordon Park State Park, 38’ NE off Chagrin River, 40-45’ NW of Geneva, and 44-46’ N off Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on pumpkinseed, green or brown tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, and by trolling crankbaits.

Steelhead are beginning to be picked by anglers trolling for walleye.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 69 off of Toledo and 64 off of Cleveland.

The best one that we were able to bring to the boat this past week was a 32 inch beauty that was just a hair shy of 11 lbs ! We've also started capturing some Steelhead which is always fun as I search further and further offshore looking for the "Mother Load". I sure haven't had much help out there. Nobody seems interested in fishing when things are tougher. I guess everybody else just wants to be a hero and start when things become suicidal. I wish I had that luxury. I have to go everyday. That's my job.

While well offshore this past week we also managed to capture two Lake Trout or Lakers as some people call them. Not to be confused with the Steelhead Trout which are quite common. I wish I had taken a couple of pictures of them but I did not. They were both caught on different days in different areas as I continue to scout around. One was around 3 pounds and the second one was around 5 pounds I'm guessing. Pretty unusual for around here. That tells me that there must be quite a few of them roaming around out there right now for whatever reason. While offshore we also captured a Walleye with a Mich. Dept. of Natural Resources tag in its lip which tells me that there are definitely migrating fish in the area from the west. Lots of the areas that I tried this past week had plenty of marks on the fish finder. They just don't seem real anxious to bite for us yet. Weird.

Walleye have been caught trolling between E of the S end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain. Good walleye fishing has also been reported 50-55’ NW off Edgewater State Park, 50-55 NW off Chagrin River, 40’ NW off Fairport and 48’ N off Geneva. Trollers are using green, yellow, orange, copper, and fried chicken worm harnesses, crank baits, stick baits, and spoons off dipsy divers, planer boards and also flatline trolling. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good in 39-42’ NW off Edgewater State Park, 40-47’ NW of Gordon Park State Park, 40-50’ NW of Fairport, and 38-40’ W off Conneaut. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on pumpkinseed, green or brown tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, and by trolling crankbaits.

I think we had a lot of factors working against us this past week that stacked the odds against us. We had a very full moon this past week and even in the best of times we seem to struggle because the darn Walleyes feed heavily all night and a bit after daybreak and then seem to get a bad case of lock jaw. That and we had quite a few days of east winds, my absolute most un favorite wind direction. It's true, " wind from the east, fishing's at it's least" ! That and the water temperature is way colder then in a normal years thus far. We need a string of 80+ degree days to warm the water and get even more fish in the area ! The warmer the rest of the lake gets, the more fish move into the cooler, deeper waters of Ashtabula for the summer.

We seemingly have done the best of what we are catching right now in water between 50 and 55 feet in depth. The planer board have been doing the best for us with the jet divers anywhere between 60 and 150 back. The dipseys only on occasion contribute a fish or two. Very frustrating because normally by now the divers are a big part of our program. The downriggers which even in a good year are almost worthless for Walleyes around here are living up to their expectations. Pretty much suck ... They will have their day or two where they are smoking hot once the Walleyes go super deep but that has not happened yet.

Walleye have been caught trolling between Cranberry Creek and Vermilion in 20 to 30’ of water, E of the S end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, 39’ NW of Rocky River, 40-47’ off Edgewater State Park, 28’ off Fairport, 20-25’ off Geneva, and 40-50’ off Ashtabula. Trollers are using crank baits, stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off dipsey divers, planer boards and also flatline trolling. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good in 40-49’ NW off Edgewater State Park, 37-38’ NW of Gordon Park State Park, 40’ NW of Fairport, and 38-40’ off Geneva. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on green or brown tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 63 off of Toledo and 60 off of Cleveland.

Anglers are encouraged to always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device while boating.

Anyway we managed to get into the high teen's a couple of days this past week and even on the days that were a bit slower we still captured some HUGE Walleyes. On Tuesday we had 5 Fish Ohio award citation fish of better then 28 inch's with the biggest Walleye being 31 inches and just a hair under 11 pounds. Awesome fish ! We have not had any throwback fish at all as of yet. Just a nice grade of Walleyes. We have not stumbled upon any Steelhead Trout yet either. Maybe as we stick our noses even further offshore. This will happen whether we like it or not the first time the wind kicks big out of the north and we don't have any choice but run out further and troll back with the wind and waves.

The fish that I have found have been rather close to shore as most always are in early June. We've fished in as shallow as twenty foot of water with some nice fish being caught and I have caught them as far out as 55 foot already. The fish that I am finding right now are very high in the water column. Most people tend to under fish these fish this time of year. Spoons off the boards with Jet Divers have been doing most of the damage thus far for us. My big Dipsys have not been very productive at all as of yet. I've tried everything but they only on occasion capture anything. This will change very soon, trust me. My downriggers have caught a whopping one fish so far for us; 30 ft. back with a shallow lipped stick bait and 30 ft. down. Whoopty doo ! LOL !

Walleye have been caught trolling between Cranberry Creek and Vermilion in 30’ of water, also 39’ NW of Rocky River, 46’ off Euclid, 30-50’ off Fairport to Perry and 32’ off Geneva.

Trollers are using crank baits, stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off dipsey divers, planer boards and also flatline trolling. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been good off of the condos E of Vermilion, off the Lorain breakwall, 37-38’ NW of Euclid, 38-40’ NW of Chagrin River, 48’ NE of Fairport, and 35-45’ off Conneaut. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on green or brown tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 62 off of Toledo and 58 off of Cleveland.

Sadly, the fishing back home is starting out kind of slow as well as I was afraid it might because of the late spring conditions and everything seemingly running as much as 2 weeks behind. I have never been one to sugar coat any of my fishing reports and I try to tell it as it is. The last few years if you go back through any of my Ashtabula reports you would find we opened up good in fish back home here and never looked back. This year is a completely different year for me and my slow start to Port Clinton's fishing this spring has seemingly followed me back out east. Although we are still catching fish, it certainly is not as good as it ought to be by my standards. Hopefully we are only days away from turning things around and getting back to "crazy good" fishing !

As I suspected, River Marine's restoration project has not been completed on time either due to a variety of complications but we are so close now that I can hardly wait ! For at least a few more days "The Trophy will still docked at the Oar House Saloons courtesy dock, the same place I ended up late last summer after River Marines tragic collapse into the Ashtabula River after the dredging operations. The concrete is supposed to be poured now after 2 re-schedules on this Monday, June the 1st. I should be able to bring the boat back around for good shortly after. As I mentioned, I am so excited I can hardly wait. It will be nicer then ever ! For a awesome slide show of the entire construction project, log on to my website www.trophycharters.com and click on the news page and then click on the "Rebuilding River Marine Pictures" link. Quite fascinating !

Walleye have been caught trolling between Cranberry Creek and Vermilion in 30’ of water, near shore in 12-20’ off Rocky River, 40’ off Edgewater Park, 16-18’ off Chagrin River, 15-40’ off Fairport to Perry and 25’ off Conneaut. Trollers are using crank baits, stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off dipsey divers, planer boards and also flatline trolling. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has good off of the condos E of Vermilion, off the Lorain breakwall, 35-41’ off Edgewater Park in Cleveland, 30-40’ off Fairport, 40-43’ off Geneva, and 35-55’ off Conneaut. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 10 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on green or brown tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, and by trolling crankbaits.

Walleye have been caught trolling near shore in 10-25’ off Cleveland, Grand River and Perry. Trollers are using crank baits, spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and also flatline trolling. Fishing is picking up on the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland. The best times are in the evening and early morning.

Yellow perch fishing has been best in 30-40’ off Fairport to Conneaut, and 30-40’ east of Cleveland. Shore anglers have been catching fish off the Headlands Beach and Fairport piers on the Grand River and in Cleveland off the E 55th and E 72 st piers in Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 15 to 25’ around harbor areas in Fairport Harbor, Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 57 off of Toledo and 53 off of Cleveland.

Few walleye fishing have been made due to recent wind, snow and cold temperatures. The best area over the holiday weekend was from Huron to Ruggles in 30 to 35 feet of water. Most anglers are trolling crankbaits. Anticipate breaking ice in marinas and muddy water on the main lake. Walleye fishing has been sporadic on the piers at night, but some fish are being caught by casting shallow diving stickbaits.

Walleye fishing has remained excellent from Vermilion to Cedar Point in 30 to 42 feet of water. The best areas have been west of the Huron dumping grounds and north of Cranberry Creek. Most anglers are trolling crankbaits. Walleye fishing has been sporadic on the piers at night, but some fish are being caught by casting shallow diving stickbaits. As temperatures drop walleye should continue to move inshore providing fall fishing opportunities through ice up when conditions allow.

Yellow Perch

Perch fishing effort is decreasing, but catches continue to be good in all the traditional spots around the islands and off of the central basin harbors. Perch spreaders with shiners near the bottom produce the most fish.

*Weather the week of 10/27 has been extremely windy. Information contained in the report was collected prior to the gale force winds.*

Walleye fishing had been excellent from Huron to Lorain. As water temperatures drop the best fishing will start to move inshore. Trolling or casting minnow imitating stickbaits produces the best fall catches.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent. The most consistent action has been on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, N of Vermilion, and also off of Lorain near the lighthouse. Fishing has been very good all along ports from Cleveland east to Conneaut. The best spots include NW of Gordon Park in 40 to 45 feet of water, NW of Chagrin River in 47 to 50 feet of water, N-NW of Fairport in 45 to 55 feet of water (the hump), N of Geneva and Ashtabula in 45’ to 55’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom usually produces the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches.

Steelhead fishing is picking up as fish begin to move up into the rivers. Anglers are catching fish near breakwalls, at the river mouths, and at lower- to mid- stream locations in the Rocky, Chagrin, Grand and Ashtabula Rivers, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park) and Conneaut Creek. Flows in the rivers and streams have risen with the recent rain and sleet and they are slightly to moderately stained. Small tributaries will fish first. Anglers are using small spoons, spinners, or jigs and maggots or spawn rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 49 off of Toledo and 55 off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing is improving from Lorain to Huron. The best areas have been the 30 N line west of the sandbar and the Huron dumping grounds. Fishing remained slow again this past week from Cleveland to Conneaut. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent. The most consistent action has been on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, N of Vermilion, and also off of Lorain near the lighthouse. Fishing has been very good all along ports from Cleveland east to Conneaut. The best spots include NW of Gordon Park in 51 to 55 feet of water, NE and NW of Chagrin River in 51 to 55 feet of water, NW of Fairport in 40 to 50’ of water (the hump), N of Geneva and Ashtabula in 38’ to 48’ of water, and N of Conneaut in 70’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom usually produces the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 20’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs, drop-shot goby imitations and crayfish.

Steelhead fishing is picking up as fish begin to move up into the rivers and anglers are catching fish at the mouth and downstream locations in the Chagrin River, Grand River, Geneva State Park, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Water conditions in the rivers and streams remain low and clear. Best times have been early in the morning. Shore anglers are using small spoons and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

We have been spending most of our days in water anywhere from 50 to 70 foot deep with the Perch right on the bottom. Hook up three minnows on your rig, drop the sinker straight down to the bottom and make sure it rests dead on the bottom while holding the line tight between the sinker on the bottom and the rod tip. Pretty soon you feel tap, tap, tap and then you set the hook. Lots of times you can catch a double and if you're really lucky, even a triple!

Even though the marina is closed and I have moved the boat to a different location a couple hundred yards up river, the fish cleaning service is still available thank God. And what a wonderful job they do cleaning all those Perch for just a few bucks. I don't know why anybody would want to screw around and spend all afternoon cleaning fish when these pro's can do it in about 45 minutes for a whole cooler!

We have been spending most of our days in water anywhere from 50 to 70 foot deep with the Perch right on the bottom. Hook up three minnows on your rig, drop the sinker straight down to the bottom and make sure it rests dead on the bottom while holding the line tight between the sinker on the bottom and the rod tip. Pretty soon you feel tap, tap, tap and then you set the hook. Lots of times you can catch a double and if you're really lucky, even a triple !

Even though the marina is closed and I have moved the boat to a different location a couple hundred yards up river, the fish cleaning service is still available thank God. And what a wonderful job they do cleaning all those Perch for just a few bucks. I don't know why anybody would want to screw around and spend all afternoon cleaning fish when these pro's can do it in about 45 minutes for a whole cooler !

Keep in mind that with the marina being closed that you still need to get your licenses ahead of time either online through the links on my website www.trophycharters.com or at the K-Mart here in Ashtabula on Rt. 20 just east of Rt. 11. They are open 24 hours also which helps us out a lot. We have about a month remaining in the season before I pull the boat for the winter. We are scheduled to come out Nov. the 3rd. Don't miss out on your last chance to spend a fun filled day aboard "THE TROPHY" catching jumbo's for the freezer. It's a long, long winter ! We still have plenty of dates available including a few weekend dates. Give me a call at 216-387-2656, my boat/mobile number. I would be glad to hook you up !

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing remained slow west of Cleveland with the best area being the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain. Fishing continues to be slow in the Cleveland area this past week so there are no locations to report. Fishing continues to be good 12-17 miles N of Geneva in 70 to 72’ of water, and 6-10 miles NE-NW of Ashtabula in 69 to 72’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits. The best action has been about 25-50 feet down, and the best colors have been watermelon, purple, orange, green, and gold/black or red/silver.

Yellow perch fishing has remained slow from Huron to Avon. The most consistent action has been on the S end of the sandbar. Fishing has been very good offshore in the Cleveland area and also east to Conneaut. The best spots to fish are NW of Edgewater Park in 45 to 47 feet of water, NW of Wildwood State Park in 41 to 46 feet of water, NW of Fairport in 40 to 50’ of water (the hump), N of Geneva in 40 to 50’ of water, and N-NE of Conneaut in 60 to 65’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom usually produces the most fish, however. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches.

White bass fishing has been spotty off Eastlake CEI power plant in 15-30 feet of water. Anglers are using agitators with blue/silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 16 to 26’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught off Geneva and Ashtabula while fishing for walleye. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 67 off of Toledo and 69 off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has slowed west of Cleveland with the best area being the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain. Fishing continues to be slow in the Cleveland area this past week so there are no locations to report. Very good fishing has been reported 7-10 miles N of Ashtabula in 69 to 72’ of water, and 7-12 miles N-NW of Conneaut in 71 to 75’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits. The best action has been about 25-50 feet down, and the best colors have been watermelon, purple, orange, green, and black with copper or blue/silver.

Yellow perch fishing has remained slow from Huron to Avon. The most consistent action has been on the S end of the sandbar. Fishing has been very good offshore in the Cleveland area and also east to Conneaut. The best spots to fish are NW of Gordon Park in 38 to 42 feet of water, NW of Edgewater Park in 40 to 50 feet of water, N of Fairport in 38 to 48’ of water, N of Geneva in 38 to 48’ of water, and N of Conneaut in 60 to 65’ of water. You may try fishing further offshore this week than normal. Fish may also be suspended in the water column until the recent upwelling of low oxygenated water settles back down to the deeper portions of the lake. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom usually produces the most fish, however, this week you may want to fish 5 to 10 feet up from the bottom due to the conditions. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

White bass fishing has been spotty off Eastlake CEI power plant in 15-30 feet of water. Anglers are using agitators with blue/silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 16 to 26’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 69 off of Toledo and 71 off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has continued to be excellent thus far right into September. I can't believe how big some of these late season beauties have been. We sure have seen our share of 10 pound fish the last few weeks. They are putting on a lot of fat for the winter months and feeding like crazy. It has not been unusual to net a Walleye and have it spew a bunch of smelt out of their mouths. Literally a feeding frenzy going on out there ! We have finally started to see more Steelhead Trout as well the last couple of weeks, something that has been unusually quiet most all of the summer season. Unfortunately the Sheephead have been attacking us as well on some days. The last couple of days have not been so bad though.

We are still fishing well offshore most everyday now. 15 to 20 miles has been an almost everyday occurrence for about the last month. Ugly fuel bills everyday to say the least. Locked in at charter rates from a few years ago is not quiet getting it at today's high fuel costs. There will be a slight adjustment for next season ... unless O'Bama or McCain solve all of our problems between this November and next spring, LOL ! For now your generous tip money is still offsetting the difference. What was once meant at one time for the wife and I to go out and have dinner on the boy's is now going right into the pockets of the big oil companies. Sucks. Man, I better get back on the right subject. I'm depressing myself !

I've adjusted to my new dock location as much as I am going to I suppose since the collapse of River Marine into the Ashtabula River last month. See my last fishing report if you are not familiar with the story. Very sad. Anyway, I am still meeting most all of my charters at River Marines parking lot and having everyone just follow me down. It's only a couple of hundred yards back up river but it's been easier this way. Looks like this will be my home as well for the next season. Next year it will be up to everyone to find where I am docked. This sitting in the parking lot in the truck waiting for someone to show up is getting old. The good news is that the fish cleaning is still available but keep in mind that you have to get your fishing licenses ahead of time since there is no longer a marina store. You can do it online ahead of time through the links on my website or the K-Mart in Ashtabula which sells them 24 hours a day. Just plan accordingly. We are departing the dock now promptly at 6:00 a.m. Don't forget to book that fall Perch trip as well. We are booking those right now and will be starting to Perch fish very soon !

Walleye fishing has slowed west of Cleveland with the best area being the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain. Fishing continues to be slow in the Cleveland area this past week so there are no locations to report. Very good fishing has been reported 10-20 miles N of Geneva in 72 to 74’ of water, and 8-12 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 to 74’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits. The best action has been about 25-50 feet down, and the best colors have been chartreuse, purple, orange, green, and black with copper or gold/red.

Yellow perch fishing is very good offshore in the Cleveland area and also east to Conneaut. The best spots to fish are NW of Gordon Park in 35 to 45 feet of water, NW of Edgewater Park in 40 to 45 feet of water, N of Ashtabula in 65 to 70’ of water, and N of Conneaut in 60 to 65’ of water. You may try fishing further offshore this week than normal. Fish may also be suspended in the water column until the recent upwelling of low oxygenated water settles back down to the deeper portions of the lake. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom usually produces the most fish, however, this week you may want to fish 5 to 10 feet up from the bottom due to the conditions. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

White bass fishing has been good off Eastlake CEI power plant in 15-30 feet of water. Anglers are using agitators with blue/silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good prior to the upwelling of low oxygenated waters this past week. We expect fishing to pick back up in the harbor areas around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Anglers have been fishing in 15 to 25 feet of water. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers while walleye fishing 7 to 15 miles offshore from Geneva and Ashtabula in 65 to 74 feet of water. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 71 off of Toledo and Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been good E of the southern half of the sandbar NW of Lorain 5 to 7 miles out. Fishing has slowed down in the Cleveland area this past week so there are no locations to report. Very good fishing has been reported 10-15 miles N of Geneva in 70 to 74’ of water, and 7-15 miles NE and NW of Ashtabula in 68 to 74’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits. The best action has been about 25-50 feet down, and the best colors have been chartreuse, purple, orange, green, and black with copper or gold/red.

Yellow perch fishing is good offshore in the Cleveland area and also east to Conneaut. The best spots to fish are NW of Gordon Park in 53 to 55 feet of water, NW of Chagrin River in 45 to 50 feet of water, NW of Fairport Harbor in 38 to 50’ of water, and N of Conneaut in 60 to 65’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Don’t forget to try several turns up from the bottom as some fish may be suspended. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

White bass fishing has been very good off Eastlake CEI power plant in 15-30 feet of water. Anglers are using agitators with blue/silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 16 to 26’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers while walleye fishing 7 to 15 miles offshore from Geneva and Ashtabula in 65 to 74 feet of water. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 71 off of Toledo and 73 off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been good E of the southern half of the sandbar NW of Lorain 5 to 7 miles out. Fishing has slowed down in the Cleveland area with the best areas NW of Edgewater Park in 54 of water and NW of Chagrin River in 72 to 78’ of water. Very good fishing has been reported NW of Geneva in 65 to 74’ of water, and 7-13 miles NE of Ashtabula in 70 to 74’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits. The best action has been about 25-50 feet down, and the best colors have been chartreuse, purple, orange, green, pink, and black with copper or gold.

Yellow perch fishing is good offshore in the Cleveland area and also east to Conneaut. The best spots to fish are NW of Edgewater Park in 51 to 54 feet of water, NW of Chagrin River in 53 to 54 feet of water, NW of Fairport Harbor (the hump) in 50 to 60’ of water, and N of Conneaut in 55 to 65’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Don’t forget to try several turns up from the bottom as some fish may be suspended. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

White bass fishing has been very good off Eastlake CEI power plant in 15-30 feet of water. Anglers are using agitators with blue/silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 16 to 26’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers while walleye fishing 9 to 13 miles offshore from Geneva and Ashtabula in 65 to 74 feet of water. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 72 off of Toledo and 74 off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been good E of the southern half of the sandbar NW of Lorain 5 to 7 miles out. Fishing has slowed down in the Cleveland area with the best areas NE of Edgewater Park in 63 to 70’ of water, NW of Chagrin River in 70 to 72’ of water. Very good fishing has been reported NE of Geneva in 68 to 72’ of water, and 7-11 miles N of Ashtabula in 68 to 73’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses and spoons continue to be the top baits. The best action has been about 25-52 feet down, and the best colors have been chartreuse, purple, orange, green, and black with copper or gold.

West of Cleveland the best yellow perch fishing has been off of Sawmill Creek in 33’ of water and from Cranberry Creek to Old Woman’s Creek in 31 to 38’ of water. The fishing is fair offshore in the Cleveland area and also east to Conneaut. The best spots to try are NW of Edgewater Park in 50 to 52 feet of water, NW of Chagrin River in 55 to 62 feet of water, NW of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 55’ of water, and N Conneaut in 50 to 60’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Don’t forget to try several turns up from the bottom as some fish may be suspended. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

White bass fishing has been very good off Eastlake CEI power plant in 15-30 feet of water. Anglers are using agitators with blue/silver spoons and jigs tipped with twister tails.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 15 to 35’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers while walleye fishing 9 to 13 miles offshore from Geneva and Ashtabula in 68 to 74 feet of water. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

I was able to scramble back onto the twisted wreckage and cut myself loose. Others had already moved their boats. I had looked at other docks that very same morning and was about to move my boat somewhere else when I got the call that it was too late. Man, it went fast ! Many have speculated as to how this could have happened after that property had stood there as is for over a hundred years with a steel company there before it was tore down and then years later the River Marine building put up. All the existing bulk heads were there as well all those years. How could something like this happen ?

Well, I'll tell you what I think. I think it's a combination of factors combined that resulted in the disaster. Many of you that had read some of my previous reports this summer may remember be mentioning that the river was being dredged and that they took it down to a uniform depth of 20 foot, wall to wall across the river. Bingo. What used to be only a few feet deep right by the wall was now dug out to 20 foot ! Now, I'm no Einstein but ... that and the bridge project where they have the huge drawbridge just a few feet away from River Marine standing straight up in the air for over 4 months now day and night shaking and swaying in the wind... I'm not saying anything, I'm just saying ...

The implications to this for everyone is going to be significant. I already have found a new dock location at least for the rest of this year just a few hundred yards back up river right by the Oar House Saloon. Coming from Rt. 11 like you normally come, go all the way north on 11 till it dead ends. Then turn left like you did before to go to River Marine but only go exactly 6/10ths of a mile and at the bottom of the hill you turn left into The Oar House's Parking lot. It is a big square white block building that looks like a ware house. Sadly it is not marked very well. I don't know how this will all play out but most importantly it's not looking good for fishing licenses or fish cleaning services at the end of the day unless they get something temporarily put up in a hurry. I am urging all my upcoming trips to contact me on my cell, 216-387-2656 as soon as possible to discuss other options. There are options but the bottom line is it will not be as convenient as we have all grown accustomed to. Very sad.

Walleye fishing has been good E of the southern half of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain 7 to 10 miles out, NE of Gordon Park in 66 to 70’ of water, NW of Chagrin River in 68 to 72’ of water, NE of Geneva in 68 to 74’ of water, and 9+ miles N of Ashtabula in 68 to 74’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses continue to be the top bait followed closely by spoons, especially east. The best action has been about 25-52 feet down, and the best colors have been chartreuse, purple, orange, green, and black with copper or gold.

West of Cleveland the best yellow perch fishing has been off of Sawmill Creek in 33’ of water and from Cranberry Creek to Old Woman’s Creek in 31 to 38’ of water. The fishing is fair offshore in the Cleveland area. The best spots to try are NE of Edgewater Park in 50 to 58 feet of water and NW of Gordon Park in 54 to 58 feet of water. To the east, fishing remains good NW of Fairport Harbor in 52 to 65’ of water, and N of Ashtabula in 60 to 68’ and N Conneaut in 50 to 65’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Don’t forget to try several turns up from the bottom as some fish may be suspended. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 15 to 35’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught by anglers while walleye fishing 9 to 13 miles offshore from Cleveland, Eastlake, Fairport, Geneva and Ashtabula in 68 to 74 feet of water. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 75 off of Toledo and Cleveland.

Anglers are encouraged to always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device while boating.

The fish have seemed to go no where the last few weeks. They just seem to be hanging out around the 8-9 mile to the 12 -13 mile mark off shore. Most days we are running slightly north west. The fish are just there. Day after day, over and over again. As a charter captain, consistency is the best thing that could happen to us. Figure out what lead lengths are working and stick with it. Most Days the fish are very deep. Get you're stuff down there and hold on ! We have been fishing for the marks that are showing up on the fish finder in the 55 to 65 ft.below the surface. It has just been plain working. I have it pretty much figured out and everyday thus far it has been a slaughter. I am just hoping that we can keep it going for the next month and a half. That's how much longer I have left in my Walleye season. It just seems incredible to me. It seems just like yesterday that we put the boat in for the season. Just like I said before, over and over and over again. That's how this season has been for me thus far. Very good and very fast everyday so far ...

Man, I can't believe how generous you have all been. Fuel prices have been killing me this season and you guys for the most part have been steping up to the plate and taking that into consideration when settling up at the end of the day with generous tip money. While others have been trying to pass on fuel sur-charges, I have just been focusing on filling the box and letting the chips fall where they may. It's been good all the way around. I get the job done everyday and all of you have made sure that the bills get paid. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. After all the years I've been at this, I am very pleased with my clientele and the relationship that we have. It gives me hope for the years to come.

Just as I have been preaching all season long, we still need to get off by 5:00 a.m. We now have some travel time involved and we want to make sure that we get off early enough to where we can get out there and arrive at the hot spots just as day light breaks and start setting lines in time for the feeding frenzy. This has been half of the reason that I have been so successful. I have most all of you convinced as to how important it is to be fishing out there in the wee hours of the morning when the bite is on. It has paid huge dividends for all of us aboard "The Trophy" and it has been the reason we have had the edge on the competition. First out, first back . It's a beautiful thing. Please remember that the drawbridge in the harbor is closed to car traffic and that you must come in by way of Rt. 11 as all of my directions spell out . Also please remember th at the upcoming Perch season will be here in a matter of a few short weeks. NOW IS THE TIME TO BOOK YOUR PERCH TRIPS !!

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been good E of the southern half of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, 7 to 10 miles out NE and NW of Edgewater State Park in 62 to 70’ of water, NW of Eastlake in 67 to 70’ of water, NW of Geneva in 68 to 72’ of water, and 8+ miles NE and NW of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 70 to 73’ of water. Trollers are using worm harnesses, spoons or stickbaits off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. Worm harnesses continue to be the top bait followed closely by spoons, especially east. The best action has been about 25-40 feet down, and the best colors have been chartreuse, purple, orange, green, and black with copper or gold.

Yellow perch fishing is good offshore in the Cleveland area. The best spots to try are NW of Edgewater Park in 53 to 60 feet of water and NE of Rocky River in 58 to 62 feet of water. To the east, fishing remains good NW of Fairport Harbor in 52 to 65’ of water, and N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 50 to 65’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Don’t forget to try several turns up from the bottom as some fish may be suspended. Fish have ranged from 8 to 13 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 15 to 35’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs and drop-shot goby imitations.

Steelhead are being caught 7 to 10 miles offshore from Cleveland, Eastlake, Fairport, Geneva and Ashtabula in 62 to 73 feet of water. Anglers are catching steelhead on blue or green with silver spoons while trolling using downriggers, dipsy divers, or jet divers off planer boards.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 74 off of Toledo and Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been good on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, NW of the Chagrin River in 60 to 65’ of water, NW of Edgewater State Park in 58 to 64’ of water, N-NW of Fairport Harbor in 60 to 70’ of water, NW and NE of Ashtabula in 68 to 72’ of water. Trollers are using crankbaits or spoons and worm harnesses off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. The best action has been about 20 feet down and the best colors have been chartreuse, silver, orange, green and pink, and monkey puke.

Yellow perch fishing slowed down in the Cleveland area this past week. The best spots to try are NW of Edgewater Park in 42 to 48 feet of water and NW of Gordon Park in 45 to 50 feet of water. To the east, fishing remains good NW of Fairport Harbor in 40 to 50’ of water, and N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 50 to 60’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 5 to 20’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs.

Steelhead fishing is picking up and fish are being caught off Fairport, Geneva and Ashtabula. Anglers are catching steelhead on spoons while trolling for walleye.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 72 off of Toledo and Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been very good N of Cranberry Creek marina in 32’ of water, on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, NW of the Chagrin River in 56 to 62’ of water, NW of Wildwood State Park in 60 to 62’ of water, N of Fairport Harbor in 60 to 72’ of water, NW of Geneva in 60 to 72’ of water, and NW of Ashtabula in 60 to 72’ of water. Trollers are using crankbaits or spoons and worm harnesses off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. The best action has been 20’ down and the best spoon colors have been chartreuse, silver, orange, green and pink.

Yellow perch fishing has been good NW of Edgewater State Park in 43 to 47’ of water, NW of Chagrin River in 38 to 44’ of water, NW of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 55’ of water, and N of Ashtabula in 50 to 60’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 5 to 20’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs.

Steelhead fishing is picking up and fish are being caught off Chagrin River, Fairport, Geneva and Ashtabula. Anglers are catching steelhead on spoons while trolling for walleye.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 70 off of Toledo and 69 off of Cleveland.

The fish continue to move offshore further and further and drop deeper and deeper down in the water column. Aboard "The Trophy" we have made all of the necessary adjustments and continue to bring consistent catches of beautiful Walleyes back to the bragging board everyday. A few more Steelhead are also appearing in our daily catches as well as we continue to get further offshore with the Walleyes moving out. With this, my daily fuel bill is also starting to get very ugly. Thanks to everyone that is kicking in the extra tip bucks to make sure that fuel is never a determining point for where I am going to fish. I want to take everyone to the very best possible spots no matter how far out this may be. All of you have been very generous and I will continue to take everyone to the best spots that I am aware of, no matter how far out it is.

One thing now needs to be addressed. The game wardens as of July 1st are strictly watching and enforcing the 6 Walleye possession rule. This is nothing new. You are not allowed and never have been allowed to have on your possession more then 6 Walleyes a person as you leave the marina. We have been warned and the fish cleaners now have to keep strict records as well. What that means is you are not allowed to have any extra fish that we may catch as we clear lines or whatever just because I am on board. I have been guilty before of letting a few of you keep a few extra fish on my account if they were coming exceptionally fast. This was never legal and they are now watching us closely. Please do not ask me to break any laws. You are allowed 6 Walleyes each and no more. They are going to make an example of someone and they have the power to pull over cars as they leave the marina and count either fish or fillets. Mark my words, this is going to happen.

We still need to leave early in the morning each day. If you have a upcoming trip, you need to be at the marina at 5:00 a.m. especially now that we have more travel time involved in getting to the schools of fish. Also, the drawbridge is still closed for repairs so make sure you come in by way of Rt.11 like my directions direct you to. Finally, as we start the down ward slide of the 2008 fishing season I want to remind everyone that the fall Perch season will be here before you know it. Some are already Perching because you don't have to burn anywhere near as much gas and they are doing incredibly well considering it is still mid summer. It will only get better this fall. We are already booking Perch dates and you can really never book to early. Remember that the best date always go first so don't wait ! Book your fall Perch trips now !

Walleye fishing has been good S of the Huron dumping grounds in 32’ of water, N of the Vermilion breakwall, N of Beaver Creek, NW of the Chagrin River in 60 to 65’ of water, NW of Gordon Park in 56 to 63’ of water, NW of Fairport Harbor in 65 to 74’ of water, NW of Geneva in 60 to 70’ of water, and N of Ashtabula in 60 to 70’ of water. Trollers are using crankbaits or spoons and worm harnesses off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. The best action has been 20’ down and the best spoon colors have been gold, orange, green and pink.

Yellow perch fishing west of Cleveland has been best N of the Vermilion breakwall and off of the Lorain lighthouse. Fishing has been good NW of Gordon Park in 50’ of water, NW of Fairport Harbor in 50 to 55’ of water, N of Geneva in 60 to 70’ of water and N of Conneaut in 55 to 65’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in 5 to 20’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs.

Steelhead fishing is picking up and fish are being caught off Chagrin River, Fairport, Geneva and Ashtabula. Anglers are catching steelhead on spoons while trolling for walleye.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 70 off of Toledo and 68 off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been good N of Cedar Point, N of Vermilion to Lorain in 35 to 45’ of water, NW of the Chagrin River in 40 to 48’ of water, NW of Edgewater State Park in 42 to 54’ of water, W of Fairport Harbor in 35 to 45’ of water, NE of Geneva in 60 to 70’ of water, and NW of Ashtabula in 60 to 70’ of water. Trollers are using crankbaits or spoons and worm harnesses off jet divers, dipsy divers, planer boards and downriggers. The best action has been 20’ down and the best spoon colors have been gold or silver with green and pink.

Yellow perch fishing west of Cleveland has been best off of the condos east of Vermilion and off of the Lorain lighthouse. Fishing has been good NW of Wildwood State Park in 40 to 45’ of water, NW of Gordon Park in 30 to 40’ of water, NW of Fairport Harbor in 40 to 55’ of water, and N of Ashtabula in 40 to 50’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7.5 to 12.5 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 5 to 20’ of water around Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut harbors. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 68 off of Toledo and 67 off of Cleveland.

The last few days we've been out as far as 10 miles. Even though we will be out even further in the coming months, the pain at the pump is already setting in big time. By the time we run out 10 miles or so, troll all day and run back 10 miles, the daily fuel expense is very trouble some. I still wonder how we will be able to afford to run out the 20 miles or so that we normally do in July and August before we ever even wet a line. We have not adjusted our rates in the last several years to compensate for what is happing at the marine gas docks. I certainly would have this season if I would have known how the prices were going to soar this summer. I am still very dependent on everyone's understanding and generous tips to try and off set this terrible situation. So far everyone has been taking good care of me at the end of the day. I can't thank you enough .

The Walleyes are still only hitting very well in the early morning. The first few hours of daylight has been awesome and then it dies off dramatically. Maybe after the fish drop down to the 50 - 60 foot range they will cooperate a bit better all day but until then, we absolutely have to be off the dock by 5:00 a.m. Especially now since we have even more travel time involved before we even start to set lines. The choice is yours. Show up late and go for a boat ride or show up at day break as I strongly suggest and get in on the blazing hot action that happens just as the sun is coming up. It's my favorite time of day. You have not lived until you've seen a lake Erie sun rise over the water with Walleyes hanging all over the place in total chaotic bliss !

I am reminding everyone that the draw bridge is closed for the summer for vehicular traffic and you must come in by way of route 11 as all my directions clearly spell out. The river dredging project which has been ongoing for the past 3 years is now completed. The last few weeks have been a real pain but now we can now enjoy the deep water that the project has left behind. Most of you will remember how shallow it was behind my boat. We now have 20 foot of water under us and it is right up to the wall. Amazing ! I have seen a lot of changes in the past 22 years of full time chartering out of Ashtabula harbor. This is probably the greatest change I've ever witnessed. Well, let's hope for calm seas and great fishing the rest of the summer. I just love it when I get to say everyday, "just another day on The Trophy!"

Walleye fishing has been excellent on the dumping grounds N of Huron, N of Beaver Creek in 35 to 45’ of water, NW of the Chagrin River in 20 to 30’ of water, NE of Wildwood State Park in 20 to 30’ of water, 4 to 5 miles W of Geneva in 50 to 65’ of water, and 2 to 4 miles W of Fairport Harbor in 20 to 30’ of water. Trollers are using crankbaits or spoons and worm harnesses off jet divers, dipsy divers and downriggers. The best action has been 20’ down and the best spoon colors have been gold or silver with green and pink.

Yellow perch fishing west of Cleveland has been best off of the condos east of Vermilion, in 43’ of water north of Beaver Creek, and off of the Lorain lighthouse. Fishing has been excellent NE of the Chagrin River in 30 to 35’ of water, NE of Edgewater in 30 to 35’ of water, N of Fairport Harbor in 35 to 50’ of water, N of Conneaut in 35 to 50’ of water, and N of Geneva and Ashtabula in 45 to 55’ of water. Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 7.5 to 12.5 inches.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 5 to 20’ of water around Ashtabula and Fairport Harbor. Fish are being caught on watermelon, pumpkinseed and green tube jigs.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 70 off of Toledo and 63 off of Cleveland.

Walleye have been caught trolling nearshore from Huron to Lorain in 32 to 45’ of water with Beaver Creek producing some of the largest fish, off Eastlake in 35 to 40’, off Cleveland in 40 to 55’, off Geneva 40 to 55’, and off Ashtabula in 35 to 50’. Trollers are using stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards, jet divers and also flatline trolling.

Yellow perch fishing west of Cleveland has been best off of the condos east of Vermilion, in 43’ of water north of Beaver Creek, and off of the Lorain lighthouse. Fishing has been very good off Wildwood State Park and Eastlake in 30 to 35 feet of water, off Fairport in 35 to 45’, and off Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut in 35 to 50’. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 8 to 12 inches. Shore anglers are catching fish off the long pier in Grand River and also the short pier in Fairport Harbor.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 15 to 25 feet of water around harbor areas in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 67 off of Toledo and 60 off of Cleveland.

One thing remains the same right now everyday. It is an extreme early morning bite. So far we have been putting the bulk of our fish in the box in the first few hours of daylight. The fish are in very shallow water lots of the mornings and are very high to the surface. I remind and urge all my groups to be at the dock by 5:00 a.m. and certainly no later then 5:30 if you want to catch lots of fish. Its really that simple.

I also want to remind everybody that the lift bridge in the harbor is closed for the entire season for repairs and you must come in by way of Rt. 11 just like my directions direct and not a short cut through town for those staying at some of the local motels. River Marine where I dock is also under new management so I hope everybody understands it's going to take a little while as the new people learn the ropes with licenses etc. Lots of changes everywhere this season.

Walleye have been caught trolling nearshore from Huron to Lorain in 32 to 42’ of water, and in 40 to 50 feet of water off Eastlake to Cleveland, and in 35 to 50 feet of water off Fairport, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Trollers are using stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards, jet divers and also flatline trolling. Fishing is picking up on the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland. The best times for shore fishing are in the early morning and evening with anglers using surface rapalas.

Yellow perch fishing west of Cleveland has been best off of the condos east of Vermilion and off of the Lorain lighthouse. Fishing has been very good off Gordon and Edgewater Parks in Cleveland in 30 to 40 feet of water, and off all the major ports from Fairport to Conneaut in 35 to 45 feet of water. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 8 to 12 inches. Shore anglers are catching fish off the long pier in Grand River and also the short pier in Fairport Harbor.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 15 to 25 feet of water around harbor areas in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 62 off of Toledo and 59 off of Cleveland.

The Walleye fishing is not starting out crazy fast like it did the past two Junes here when I first came back but it's not bad either. As in past years, the early Walleyes that we're catching right now are very close to shore and are very high in the water column. We had several good days this past week along the shore lines both east and west of Ashtabula Harbor in water as shallow as 30 ft. The problem we are still having is lots of wind. It is very difficult to work the pods of fish when we run across them when fighting a heavy chop. If we ever get the chance to circle around in tighter loops when we run across these pockets, I think catch rates will soar.

There is a incredible amount of work being performed in the harbor area right now. The final leg of the Ashtabula River dredging project is being finished. Some of you will remember how shallow it was when I backed my boat into my dock at River Marine. Well those days are over. We now have 20 ft. of water under us ! Also the famous draw bridge right next to River Marine is getting a complete make over. Presently it is being sand blasted and will be completely re-painted over the whole summer. All this means that the drawbridge is stuck open and is closed to vehicular traffic for the entire year. Please note that you MUST come in by way of Rt. 11 exactly how my directions tell you to. If you come in the back way like some of you do when staying in town, you will run into a big detour and you will be very late. PLEASE NOTE THIS !

Walleye have been caught trolling nearshore from Huron to Lorain in 28 to 36’ of water, and in 35-45’ off Eastlake to Cleveland. Trollers are using stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and also flatline trolling. Fishing is picking up on the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland. The best times for shore fishing are in the early morning and evening with anglers using surface rapalas.

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the condos east of Vermilion, off of the Lorain lighthouse, in 40-50’ off Fairport to Conneaut, and 35-40’ off Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Fish have ranged from 8 to 12 inches. Shore anglers are catching fish off the long pier in Grand River and also the short pier in Fairport Harbor.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 15 to 25’ around harbor areas in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 58 off of Toledo and 56 off of Cleveland.

Walleye have been caught trolling nearshore in 15-25’ off Eastlake, Cleveland and Rocky River. Trollers are using stick baits, spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and also flatline trolling. Fishing is picking up on the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland. The best times are in the evening and early morning with anglers using surface rapalas.

Yellow perch fishing has been best in 30-40’ off Fairport to Conneaut, and 30-40’ off Cleveland. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 15 to 25’ around harbor areas in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish are being caught on jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

We had a wonderfully successful season in 07 both business wise and in fishing success. I am very thankful for all of the good things that we experienced aboard "The Trophy" this past season and I am looking forward to doing it all over again.

Thanks to everyone that chose our charter this past year over the hundreds of those available to choose from on Lake Erie. I hope I have the opportunity to serve your needs again this coming fishing season out there on "The Walleye Capitol of The World", beautiful Lake Erie !

We'll have some new stuff up shortly on our website, www.trophycharters.com so keep your eyes out and remember that right now is the time to book all your trips for this coming spring and summer. It will be here before you know it !

Capt. Walt

The Lake Erie surface temperature is 40 degrees off of Toledo and 46 degrees off of Cleveland.

When conditions have allowed the best walleye fishing has been from Cedar Point to Vermilion. The best technique to catch fall trophies is trolling crankbaits around open water baitfish during the day or along rocky shorelines at night. Shore anglers can also catch walleye from piers after dark as walleye move inshore to feed on shiners and gizzard shad.

Steelhead fishing has been very good and are being caught off the Fairport, Ashtabula and Conneaut breakwalls in 10 to 25 feet and also in the Ashtabula and Grand Rivers, and the mouth of Conneaut Creek. Anglers are catching steelhead trolling green/white, red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good off of the Vermilion breakwall in 35 to 38’ of water, off of the Lorain lighthouse, northwest of Gordon State Park (Cleveland) in 42 feet, north of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) in 40 feet, north-northwest of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 60 feet, and north of Conneaut in 35 to 40 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Shore fisherman are catching yellow perch at the Lorain ore dock pier using perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows or nightcrawlers.

Steelhead fishing has been very good at the mouths of the rivers and major streams. Water levels remain low in the main channels on the rivers and streams. Anglers are catching fish at the Lorain Ore dock, East 72nd St Pier in Cleveland, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Geneva State Park, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

Wind conditions limited opportunities on the sandbar between Lorain and Vermilion where fishing had been good. With the strong south winds some fish were caught nearshore from Vermilion to Huron. Anglers trolling crankbaits or divers with harnesses and spoons had the best success.

Steelhead fishing has been very good and are being caught off the Fairport, Ashtabula and Conneaut breakwalls in 10 to 25 feet and also in the Ashtabula and Grand Rivers. Anglers are catching steelhead trolling green/white, red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good off of the Vermilion breakwall in 35 to 38’ of water, off of the Lorain lighthouse, northwest of Gordon State Park (Cleveland) in 42 feet, north of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) in 40 feet, north-northwest of Fairport Harbor in 40 to 52 feet, and north of Conneaut in 53 to 58 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Shore fisherman are catching yellow perch at the Lorain ore dock pier using perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

Steelhead fishing has been very good at the mouths of the rivers and major streams and anglers are catching fish at the Lorain Ore dock, East 72nd St Pier in Cleveland, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Geneva State Park, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

Walleye fishing has been spotty on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) in 69 to 72 feet and northeast of Ashtabula in 68 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with spoons and worm harnesses ranging in copper, black/purple, tangerine, watermelon, wonderbread, antifreeze and gold/orange.

Steelhead fishing has been good and is being caught off the Fairport and Ashtabula, Conneaut breakwalls in 10 to 25 feet and also in the Ashtabula and Grand Rivers. Anglers are catching steelhead trolling green/white, red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good off of the Vermilion breakwall in 36’ of water, off of the Lorain lighthouse, north of Gordon State Park (Cleveland) in 42 to 50 feet, north of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) 40 to 51 feet, north-northwest of Fairport Harbor in 30 to 58 feet, and north of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 55 to 60 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Shore fisherman are catching yellow perch at the Lorain ore dock pier using perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye, also inshore near the mouth of the Chagrin River and adjacent to the Eastlake Power Plant.

Steelhead fishing has been good as fish begin to move up into the rivers and creeks and anglers are catching fish in the Lorain Ore dock, Chagrin River, Grand River, Geneva State Park, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Arcola Creek, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

The Lake Erie surface temperature is 58 degrees off of Toledo and 64 degrees off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been spotty on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north of Geneva 72 feet, and north-northeast of Conneaut in 70 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with spoons, stick baits and worm harnesses ranging in copper, black/purple, tangerine, watermelon, wonderbread, antifreeze and gold/orange.

A few steelhead are being caught by walleye anglers trolling off Geneva and Conneaut in 70 to 72 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good off of the condos east of Vermilion, off of the Lorain lighthouse, north-northeast of Gordon Park (Cleveland) in 52 to 54 feet, north-northwest of Euclid in 52 to 56 feet, north-northwest of Fairport Harbor in 48 to 62 feet, and north of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 55 to 70 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good near Ruggles Reef in the Huron area, in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye, also inshore near the mouth of the Chagrin River and adjacent to the Eastlake Power Plant.

Steelhead fishing has been good as fish begin to move up into the rivers and creeks and anglers are catching fish in the Chagrin River, Grand River, Geneva State Park, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Arcola Creek, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

We have had very nice weather for the most part this fall to work with as well. Just like this entire season, long stretches of bad weather have been non existent. Sure, we have had the occasional one day blow here and there but not enough to screw anything up. The lake hasn't even turned over yet, which usually happens in mid September. This is a phenomenon where after a big blow the warm water on the surface mixes with the cold water below the thermocline. It usually screws the fishing up for a few days.

And with this stable weather and the lake not flipping, even the Walleyes are still hanging around ! Although I have only been running Perch trips myself, I have seen very many nice cooler fulls of Walleye still coming in. The word among the Walleye fisherman is that they are super, super deep now. We're talking right on the bottom in 65 to 70 foot of water. Although I would be interested in running a Walleye trip should someone request it, I am perfectly content chasing Perch now that I have started doing so, especially after running Walleye trips day after day for 6 months now !

My October schedule is very light at this point. If anybody is interested in a fun filled day of catching Lake Erie gold, I would be more then happy to welcome you aboard "The Trophy" for a late season day on the water. Remember, old man winter is just around the corner now and the opportunity to do a trip still this year is fast slipping away ! As always, I can be reached directly on my cell phone (216) 387-2656 for a list of what is still available or to secure a day. I have to go now..., I'm going to go back now and have a Perch sandwich. Mmmmmm Mmmmmmmm !!!

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been spotty on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, northwest and northeast of Ashtabula in 63 to 72 feet, and northwest and northeast of Fairport in 65 to 72 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with spoons, stick baits and worm harnesses ranging in copper, black/purple, tangerine, watermelon, wonder bread, antifreeze and gold/orange.

A few steelhead are being caught off Fairport and Ashtabula in 63 to 72 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good west of the Sandbar, off Lorain in 45 feet of water, north-northeast of Euclid in 55 to 62 feet, northwest and northeast of Chagrin River in 55 to 61 feet, northwest of Fairport Harbor in 47 to 57 feet, and north of Conneaut in 57 to 70 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or crappie rigs fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good near Ruggles Reef in the Huron area, in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye, also inshore near the mouth of the Chagrin River and adjacent to the Eastlake Power Plant.

Walleye fishing has been very good on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north-northwest of Gordon Park and Edgewater in 60 to 71 feet, north-northeast of Ashtabula in 60 to 72 feet, and north of Conneaut in 58 to 65 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers, down riggers and wire line with spoons and stick baits ranging in copper, black/purple, tangerine, watermelon, wonder bread, antifreeze and gold/orange.

Steelhead are being caught from Geneva to Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good just off of the Vermilion breakwall, north-northeast of Gordon Park in 56 feet, north-northwest of Euclid in 54 to 55 feet, northwest of Fairport Harbor in 46 to 55 feet, and north of Conneaut in 61 to 65 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye, also inshore near the mouth of the Chagrin River and adjacent to the Eastlake Power Plant.

This past week we ran our first few Perch trips along with what seemingly may have been my last couple of Walleye trips for the year. At least on the books, I only have Perch trips scheduled from here on out although the Walleye fishing was still so good that I may try to squeeze another Walleye trip or two in the next week or so if anyone would be interested in trying it one more time.

Thursday Sept.13th was the last Walleye trip that I took out. We headed out with not much certainty as to what to expect after loosing Tue.and Wed.to gale force winds and forecasted waves to 14 feet ! And absolutely nothing changed. We killed the Walleyes pretty much where we had left off about 15 miles offshore. It was fast and furious. Nice fish too. The junk fish such as the White Bass and Sheephead weren't bad either. A nice way to end the Walleye season if indeed that turns out to be my last one.

We have a lot of open dates now as we enter the fall season. Perch fishing is already great and will only get better as the water cools and the true Jumbo Perch start to move in and turn on. Walleye was still good this past week but we are dangerously close to that time of year around here where the Walleye fishing seems to go from really good to crap almost overnight. Still though, anyone interested in whatever trip can call me as always directly on my cell 216-387-2656.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been very good on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north-northwest of Gordon Park in 63 to 71 feet, northeast of Geneva in 70 to 72 feet, and northeast of Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers, down riggers and wire line with spoons and stick baits ranging in copper, black/purple, gold, boy/girl, superman, wonder bread, antifreeze and chartreuse.

Steelhead are being caught from Geneva to Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been very good in 35’ of water off of the condos east of Vermilion, 5 miles north-northeast of Gordon Park in 56 feet, 4 to 6 miles north-northwest of Euclid in 54 to 55 feet, 3 to 6 miles northwest of Fairport Harbor in 48 to 58 feet, and 4 to 6 miles north-northeast of Conneaut in 53 to 65 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye.

Walleye fishing has been very good on the south end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north-northwest of Euclid in 68 to 76 feet, north-northwest of Chagrin River in 70 to 75 feet, northeast of Geneva in 69 to 74 feet, and north-northeast of Ashtabula in 72 to 75 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers, down riggers and wire line with spoons and stick baits ranging in copper, black/purple, gold, boy/girl, superman, wonder bread, antifreeze and chartreuse.

Steelhead are being caught from Geneva to Ashtabula in 69 to 75 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 35’ of water off of the condos east of Vermilion, 5 to 7 miles north-northwest of Edgewater State Park in 60 feet, 5 to 8 miles north-northeast of Euclid in 47 to 61 feet, 4 to 6 miles north-northwest of Fairport Harbor in 48 to 58 feet, and 4 to 6 miles north-northeast of Conneaut in 48 to 64 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 20 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye.

The last week or so has seen some sanity return to our fishing as a lot of the fish have dramatically moved back north towards the Canadian border making it a lot tougher to get on and stay on the fish, especially if it is rough out. We've also been plagued with nuisance Sheephead and White Bass in incredible amounts on some days. Still, in between whatever the lake throws at us we've been consistently pulling limit after limit of beautiful Walleyes and the occasional Steelhead Trout. I can not remember the last time that we did not "get them all" !

We sure had our share of thunderstorms that we had to navigate around the last couple of weeks of August. I was so thankful that I had all of the Raymarine electronics that I have on board to help me make educated decisions as to whether it was safe to cast off or not or if we were already out, whether to keep fishing or not. It sure impressed a lot of my customers as we tracked heavy bands of thunderstorms almost daily with the state of the art Sirius weather service displayed on my Raymarine E-120. We also would track the closer squalls on the regular Raymarine boat radar. Never a dull moment out on the big lake, especially when you are out 20+ miles offshore.

As I mentioned earlier, Perch season is now just around the corner. Others have already started to Perch and are doing EXCELLENT ! Anyone interested in a Perch trip with me aboard "The Trophy" can call me directly on my boat/cell number: (216) 387-2656. As of this report, we have the following open dates available in September: Sept. 19th or 20th for either a Walleye or Perch trip. Then the last week of Sept. we have Sept. 25th and 27th available for preferably a Perch trip. October still has a lot of open dates left. For a complete up to the minute list of what is available please call me at the above mentioned number or drop me a e-mail at trophy@trophycharters.com

Capt. Walt

The last week or so has seen some sanity return to our fishing as a lot of the fish have dramatically moved back north towards the Canadian border making it a lot tougher to get on and stay on the fish, especially if it is rough out. We've also been plagued with nuisance Sheephead and White Bass in incredible amounts on some days. Still, in between whatever the lake throws at us we've been consistently pulling limit after limit of beautiful Walleyes and the occasional Steelhead Trout. I can not remember the last time that we did not "get them all" !

We sure had our share of thunderstorms that we had to navigate around the last couple of weeks of August. I was so thankful that I had all of the Raymarine electronics that I have on board to help me make educated decisions as to whether it was safe to cast off or not or if we were already out, whether to keep fishing or not. It sure impressed a lot of my customers as we tracked heavy bands of thunderstorms almost daily with the state of the art Sirius weather service displayed on my Raymarine E-120. We also would track the closer squalls on the regular Raymarine boat radar. Never a dull moment out on the big lake, especially when you are out 20+ miles offshore.

As I mentioned earlier, Perch season is now just around the corner. Others have already started to Perch and are doing EXCELLENT ! Anyone interested in a Perch trip with me aboard "The Trophy" can call me directly on my boat/cell number: (216) 387-2656. As of this report, we have the following open dates available in September: Sept. 19th or 20th for either a Walleye or Perch trip. Then the last week of Sept. we have Sept. 25th and 27th available for preferably a Perch trip. October still has a lot of open dates left. For a complete up to the minute list of what is available please call me at the above mentioned number or drop me a e-mail at trophy@trophycharters.com

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been very good on the south end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north-northeast of Cleveland in 63 to 77 feet, north-northeast of Ashtabula in 70 to 76 feet and north-northeast of Geneva in 64 to 74 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers, down riggers and wire line with spoons and stick baits ranging in black/purple, gold, boy/girl, superman, wonder bread, antifreeze and chartreuse. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught from Geneva to Ashtabula in 70 to 74 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 35’ of water off of the condos east of Vermilion, 3 to 5 miles northeast and northwest of Eastlake in 55 to 65 feet, 3 to 5 miles north-northwest of Fairport Harbor in 48 to 60 feet, and 5 to 6 miles north-northeast of Conneaut in 58 to 62 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 20 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Lorain Ore Dock, Eastlake CEI pier, Fairport Harbor pier, and Conneaut breakwall; early mornings and evenings have been the best. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs or small spinners.

Walleye fishing has been very good on the south end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, northeast of Ashtabula in 65 to 72 feet, and north-northwest of Conneaut in 63 to 72 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers and down riggers with spoons and stick baits ranging in black/purple, gold, silver/silver, superman, wonder bread, antifreeze and chartreuse. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught from Geneva to Conneaut in 65 to 72 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been good 3 miles north of Edgewater State Park in 43 to 51 feet, 3 miles north of Eastlake in 47 feet, 3-5 miles northwest of Fairport Harbor in 48 to 55 feet, and 5-6 miles north-northeast of Conneaut in 48 to 65 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 20 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Lorain Ore Dock, Eastlake CEI pier, Fairport Harbor pier, and Conneaut breakwall; early mornings and evenings have been the best. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs or small spinners.

The Lake Erie surface temperature is 70 degrees off of Toledo and 73 degrees off of Cleveland.

Aboard "The Trophy" we've been going just about as fast and non stop as we can go from the moment we first start to set lines till the last Walleye is netted. I just simply can not even catch my breath. There is always half a dozen or so things that need my immediate attention constantly. And even though I get all my crews heavily involved in running and setting the lines, it really has been overwhelming. There is almost always constantly 2, 3, 4 and sometimes even more fish on at the same time. It's a fine act of juggling people around, netting fish and still be running lines back out so that you are not caught with no lines in the water. I am very happy with how well all my crews have handled all the mass organized chaos. We truly have worked well together.

We are still catching some monster Walleyes but the bulk of the fish are just the nice average sized eaters, maybe 18 to 22 inches. It just doesn't get any better for table fare. And the occasional Steelhead Trout is still showing up almost on a daily basis just to add a twist of excitement to the almost out of control fun. The junk fish such as the Sheephead are also starting to become a bit of a problem. Still though, we deal with it and move on. Most trips we have been back before noon. It has been very nice to be wrapped up and done before the extreme August afternoon heat kicks in. This has been a special year. It will not always be like this so we have to enjoy it while we can. It could all change in a matter of days.

And it don't even seem possible but it's already time to start thinking about and booking your Jumbo Perch trips for late next month and all of October. As good as the Walleye fishing is right now off of Ashtabula, we only have about a month to go before switching over for the last part of our season. And even in past record good years, when it's over around here, it's over. As fast as these fish show up in record numbers, they also disappear. I do not like to book Walleye trips any later then I am confident that we can do well. This usually occurs in late Sept. We just switch over to Perch for about 6 weeks and then call it a year. Anyone interested in a Perch Charter can call me at 216-387-2656. Maybe I'll be able to finally catch my breath ! Naw !!

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been very good on the Huron dumping grounds, on the south end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, north of Edgewater State Park in 68 to 72 feet, north of Chagrin River in 68 to 72 feet, north northwest of Geneva in 68 to 72 feet, and north-northeast of Ashtabula in 67 to 75 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers or jet divers off planers with spoons and stick baits ranging in black/purple, gold, blue/silver, wonderbread, antifreeze and chartreuse with copper backs. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught off Lorain, Vermilion, and Cleveland in 68 to 72 feet, and Geneva to Ashtabula in 67 to 75 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been good in 39’ of water off of the Vermilion breakwall, 4-6 mi north of Cleveland in 40 to 60 feet, north of Eastlake in 50 to 55 feet, 4-6 mi northwest of Fairport Harbor in 48 to 55 feet, and 4-6 mi north-northeast of Conneaut in 48 to 56 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 20 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Lorain Ore Dock, Eastlake CEI pier, Fairport Harbor pier, and Conneaut breakwall; early mornings and evenings have been the best. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs or small spinners.

Walleye fishing has been very good on the south end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, northwest of Gordon Park (E 72nd St. in Cleveland) in 60 to 72 feet, 10 mi north of Chagrin River in 68 to 72 feet, west northwest of Fairport in 60 to 72 feet, and north-northeast of Ashtabula in 68 to 72 feet. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers or jet divers off planers with spoons and stick baits ranging in black/purple, gold, wonderbread, antifreeze and chartreuse with copper backs. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught off Lorain, Vermilion, and Cleveland in 68 to 70 feet, and Geneva to Ashtabula in 70 to 73 feet. Anglers are catching steelhead on red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, and silver/blue spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been good 3-5 mi north of Cleveland in 30 to 55 feet, north of Eastlake in 50 to 55 feet, 4-6 mi northwest of Fairport Harbor in 50 to 56 feet, and north-northeast of Conneaut in 48 to 65 feet. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 20 to 25 feet along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on goby- colored tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Lorain Ore Dock, Eastlake CEI pier, Fairport Harbor pier, and Conneaut breakwall; early mornings and evenings have been the best. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs or small spinners.

There is no one spot now that we are relying on as more and more schools of hungry feeding Walleyes are setting up shop in the deeper, cooler waters offshore of Ashtabula for this hot part of summer. Water temp's are now around 75 degrees yet the Walleyes that we are pulling in from 50 to 60 foot level below the surface are nice and cold. Tons of baitfish are showing up now, especially the Smelt and the Walleyes are in a literal feeding frenzy with their metabolism in high gear!

Aboard "The Trophy" we are relying heavily on the old Storm deep diving Jr. Thunderstick. This lure is identical in size and shape to the Lake Erie Smelt. When you hold each in hand, it's easy to see why the Walleyes are so easily fooled. Best colors for us as always seem to me the metallic colors with gold's and silvers seemingly the very best. Copper spoons on the riggers and divers are also doing very well. Everything is now set super deep for these hungry Walleyes and that means a lot of cranking but as I tell all my groups, "more winding and less whining

It is especially vital with this heat to get off the dock bright and early and that means you need to be loaded up and ready to roll no later then 5:30 a.m.if you have a trip booked with us. The fish are a good ways offshore now so there is a considerable amount of travel time. We want to arrive at the fishing grounds just as dawn is breaking so that we can cash in on the early morning heavy bite and try to be off the lake before the heat of the afternoon becomes unbearable. So far, almost all of my groups have been very good about showing up very early all bright eyed and ready to go fishing. That gets us out and fishing when the walleyes are biting like crazy and others are still waiting for their charters to show up! Thanks for helping me look good !!

Capt. Walt

The past couple of weeks we've been bouncing around from one hot spot to another, trying to keep our guests on top of the very best Walleye action that I become aware of. We have been offshore as far as 20 miles and for a few trips we've been working back in some very shallow water after a nice school was discovered in about 40 foot of water. What those fish are doing in such shallow water in the middle of the summer is beyond me but I liked it while it lasted. That particular bite appears to be slowing down although there are still fish in there if you are willing to weed thru all the junk fish.

We took many limits of Walleyes from both the near shore and far off shore waters of Ashtabula Harbor in the past couple of weeks. Steelhead trout are still showing up almost on a daily basis when we work our way further out in the lake but not in the crazy numbers that we were catching back in June. We even boated a very nice Brown Trout recently! The size on the Walleyes has been a pleasant mix of year classes although the "03"s have still been dominant. Even as such, these are nice sized perfect eaters. We even have been seeing numerous throw back under size Walleyes while working the shallower waters a few days. A wonderful sign!

I believe that fishing in the next few weeks weather permitting is going to be an offshore event. I really liked what I saw on the fish finder out there this past week. This may be the mother load that we've all been waiting to set up. Too bad with gas prices as they are that these fish choose to be out there that far. Aboard The Trophy we easily burn 60-70 gallons a day plus depending on lake conditions and other factors when making these runs. At $3.50 plus a gallon that sure cuts into the bottom line! And fuel is only one of the many expenses that the charters incur maintaing their operations. Hopefully everybody that charters any boat appreciates their captains efforts and realizes that we're definitely not getting rich playing this game.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Huron to Vermilion in 19 to 22’ of water (including Ruggles Reef), on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, and at Avon point. Fishing has also been excellent north of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) in 45 to 52’, north of Chagrin River in 68 to 72’, northwest of Fairport in 60 to 75’, north of Geneva in 68 to 70’, and northeast of Ashtabula in 35 to 45’. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with spoons ranging in fire tiger, monkey puke, copper back, chartreuse, blueberry muffin, or watermelon color combos. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught off Lorain, Vermilion, Cleveland in 62 to 65’, Eastlake to Fairport in 68 to 72’, and Geneva to Ashtabula in 60 to 70’. Anglers are catching steelhead on gold, red/white, chartreuse and copper back spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been best in 34’ north of Cranberry Creek, north of Cuyahoga River in 44’, north of Chagrin River in 32’, northeast of Fairport Harbor in 45 to 55’, and north of Conneaut in 50’. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport, Mentor Headlands and Conneaut. The mornings and evenings have been the best. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 10 to 25’ along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are catching fish at the Lorain Ore Dock, Avon Lake pier, Eastlake CEI pier and Fairport Harbor piers. The mornings and evenings have been the best. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs along with small spinners.

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Huron to Vermilion in 19 to 22’ of water (including Ruggles Reef), on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, and at Avon point. Trolling dipsys or jet divers with spoons or worm harnesses has been productive. Fishing has also been excellent off Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) in 45 to 70’, north-northwest of Euclid in 50 to 65’, northwest of Fairport in 40 to 60’, and northwest of Ashtabula in 55 to 70’. Anglers are trolling dipsy divers with spoons ranging in blue/green, black/purple, copper back, chartreuse, blueberry muffin, or watermelon color combos. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) and long crankbaits have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught off Lorain, Vermilion, Eastlake to Fairport in 62 to 70’, and Geneva to Ashtabula in 60 to 70’. Anglers are catching steelhead on gold, red/white, chartreuse and copper back spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been best in 34’ north of Cranberry Creek, off of the Vermilion condos, off Gordon Park State Park (in Cleveland) in 40 to 50’, off Euclid in 30 to 40’, off Fairport Harbor in 25 to 35’, and off Conneaut in 30 to 45’. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport, Mentor Headlands and Conneaut. The mornings and evenings have been the best. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 10 to 25’ along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are having good success at the Lorain Ore Dock, Avon Lake pier, Eastlake CEI pier and Fairport Harbor piers. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs along with small spinners.

Surface temperatures range from 74 degrees off of Toledo to 71 degrees off of Cleveland.

Our best water depths the past few days have been in the 60 to 70 foot range. The Walleyes that we have been catching aboard "The Trophy" are coming from around the 40 to 45 foot mark below the surface, or right before the thermocline. We have now switched to our usual summer trolling program and we are pulling deep diving crankbaits on the wire fishing line. This has always worked well for us. Most all of my regular July and August groups know this for a fact.

Wow, what a wonderful summer weather wise we are having! I can not remember being this comfortable everyday out on the big pond doing my job. Most mornings have been starting out on the cool side and then have warmed up nicely but not to the point you can't stand it like some of the other summers we've had around here. The waves (knock on wood!) have not been terribly bad either the last couple of weeks. I hope things stay just the way they are the rest of the summer (wishful thinking!).

As I mentioned in my last report, it has been an extreme early morning bite. The fish have been on fire the first couple of hours of daylight and then the action drops off dramatically. I've been urging everyone that has a trip booked with us to be at the dock and ready to roll no later then 5:30 a.m. I get to the boat at 5:00 a.m. everyday and it only takes me a few minutes to load up my ice and warm the engines and we're off. Plus with the heat of the afternoon it's nice for everyone to have a bit of a earlier quit rather then drag lures around when it's not happening any longer and the sun is way high. So, again please be early so we can take advantage of the early morning feeding frenzy.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Cedar Point to Sawmill Creek, off of Cranberry Creek, off of the Vermilion condos east of the river, on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, and at Avon point. Trolling dipsys or jet divers with spoons or worm harnesses has been productive. Fishing has also been excellent off Euclid and west and east of Eastlake in 40 to 60 feet of water, north-northwest of Fairport in 45 to 60 feet of water, and northwest of Geneva in 45 to 60 feet of water. Anglers are trolling jet divers or dipsy divers with spoons ranging in purple/black, copper back, chartreuse, blueberry muffin, or watermelon color combos. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) and long crankbaits have also been successful.

Steelhead are being caught off Lorain, Vermilion, Fairport in 50 to 60 feet of water, Geneva and Ashtabula in 55 to 70 feet of water . Anglers are catching steelhead on gold, red/white, chartreuse and copper back spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Lorain lighthouse, off of the Vermilion condos, and off Edgewater State Park (in Cleveland) and Euclid in 30 to 40 of water, off Fairport Harbor in 35 to 50 of water, off Conneaut in 40 to 50 feet of water. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport, Mentor Headlands and Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

White bass are being caught by anglers trolling for walleye. Shore anglers are having good success at the Lorain Ore Dock, Avon Lake pier, Eastlake CEI pier and Fairport Harbor piers. Anglers are using agitators and small yellow or white jigs along with small spinners.

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Cedar Point to the Vermilion condos east of the Vermilion River. Recently the best fishing has been in 38 to 40’ of water off of Cranberry Creek. Trolling crankbaits and dipsys or jets with spoons or worm harnesses has been productive. Also excellent fishing off Euclid and west and east of Eastlake in 40 to 60 feet of water, north-northwest of Fairport in 35 to 45 feet of water and 45 to 60 feet of water, and northwest of Geneva in 45 to 60 feet of water. Anglers are trolling jet divers or dipsy divers with spoons ranging in purple/black, red/green, chartreuse, blueberry muffin, or watermelon color combos. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) and long crankbaits have also been successful.

Steelhead are starting to show up with the walleye catches off Lorain, Vermilion, Ashtabula and Geneva. Anglers are catching steelhead on chartreuse and copper back spoons while trolling for walleye.

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Lorain lighthouse, off of the Vermilion condos, and off Edgewater State Park (in Cleveland) and Euclid in 30 to 40 of water, off Fairport Harbor in 25 to 40 of water, off Ashtabula and Conneaut in 48 to 55 feet of water. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport, Mentor Headlands and Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

The Walleye fishing remains good although we did experience a bit of a slow down from the incredibly fast action that we had here in Ashtabula the first half of June. Most of the slow down lately resulted because of the heavy winds we had here this past Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We still managed to fish and we still did good but without being able to circle on the active pockets of fish in the big waves, we came up short of the limits of walleyes which seemed almost automatic this season. Ah, such is fishing. Maybe a bit of a reality check for all of us!

The Walleyes and the Trout are still quite close to shore which with the high price of gasoline is a blessing for everyone. We all know however that this won't last long. We go thru this every year. Before you know it we will be back off shore 15-20 miles and cursing our daily fuel bills.For now though, the 50 to 60 foot range just outside of the harbor has been holding good numbers of mixed sized Walleyes and silver bullets. Most fish are being caught suspended in the 30 to 35 foot range. Most everyone is still pulling Jet Divers although that will surely change as well real soon as the fish start to drop deeper in the water column.

It has been an extreme early morning bite. The fish have been on fire the first couple of hours and then the action drops off dramatically. I've been urging everyone that has a trip booked with us to be at the dock and ready to roll no later then 5:30 a.m.
I get to the boat at 5:00 a.m. everyday and it only takes me a few minutes to load up my ice and warm the engines and we're off. Plus with the heat of the afternoon it's nice for everyone to have a bit of a earlier quit rather then drag lures around when it's not happening any longer and the sun is burning us up. So, again please be early so we can take advantage of the early morning feeding frenzy.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Cranberry Creek to the Vermilion condos east of the river in 20 to 32 feet of water, including Ruggles Reef. Trolling crankbaits and dipsys or jets with spoons or worm harnesses has been productive. Walleye have also been caught trolling in 35 to 50 feet of water off Cleveland, Eastlake, and Rocky River, also two to four miles off Eastlake, Fairport, Geneva and Ashtabula in 45 to 55 feet of water. Anglers are trolling jet divers or dipsy divers with spoons ranging in purple/black, blue/silver, or copper/orange color combos. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors and watermelon) and long crankbaits have also been successful. Some steelhead are starting to show up with the walleye catches off Ashtabula and Geneva.

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Lorain lighthouse, off of the Vermilion condos, and in 25-35 or in 45-55 feet of water off of Edgewater Marina (in Cleveland), Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula and Conneaut. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport, Mentor Headlands and Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

Surface temperatures range from 72 degrees off of Toledo to 62 degrees off of Cleveland.

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Cranberry Creek to Beaver Creek in 30 to 40 feet of water and also occasionally as shallow as 16’, including Ruggles Reef. Trolling dipsys or jets with spoons or worm harnesses has been productive. Drifters are catching fish on bottom bouncers with worm harnesses. Walleye has been very good 3 to 4 miles off Eastlake, Fairport, Cleveland and Geneva in 47 to 55 feet of water. Anglers are trolling jet divers or dipsy divers with spoons ranging in watermelon, copper, monkey puke, purple/black, blue/silver color combos. Trolling worm harnesses (same colors) has also been successful.

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Lorain lighthouse, 2 to 3 miles N of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland) in 30-40 feet of water, 2 to 3 miles NW of Fairport in 25-35 feet and 1 to 2 1/2 miles off Ashtabula and Conneaut in 20 to 45 feet of water. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport and Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

Surface temperatures range from 67 degrees off of Toledo to 62 degrees off of Cleveland

Aboard "The Trophy" we have been hanging around Ashtabula Harbor but I know for a fact that the entire south shore of Lake Erie is on fire with the Walleyes. Conneaut, Geneva and Fairport Harbor have all been excellent with the bulk of the guys fishing in close and crushing the "Eyes" We are still on a Jet Diver and planer board program and the shorter leads have worked great with the fish that are actively feeding suspended in the top twenty foot of water. We are seeing deeper fish but they are reluctant to go yet.

Big Dipsy divers on a 3 1/2 setting about 70-80 foot back with little Stinger spoons have also been hot for us along with the inside divers at a 2 1/2 setting about 50-60 foot back. Best colors have been anything metallic with copper colored lures being our number one producer. We have not even had enough time to be bothered with trying to run the down riggers each day. They will however have a role to play in our arsenal once the fish start to move out and start to drop down deeper. I love it when the riggers start to work !

We have one prime open date still available for the first week of July and that is Friday, July the 6th. Anyone that may be interested in it can call me at any time on my mobile number, 216-387-2656. Information about this Ashtabula charter can be found thru out the www.trophycharters.com website. Also we are available for afternoon, slightly shorter trips although with us limiting out regularly thus far this summer, this has been a non issue. These trips are ideally suited for folks that are a bit more local and can be at the boat earlier should we finish up earlier on my day run. We stay in touch by phone and set up a departure time accordingly for that particular day. The only thing that I ask is to keep the party size to 4 or less for my second trip of the day. It's a little more personal for you and easier on me after having been out once already that day. Fishing right now is as good as it gets !

Capt. Walt

Aboard "The Trophy" we have been hanging around Ashtabula Harbor but I know for a fact that the entire south shore of Lake Erie is on fire with the Walleyes. Conneaut, Geneva and Fairport Harbor have all been excellent with the bulk of the guys fishing in close and crushing the 'Eyes" as well. We are still on a Jet Diver and planer board program ourselves and the shorter leads have worked great with the fish that are actively feeding suspended in the top twenty foot of water. We are seeing deeper fish but they are reluctant to go yet.

Big Dipsy divers on a 3 1/2 setting about 70-80 foot back with little Stinger spoons have also been hot for us along with the inside divers at a 2 1/2 setting about 50-60 foot back. Best colors have been anything metallic with copper colored lures being our number one producer. We have not even had enough time to be bothered with trying to run the down riggers each day. They will however have a role to play in our arsenal once the fish start to move out and start to drop down deeper. I love it when the riggers start to work !

We have one prime open date still available for the first week of July and that is Friday, July the 6th. Anyone that may be interested in it can call me at any time on my mobile number, 216-387-2656. Information about this Ashtabula charter can be found thru out the www.trophycharters.com website. Also we are available for afternoon, slightly shorter trips although with us limiting out regularly thus far this summer, this has been a non issue. These trips are ideally suited for folks that are a bit more local and can be at the boat earlier should we finish up earlier on my day run. We stay in touch by phone and set up a departure time accordingly for that particular day. The only thing that I ask is to keep the party size to 4 or less for my second trip of the day. It's a little more personal for you and easier on me after having been out once already that day. Fishing right now is as good as it gets !

Capt. Walt

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Lorain lighthouse, off of the Vermilion breakwall, and in 40 to 55 feet of water off of Ashtabula and Conneaut. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain, Fairport and Conneaut. Perch spreaders with shiners or worm harnesses fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas, and in 15 to 25 feet of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs, crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches.

Walleye fishing has been excellent from Cranberry Creek to Beaver Creek in 26 to 32’ of water, including Ruggles Reef and Vermilion. Trolling dipsys or jets with spoons or worm harnesses has been productive. Drifters are catching fish on bottom bouncers with worm harnesses. Walleye have also been caught trolling in 10-30’ of water off Eastlake, Fairport, Cleveland and Rocky River, also 2-3 miles off Ashtabula in 50-60 feet of water. Anglers are trolling jet divers with silver and gold spoons. Anglers are also catching walleye along the piers at Eastlake, Cleveland and Lorain at night using surface rapalas.

Yellow perch fishing has been best off of the Lorain lighthouse, off of the Vermilion breakwall, and in 20-30 of water off of Fairport Harbor and Conneaut. Shore anglers are catching yellow perch off the piers in Lorain. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas and in 15 to 25’ of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on tube jigs,

crankbaits, and jigs tipped with minnows or leeches.

About 5 hours later and 106 gallons lighter on gasoline (at $3.89 OUCH!), we pulled in to Ashtabula about 114 miles east of Port Clinton. Ashtabula is my home port and where we will remain the rest of the season. Normally I leave a couple day window between trips just for traveling should we have any problems with weather but not this year. I ran my last trip in Port Clinton on Sunday and my first trip out of Ashtabula the next morning, Monday, Memorial Day.

Conditions were ideal for my first trip out east where the waves can be challenging with no islands to hide behind. With the flat lake Monday morning, I decided even with the high gas prices to run about 20 miles back west toward Perry for my first troll of the summer season. We were not disappointed. It wasn't long after we set lines we started hitting the Walleyes. Best depths turned out to be 51 - 54 ft. of water with #40 Jets about 120 ft. back working well. We took back to back 29 and 29 1/2 inchers on a 3 1/2 setting Dipsy about 115 ft. back. Wow! Can you tell we're back in the Central Basin? Although we did not limit out, we did end up with around 20 Walleyes for the day. Not too bad for not having anything figured out yet!

Fishing will only get better with each passing day now. Water temps are pushing 60 degrees already, the magic number for us here in the east. I have several days open for a charter that I would like to fill coming up if anybody would be interested in catching some trophy sized Walleyes. These early trips back home here seem to produce the biggest fish of the year. I have this Thursday, May 31st available as well as Sunday, June 3rd, and Monday, June 4th open because of a last minute two day cancellation (very frustrating). Anyone interested can call me any time of the day or night on my cell 216-387-2656. We are also available for afternoon trips for those that may be a bit more local.

Capt. Walt

**From May 1 through June 29 black bass (largemouth and smallmouth bass) are illegal to possess on Ohio waters of Lake Erie. It is legal to fish for black bass during the closed season, but any that are caught must me immediately released.**

**The walleye daily bag limit is 6 fish. The minimum size limit for walleye is 15”.**

**On May 16 the steelhead trout bag limit returned to 5. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.**

Central Basin

Walleye have been caught trolling in 10-20’ of water off Eastlake, Cleveland and Rocky River and along the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland at night using surface rapalas.

Fish have been caught on worm harnesses, crankbaits and spoons.

Yellow perch fishing has been best in 30 of water off of Fairport Harbor and Chagrin. Perch have also been caught off of the piers in Lorain. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas and in 15 to 25’ of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, tube jigs, or by trolling crankbaits.

Colder temperatures are returning. Based on the 1/9/07 forecast the weather will start limiting main lake access compared to the mild weather the first week of January.

Lake Erie continued to produce rare January open water walleye fishing opportunities with some limit catches including trophy fish up to and over 10 pounds. The best fishing recently has been around the Huron dumping grounds and nearshore from Huron to Vermilion. Fish have also been caught along the Cleveland lakefront. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, Wonderbread, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Most fish have been caught in the upper portion of the water column. Night fishing success from both piers and boats has been sporadic.

Mild weather has returned and boat anglers are getting a rare opportunity to fish the main lake in January. As of January 3rd the 10 day forecast still has highs in the 40’s and 50’s.

Walleye fishing improved with some limit catches including trophy fish up to and over 10 pounds. The best fishing recently has been around the Huron dumping grounds and nearshore from Huron to Vermilion. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, Wonderbread, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Most fish have been caught in the upper portion of the water column. Night fishing success from both piers and boats has been sporadic.

*Conditions deteriorated starting the weekend of December 13 with near gale force winds and rain. Unseasonably warm weather should allow boat anglers to get back out on the main lake, however, anglers are advised to use caution.

Walleye fishing improved with some limit catches including trophy fish up to and over 10 pounds. The best fishing recently has been around the Huron dumping grounds, Lorain, Vermilion, and Ruggles Reef. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, Wonderbread, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Most fish have been caught in the upper portion of the water column. Night fishing success from both piers and boats has been sporadic.

*Conditions greatly improved starting the weekend of December 16. Unseasonably warm weather and south winds have allowed boat anglers to get back out on the main lake.

*Over the past week (week of 12/4) weather conditions have limited Lake Erie fishing opportunities. The fishing report from the week of Thanksgiving is listed below, since no new information is available. If temperatures recover and the wind decreases the walleye fishing should continue to be good in the same areas listed below.

Report from 11/28/06:

Walleye fishing remains hot from Cedar Point to Vermilion, as well as in Cleveland. Water depths have ranged from 25’ to 45’, with some fish coming in shallower water. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, Wonderbread, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Most fish have been caught in the top 10 to 15’ of water. Night fishing success from both piers and boats has been sporadic.

Yellow perch fishing had been spotty. Few catches have been reported as most anglers have either switched to walleyes or finished for the year. Try traditional areas from Catawba to Cleveland. Be prepared to search for fish.

Steelhead: For recent updates on the steelhead fishery visit the Division of Wildlife steelhead web page at: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

With decreasing water temperatures, be sure to take extra precaution when fishing on Lake Erie.

*Over the past week (11/27 to 12/4) walleye fishing was excellent just prior to the weather front that moved through on 11/30. Since the front passed through air temperatures have been in the 20’s and 30’s with substantial wind. The prior week’s fishing report is listed below, since no new information is available. If temperatures recover and the wind decreases the walleye fishing should continue to be good in the same areas listed below.

Report from 11/28/06:

Walleye fishing remains hot from Cedar Point to Vermilion, as well as in Cleveland. Water depths have ranged from 25’ to 45’, with some fish coming in shallower water. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, Wonderbread, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Most fish have been caught in the top 10 to 15’ of water. Night fishing success from both piers and boats has been sporadic.

Yellow perch fishing had been spotty. Few catches have been reported as most anglers have either switched to walleyes or finished for the year. Try traditional areas from Catawba to Cleveland. Be prepared to search for fish.

Steelhead fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Cowles Creek, Geneva State Park, Conneaut Creek, and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber. Boat anglers have caught steelhead by trolling near the Vermilion breakwall. For recent updates on the steelhead fishery visit the Division of Wildlife steelhead web page at: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

With decreasing water temperatures, be sure to take extra precaution when fishing on Lake Erie.

Walleye fishing remains hot from Cedar Point to Vermilion, as well as in Cleveland. Water depths have ranged from 25’ to 45’, with some fish coming in shallower water. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, Wonderbread, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Most fish have been caught in the top 10 to 15’ of water. Night fishing success from both piers and boats has been sporadic.

Yellow perch fishing had been spotty. Few catches have been reported as most anglers have either switched to walleyes or finished for the year. Try traditional areas from Catawba to Cleveland. Be prepared to search for fish.

Steelhead fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Cowles Creek, Geneva State Park, Conneaut Creek, and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber. Boat anglers have caught steelhead by trolling near the Vermilion breakwall. For recent updates on the steelhead fishery visit the Division of Wildlife steelhead web page at: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

Walleye fishing remains hot from Cedar Point to Vermilion, as well as in Cleveland. Water depths have ranged from 25’ to 36’, with some fish coming in shallower water. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners, Ripsticks (try Blueberry Muffin, Blue Hawaiian, and Mooneye), and Rapala Husky Jerks (Glass colors seem better). Night trolling in shallow water is popular. Night pier fishing is better; try casting Husky Jerks from dark to mid-night.

Yellow perch fishing had been spotty. Few catches have been reported as most anglers have either switched to walleyes or finished for the year. Try traditional areas from Catawba to Cleveland. Be prepared to search for fish.

Walleye fishing has been hot around from Cedar Point to Vermilion, especially at Huron. Water depths have ranged from 20’ to 30’, with some fish coming in shallower water. Crankbaits have been the ticket for both numbers and size, and large fish are being taken on Reef Runners and Ripsticks (Blueberry Muffin, Barbie, and Mooneye Minnow are good colors to try). Night trolling is getting popular. Night pier fishing is still sporadic, but reports are improving.

Yellow perch fishing had been spotty. The best reports have been from Cleveland to Huron, where scattered schools of fish have yielded a slow but steady bite. Be prepared to search for fish; start at 40’ and move in or out until you find active schools. Fish have ranged from 8 to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Cowles Creek, Geneva State Park, Conneaut Creek, and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

Yellow perch fishing had been spotty with recent weather patterns, but should improve when conditions allow. The best reports have been from Cleveland, where a steady bite has been found in 40’ to 43’ of water. Fish have ranged from 8 to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

With decreasing water temperatures be sure to take extra precaution when fishing on Lake Erie.

Central Basin

Walleye fishing was good before the gale wind on 10/28. Walleye were caught from Cedar Point to Huron south of the 30 N latitude line. Fish have been caught on spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers and also on deep diving crankbaits.

Yellow perch fishing had been excellent in the central basin and should improve when conditions allow. The best areas had been off the condos E of the Vermilion River, 3 miles N of Lakewood (Gold Coast) in 42’ of water, 4 miles NE of the Cleveland water intake crib in 48’ of water, 3-4 miles N of Fairport in 55’ of water, and 3-4 miles N of Ashtabula 50 to 55’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

Steelhead fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Cowles Creek, Geneva State Park, Conneaut Creek, and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber. For recent updates on the steelhead fishery visit the Division of Wildlife steelhead web page at: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

Walleye fishing from Sandusky to Vermilion has been good as the number of fish present continues to increase. Walleye have been taken from the Huron dumping grounds to Vermilion around the 27 to 30 north latitude lines. Fish have been caught on spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers and also on deep diving crankbaits.

Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin 3 miles N of Lakewood (Gold Coast) in 42’ of water, 4 miles NE of the Cleveland water intake crib in 48’ of water, 3-4 miles N of Fairport in 55’ of water, and 3-4 miles N of Ashtabula 50 to 55’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 25’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop-shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

Steelhead fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Cowles Creek, Geneva State Park, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 48 to 56 degrees.

Central Basin

Walleye fishing from Huron to Lorain has been good as the fish continue to migrate west. Farther east most fishing effort has been directed at yellow perch. Walleye have been taken N of the Huron dumping grounds, on the N end of the Sandbar, and sporadically around Ruggles Reef. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers, and also on deep diving crankbaits.

Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin in 25 to 30’ of water off of the Vermilion breakwall and off of the condos E of Vermilion near Beaver Creek, within 1 mile of Lorain and Avon point, 1-2 miles NW of Cleveland (E. 72nd St. lighthouse) in 38’ of water, 2 miles NE of Eastlake in 38' of water, 3 miles N of Fairport in 50 to 55’ of water, and 2-3 miles N of Ashtabula 45 to 55’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 25’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop-shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

Steelhead fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Geneva State Park, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

Central Basin

Walleye fishing from Huron to Lorain has been good as the fish continue to migrate west. Farther east most fishing effort has been directed at yellow perch. Walleye have been taken on the Huron dumping grounds, between the Vermilion dumping grounds and the sandbar at the 37/24 lines, and around the weather buoy on the north end of the sandbar. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers, and also on deep diving crankbaits.

Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin in 27’ of water off of the Vermilion breakwall, off of the condos E of Vermilion near Beaver Creek, within 1 mile of Avon point, 3 miles N of Cleveland (E. 72nd St. lighthouse) in 42’ of water, 2-3 miles N of Euclid in 38-42' of water, 2-3 miles N -NW of Fairport in 40 to 50’ of water, and 2-3 miles N of Ashtabula 40 to 50’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 25’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop-shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

Steelhead fishing has been good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Geneva State Park, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 58 to 62 degrees.

Walleye fishing from Huron to Lorain has been good as the fish continue to migrate west. Farther east most fishing effort has been directed at yellow perch. Walleye have been taken in open water W of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, and around the 30 north line between Cranberry Creek and Vermilion. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers, and also on deep diving crankbaits. Best spoon colors have been patterns with red or purple. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 25 to 40'.

Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin from 1-3 miles N of Huron to Lorain, 3 miles NE of Cleveland (E. 72nd St. lighthouse) in 43’ of water, 2-3 miles N of Euclid in 42' of water, 2-3 miles N -NW of Fairport in 40 to 45’ of water, and 2-3 miles N of Ashtabula 45 to 50’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 25’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop-shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

Steelhead fishing has been good in the Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Geneva State Park, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Arcola Creek, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 60 to 64 degrees.

On most days "The Trophy" has been anchored anywhere from a mile to four miles off of Ashtabula Harbor. All the fish we have been catching are smack on the bottom. Lake Shiners as always have been the preferred bait. A couple of days when all we could get for bait was Golden Shiners (pond raised), we had to work a lot harder to catch our Perch. Bait has been a bit of an issue this fall. I sure hate to be at the mercy of the local bait shops. Whatever they have for bait is what we end up using.

Bait has not been cheap either with the marina bait shops charging $2.50 - $2.75 per dozen. That's around a quarter a minnow! With the new increased Perch limits, we are going through a ton of bait. Always something in this business. On our Perch trips everything is furnished. Just bring your lunch!

On a somewhat related note, I have dropped the fuel surcharge now that the marina has dropped the fuel price below $3.00 a gallon. (Now that the season and my usage is over.) That was the deal however, and fair is fair. I still appreciate all of the generous tips that most everyone has graciously added at the end of the day. I think most everyone understands how costly trying to maintain a top notch operation such as ours is and still try to make a living while doing so.

We have about 5 weeks left in the season and we have lots of weekdays available come October. Anyone interested in a Perch trip may reach me directly on my boat/mobile number at 1-216-387-2656 anytime Lets all keep our fingers crossed for some nice weather the remainder of this fall.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing in the central basin has also slowed down with anglers switching over to perch. A few walleye have been taken at the N end of the sand bar between Vermilion and Lorain, 7-9 miles NE of Geneva in 60-70‘of water and 7-9 miles NW of Ashtabula in 60 to 70’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses trolled with dipsy divers. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 35 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin from 1-3 miles N of Huron to Lorain, 4 miles N of Euclid in 49’ of water, 2 miles NE of Rocky River in 38' of water, 2-3 miles N -NW of Fairport in 51’ of water, and 2 miles N of Ashtabula 45’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 25’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop-shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails or small spoons.

Steelhead are beginning to move up into the rivers and creeks and anglers are catching fish in the Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Geneva State Park, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs rigged with a split shot under a light bobber.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 67 to 69 degrees.

Over the week of August 28 strong winds greatly limited fishing. Even though the wind has finally calmed most of the Ohio Lake Erie shoreline is muddy from the rough waves. Fishing should improve as the lake settles down and the water clears.

Central Basin

Poor weather and rough lake conditions during the past week limited fishing activity.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been very good. Fish have been caught 5-6 miles N of Cleveland Crib in 58-62‘of water, 10 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) to Eastlake in 68-70’ of water, 10 to 12 miles NE of Ashtabula and 10 to 12 miles NW of Conneaut in 68 to 74’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons colored in scarlet and gray, purple and black, or white and red with copper backs, trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 35 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing is very good in the central basin 5 miles N of Bratenahl in 42-50 feet of water, 4-6 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) in 42 to 51’ of water, 2 to 4 miles N of Fairport in 39 to 52’ of water, and 2 miles or less N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 45 to 55’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 29’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop-shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails or small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 67 to 71 degrees.

Today, Monday, Sept. 4th seemed like the first day back to school for me. And guess what? It was like the Walleyes had never eaten before. Action was fast and furious. Even though I had my doubts as we headed out.

On a hunch, I headed out way further than we've been fishing. Right around the 20 mile mark was as good as I've seen it all summer. I don't believe that we actually ever did get all of the rods in the water! Awesome! What a tribute to how good the fishing has been this summer. Even a six day blow did little to slow down the record setting Walleye action that we've experienced this summer aboard "The Trophy". It's truly been a year to remember!

As we enter September, my Walleye trips are finally winding down. In a few weeks we'll be switching our focus to the incredible Jumbo Perch fishing that this area has to offer each fall. I would like to remind everyone that we have plenty of dates still available for our fall Perch season. Anyone interested may reach me directly at 216-387-2656.

I would also like to take a moment and thank everyone that has fished with us thus far this season. We've all experienced something very special. I look forward to seeing some of you back for one more trip this fall during our final days of 2006 for our Perch season. It's been a very fast, and incredibly successful season here on the Walleye Capital of the world, Lake Erie.

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been very good. Fish have been caught on the S end of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, 8-10 miles out N of the Cleveland Crib in 60‘ of water, 12 miles N Eastlake in 68-70’ of water, 10 to 12 miles NW of Geneva in 70 to 72’ of water, and 10 to 12 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 to 72’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons colored in white/red, purple/black, copper, trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 35 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing is improving in the central basin with good catches reported 1/2 to 2 miles off Vermilion, Lorain and Avon Pt., 4 miles N of Bratenahl in 39 feet of water, 4 miles N of Eastlake in 42’ of water, less than 2 miles NW of Fairport in 40 to 50’ of water, and less than 2 miles N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 35 to 55’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 29’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails or small spoons.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been very good. Fish have been caught on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, 5-6 miles N of the Cleveland Crib in 58-62‘of water, 10 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) to Eastlake in 68-70’ of water, 10 to 12 miles N of Geneva in 68 to 74’ of water, and 10 to 12 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 to 74’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons colored in orange and black, red and black, or purple and black with copper backs, trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 35 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing is improving in the central basin with very good catches reported 5 miles N of Bratenahl in 49-60 feet of water, 4 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) in 42 to 45’ of water, 2 to 4 miles N of Fairport in 35 to 50’ of water, and 2 to 4 miles N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 55 to 65’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 29’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails or small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures are in the mid 70’s.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been good. Fish have been caught on Ruggles Reef, W of Huron off of Sawmill Creek and Point Retreat in 26 to 34’ of water, 1 mile N of the Rocky River in 28‘ of water, 10 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) in 70’ of water, 10 to 14 miles N-NE of Geneva in 70 to 74’ of water, and 10 to 14 miles N-NW of Ashtabula in 70 to 74’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or wonderbread, bloody nose, watermelon, killer bee and copper/back spoons trolled with dipsy divers or trolled with jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 30 to 50'.

The best yellow perch fishing in the central basin has been 1 to 2 miles N of Lakewood in 42-46 feet of water, 4 miles N of Edgewater State Park around the Cleveland Crib in 45 to 48’ of water, 4 miles N of Eastlake in 40-42’ of water, 3 to 5 miles N of Geneva in 45 to 55’ of water, and 3 to 5 miles N of Fairport in 45 to 55’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 25’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are also reporting catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers, using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails and small spoons.

The biggest problem hitting us again is the soaring fuel prices at the marina pumps. Fuel at River Marine where I dock here in Ashtabula is at $3.30 per gallon as of this report's date. Word from the marina's owner is that this trend will continue with even higher prices expected. I want to remind all of my upcoming trips that a $5.00 a man fuel sur-charge is in effect aboard "The Trophy" at this time. This is on top of the regular charter rate and is added to the balance due at the end of the trip. Such is the times we live in. We are now doing more and more offshore fishing trips, and are going through a ton of fuel.

On the bright side, we are running into more larger Walleyes again although the "03" year class is still very dominate. Steelhead Trout continue to be few and far apart. It has still been a morning bite so I urge all of my trips to be on the boat and ready to roll no later than 5:30 a.m.

Water temps are now well into the seventies. Wire line and stick baits have been working wonderfully for us. Let's keep our fingers crossed that August's weather continues to be nice!

Capt. Walt

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been good. Fish have been caught on Ruggles Reef, NW of the Huron pier lighthouse in 34 to 36’ of water, 6 miles N of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland Crib) in 50-56‘ of water, 3 to 4 miles N of Bratenahl in 51’ of water, 12 miles N of Geneva in 72 to 74’ of water, and 10 to 11 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 to 72’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or wonderbread, bloody nose, watermelon, killer bee and copper/back spoons trolled with dipsy divers or trolled with jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 30 to 50'.

The best yellow perch fishing in the central basin has been 1 to 2 miles N of Lakewood in 42-46 feet of water, 4 miles N of Edgewater State Park around the Cleveland Crib in 44’ of water, and 4 to 5 miles N of Ashtabula in 62’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 25’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

White bass fishing has been very good 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are also reporting good catching of white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers, using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails and small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 75 to 78 degrees.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been excellent. Fish have been caught on Ruggles Reef, between Beaver Creek and Lorain in 35’ of water, on the N end of the Sandbar between Lorain and Vermilion, 6 miles N of the Cleveland Crib in 58‘ of water, 8 miles N of Eastlake in 62’ of water, 7 to 8 miles NW of Fairport Harbor in 70 to 74’ of water, and 7 to 8 miles NW of Geneva in 70 to 74’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or monkey puke, bloody nose, watermelon, killer bee and copper/back spoons trolled with dipsy divers or trolled with jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 30 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing has slowed down this past week and just fair catches have been reported. The best areas are 4 to 5 miles N of Ashtabula in 50-58’ of water, and 4 to 5 miles N of Conneaut in 54-56’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 25’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

White bass fishing has been good 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are also reporting good catching of white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers, using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails and small spoons.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been excellent. Fish have been caught on Ruggles Reef, 4 to 5 miles N of Lorain, 6 miles N of the Cleveland Crib in 58‘ of water, 8 miles N of Eastlake in 62’ of water, 8 to 10 miles N-NW of Fairport Harbor in 60 to 72’ of water, and 8 to 10 miles N-NW of Geneva in 60 to 72’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or monkey puke, bloody nose, watermelon, killer bee and copper/back spoons trolled with dipsy divers or trolled with jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 30 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing has slowed down this past week and just fair catches have been reported. The best