Weekly Ohio fishing report

Weekly Ohio fishing report
COLUMBUS -- The weekly fishing report provided by the Division of Wildlife of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
NORTHEAST OHIO
Nimisila Reservoir (Summit County) -- Some crappies and bluegills are being taken on this lake by anglers using primarily wax worms and maggots.
Ohio River (Jefferson County) -- Good numbers of smallmouth bass are still being caught here with the fish ranging from 12 to 16 inches. The bass are being caught on everything from jigs to minnows and night crawlers. Just below the New Cumberland lock and dam from Stratton down to Toronto anglers are catching catfish by using chicken livers and night crawlers.
Fairport Harbor (Lake County) -- Jumbo perch are being taken along the Headlands breakwall and Fairport breakwall. Good sized smallmouth bass are being caught along breakwalls and shoreline in Fairport and Painesville.
Atwood Lake (Carroll and Tuscarawas Counties) -- Anglers are picking up some saugeye, using worm harnesses while other anglers are using lead-headed jigs tipped with minnows. Try fishing in 4 to 6 feet of water along or around hard, rocky or sandy bottoms. Crank baits and "blade baits" are being used by people trolling for saugeye. This lake is also producing some white bass for anglers using live bait like minnows and night crawlers. For catfish, the hottest spot on this lake is the bay area just outside of Delroy off of State Route 542. Catfish anglers are using chicken livers exclusively and "tearing up" the catfish in this bay area.
Leesville Lake (Carroll County) -- This prime muskie lake has also been productive for anglers seeking panfish. Bluegills and sunfish are being caught here on wax worms.
Charles Mill (Ashland County) -- Anglers here are still catching fair numbers of channel catfish on a variety of baits, using shad, night crawlers, liver and shrimp. Bluegills, in the 7-to 8-inch range are still being taken on worms fished around submerged tree tops.
Pleasant Hill (Ashland County) -- Anglers are still picking up some crappie and white bass on small twister tails and in the deeper waters, closer to the bottom saugeye are being caught on jigs and minnows.
LAKE ERIE
Western Basin -- Excellent walleye fishing continued across the Western Basin during the past week. Limit catches of 18-to 22-inch fish have been reported in the area around the Toledo Shipping Channel Turnaround Buoy. Best methods included casting gold weapons and trolling spoons or crawler harnesses. In the Bass Islands area trophy fish and some limits continue to be caught east and northeast of Kelleys Island. Fish from 14 to 29 inches are being caught in 12 to 45 feet of water by trollers using dipsy divers with spoons or crawler harnesses and by drifters casting weight forward spinners. Limit catches have also been reported from the area west of Green Island and Rattlesnake Island by trollers using spoons in 24 feet of water.
Yellow perch fishing has been best between Kelleys Island and the Canadian border in 25 to 40 feet of water. Spreaders tipped with shiners have been most productive for 8-to 13-inch fish. Kelleys Island and the Bass Islands have produced the best smallmouth bass catches. Tube jigs have been used to catch fish between 15 and 20 inches. June is the peak spawning period for smallmouth bass in Lake Erie. When practicing catch-and-release please return fish to the water quickly so that the bass may return to its nest to protect its eggs from goby predation.
Central Basin -- Smallmouth bass are being caught on Ruggles Reef in 12 to 20 feet of water and in nearshore breakwall and harbor areas from 15 to 30 feet of water around Lorain, Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva, Fairport and Cleveland. Fourteen-to 18-inch fish have been caught on tube jigs, jigs tipped with shiners and crank baits. June is the peak spawning period for smallmouth bass in Lake Erie. When practicing catch-and-release please return fish to the water as quickly as possible so that the bass may return to its nest to protect its eggs from goby predation.
Yellow perch are being caught 1 to 3 miles N of Lorain in 25 to 40 feet of water, 1 1/2 to 3 miles northwest of Ashtabula in 35 to 45 feet of water, 1 1/2 to 3 miles northwest of Fairport in 35 to 45 feet of water, less than 1 1/2 mile north of Lakewood in 30 to 40 feet of water and less than 1 mile northwest of Wildwood State Park in 25 to 32 feet of water. Spreaders tipped with shiners are taking fish from 7 to 12 inches. Walleye fishing in the Central Basin has been best near Ruggles Reef between Cranberry Creek and Vermilion in 25 to 35 feet of water, 2 miles north of Beaver Creek in 30 to 40 feet of water, 4 miles northwest of Cleveland Edgewater Park in 50 to 55 feet of water, 2 1/2 to 4 miles north of Euclid in 39 to 52 feet of water and 3 to 7 miles north of Geneva in 40 to 70 feet of water. Near Ruggles Reef trolling crank baits, spoons, or crawler harnesses and casting weight forward spinners or mayfly rigs have been most productive for fish from 15 to 28 inches. Farther east anglers have been trolling dipsy divers with spoons or crawler harnesses for fish from 16 to 29 inches.
OHIO RIVER
At the time of this report, water conditions along the river are high and muddy with temperature ranging 70 to 72 degrees. Heavy rainfall and flood warnings along the river are expected to increase levels significantly.
Belmont County -- Flathead catfish 20 to 30 pounds in size and channel catfish 2 to 3 pounds in size are being caught on cut baits or shad fished on the bottom. Fishermen are tight-lining off the pier at Pike Island.
Monroe County -- The area around the old lock and dam is best. Anglers are experiencing fair success catching white bass on sassy shads and spinner baits and channel catfish on chicken liver or night crawlers.
Gallia & amp; Lawrence Counties -- Flooding conditions along the river in these counties has prevented angling activity.