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
Berlin Lake (Portage County) -- Anglers are doing well on walleye here. Crank baits in combinations of silver/black or gold/black seem to be working the best in about 12 feet of water. The walleyes are running between 21 to 26 inches in length.
Nimisila Reservoir (Summit County) -- Fishing pressure has been good on this lake with anglers catching bluegills on wax worms and maggots and even a few night crawlers.
Charles Mill (Ashland County) -- A good lake for channel catfish and you can use just about anything to catch them from shad to night crawlers, liver and shrimp. There are also bluegills in this lake, usually found around submerged tree tops. Worms should do the trick for the 'gills.
Pleasant Hill (Ashland County) -- Some crappies and white bass are being caught here on small twister tails. For saugeye try fishing the deeper waters, closer to the bottom using jigs and minnows.
CENTRAL OHIO
Alum Creek Lake (Delaware County) -- Watch for weed beds to emerge. Saugeye, muskellunge, and largemouth bass will all concentrate in the available weeds. There was a very strong year-class of saugeye in 2002 and these fish should be approaching harvestable size. Spinner baits, shallow running crank baits and jerk baits all produce over and around the weed beds. Overcast days are best, especially at sunrise and sunset for fishing shallow weeds. Weed beds with the wind blowing into them that have a distinct "mud line" (suspended silt) are particularly good for saugeye.
Oakthorpe Lake (Fairfield County) -- This secluded, 41-acre lake provides the only fishing for redear sunfish in the public waters of central Ohio. Use a night crawler or cricket suspended by a bobber to catch this fish. Carp can be taken using doughballs and night crawlers fished on the bottom. Crappie may be taken using a minnow suspended by a bobber, look for drop-offs on the western side of the lake. This lake has a very good largemouth bass population with many large fish. Try using spinner baits, plastics, and crank baits along cover on the western side of the lake. Electric motors only.
NORTHWEST OHIO
Van Wert Reservoir No. 1 (Van Wert County) -- The water is muddy and high. Channel catfish are being taken in the afternoon on shrimp. Casting and letting the bait sit on the bottom is working the best. Fishing for these catfish seems to be the best in the northeast corner.
Van Wert Reservoir No. 2 (Van Wert County) -- The water is muddy and high. Bluegills 5 to 6 inches and 7-to 10-inch crappies are being taken in the afternoon on wax worms. Slip bobbers fished at a depth of 1 to 2 feet are working the best. Most of these fish are being taken at the northern end of the reservoir.
Oxbow Lake (Defiance County) -- The water is muddy and at normal levels. Bluegills are being taken in the evening using wax worms or night crawlers. Slip bobbers and fixed bobbers fished off shore in 5 to 8 feet of water is the best method.
SOUTHWEST OHIO
Cowan Lake (Clinton County) -- Anglers are catching crappie everywhere around the lake using live minnow or small 1/16 to 1/64 jigs (chartreuse or green). Best fishing seems to be about 10 feet from shore around submerged trees and brush. Sprague Road located off of State Rte. 730 is a good spot where the road ends at the lake. Fish next to the boat docks. Another good location is around the handicap fishing pier near the park office.
Grand Lake St. Marys (Auglaize & amp; Mercer counties) -- Channel catfish are being caught using shrimp, cut shad and night crawlers on bottom. Fish off the rocks along the east bank shoreline and Harmon's Landing on the south side of the lake. Anglers are also catching bluegill on wax worms and small jigs near the handicap accessible pool on the east bank. Crappie fishing has slowed down a bit but a few nice sized fish are being taken by successful anglers. Try using small jigs with plastic bodies in 12-14 inches of water around submerged brush and rocky areas.
SOUTHEAST OHIO
Turkey Run Wildlife Area (Perry County) -- Water conditions are clear and normal. Hand-sized bluegills are being caught on maggots and inline rooster tails during the late afternoon and early evening hours.
Roosevelt Lake (Scioto County) -- Water conditions are at normal pool and clear with temperature at 67 degrees. While bass fishing at this lake is slowing down, the bluegill fishing is in full swing for kids and their families. Wax worms and night crawlers are the most successful baits.
Muskingum River (Morgan and Washington Counties) -- Although the river is still muddy, the level has dropped to almost normal pool. Water temperature is around 68 degrees. Fishing for catfish is excellent below the dams at McConnelsville, Stockport, and Devola. Channel catfish 12 to 16 inches in length are hitting on night crawlers. Shovelhead catfish activity is excellent with anglers using whole goldfish or cut bluegill. This past weekend, anglers caught catfish that weighed 34, 36, and 38 pounds.
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 as quickly as possible 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 one 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. Steelhead have been caught by trollers using dipsy divers with spoons 3 to 7 miles north of Geneva in 40 to 70 feet of water. The steelhead have ranged in size from 23 to 29 inches.
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 one 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. Steelhead have been caught by trollers using dipsy divers with spoons 3 to 7 miles north of Geneva in 40 to 70 feet of water. The steelhead have ranged in size from 23 to 29 inches.
OHIO RIVER
While water levels remain high, the river and water temperature (65 to 68 degrees) are at optimal conditions for catfishing.
Washington County -- Fishing for catfish is hot in this stretch of the river. From Marietta to Beverly to Newport, anglers are catching catfish 20 to 30 inches in length and over 10 pounds in size. Cut bluegill or whole large gold fish used while tight-lining are the best baits. Stripers are being caught from the stretch of river behind the Lafayette Hotel in Marietta and in the Newport area by tight-lining with chicken liver.