COLUMBUS -- The weekly fishing report provided by the Division of Wildlife of the Ohio Department of

COLUMBUS -- The weekly fishing report provided by the Division of Wildlife of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
NORTHEAST OHIO
Berlin Lake (Stark County) Anglers are catching walleye by trolling artificial lures like Shad Raps and Big-O's and also using night crawlers. This is also a good lake for catfish that are biting on chicken livers and night crawlers. For bluegills, try using maggots, wax worms, and red worms.
Deer Creek Reservoir (Stark County) Catfish in the 3 to 5-pound range are being taken on large minnows and night crawlers. Bluegills are also biting on maggots, red worms, and wax worms.
Walborn Reservoir (Stark County) Another productive lake for catfish and bluegills. Live bait will work for either, as well as worms, maggots, and liver.
LaDue Reservoir (Geauga County) Anglers have been limiting out on walleye. Try casting lures like Erie-dearies along the edge of weed beds, both toward the dam and away from the dam.
Atwood Lake (Tuscarawas County) Saugeye fishing continues to be very good. Successful anglers are using jig-heads with curl-tails tipped with minnows, as well as worm and minnow harnesses and crank baits. Try fishing shallow areas of 4 to 6 feet of water with rocky or sandy bottoms. Some of the saugeye are reaching 12 to 18 inches in size.
Charles Mill (Ashland County) Anglers are still catching bluegills on wax worms near the shallow end of the lake. Decent sized catfish are also being caught on night crawlers and chicken livers. Try fishing after dark, later in the evening, and into the wee hours of the morning. The channel cats are being caught out on the lake and where the Black Fork River empties into the lake.
Pleasant Hill (Ashland County) Bluegills are being taken by anglers using wax worms.
LAKE ERIE
Western Basin The best walleye fishing in the past week has been in the area between West Sister Island and Middle Sister Island in 30 feet of water and also on the reef complex in 13 to 16 feet of water. Best methods have included casting gold weapons or drifting bottom bouncers with crawler harnesses, and trolling gold, orange or purple spoons. Fish have ranged from 13 to 22 inches. Yellow perch fishing has been best near Kelleys Island Shoal in 45 feet of water and north of the Marblehead lighthouse. Spreaders tipped with shiners have been most productive for 8 to 13-inch fish. The east side of Kelleys Island and the Bass Islands has produced the best smallmouth bass catches. Tube jigs have been used to catch fish between 15 & amp; 20 in.
Central Basin Walleye fishing in the Central Basin has been best on the sandbar northeast of Vermilion in 35 to 45 feet of water, 8 to 10 miles northwest of Euclid and East Lake in 60 to 67 feet of water, and 4 to 6 miles north of Geneva and Ashtabula in 52 to 65 feet of water. Anglers have been trolling dipsy-divers with spoons (color schemes with copper, blue, watermelon, chartreuse or gold have been best), crank baits or crawler harnesses for fish from 15 to 30 inches.
Yellow perch are being caught within 4 miles of Lorain in 30 feet of water, within 1 to 6 miles of Vermilion in 40 feet of water, 2 miles north of Geneva in 52 feet of water, in 40 to 45 feet of water 1 to 2 miles north of E 72nd St. in Cleveland, and 1 to 2 miles north of the Rocky River in 40 to 44 feet of water. Spreaders tipped with shiners are taking fish from 7 to 12 inches. Smallmouth bass are being caught near Ruggles Reef in 30 feet of water and in near-shore break wall and harbor areas from 10 to 20 feet of water around Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva, Fairport and Cleveland. Fourteen to 18 inch fish have been caught on tube jigs, jigs tipped with shiners and crank baits. Steelheads have been caught by trollers using dipsy-divers with spoons 4 to 6 miles north of Geneva in 52 to 65 feet of water. The steelheads have ranged in size from 23 to 29 inches. To view the weather forecast for Lake Erie log onto: http://seaboard.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/Forecasts/FZUS61.KCLE.html.
OHIO RIVER
Monroe County Conditions are slight above normal and muddy. Water temperature is 76 degrees. Anglers in the area of the river are using their own concoctions to catch both channel and flathead catfish. The most popular bait right now are hot dogs that have been marinated in a combination of garlic oil and barbeque sauce. Chicken livers and night crawlers also continue to be successful bait. Some white bass are being caught on twisters. Weather conditions continue to affect fishing pressure along the river.
Gallia County Conditions continue to be high and muddy along this stretch of the river. Recent rains have affected water levels. When conditions allow, hybrid striped bass and catfish are being caught. Even though it is unusual for the stripers, the most successful bait for both species is chicken liver.