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.
CENTRAL OHIO
Griggs Reservoir (Franklin County) -- Smallmouth and largemouth bass are becoming more active in shallow water. Spinner baits and shallow running crank baits are preferred lures. Most bass will measure 12 to 16 inches. Night fishing is productive along the east shoreline when seeking channel catfish. Fish on the bottom with night crawlers and chicken livers. The tail water area offers good saugeye fishing following heavy rains, especially in late fall.
Knox Lake (Knox County) -- Use chicken livers, shrimp, and night crawlers fished along the bottom during evening hours when seeking channel catfish. Some of these fish will weigh up to 10 pounds. Areas with submerged structure, the woody shoreline areas and those with aquatic vegetation are good places to fish for largemouth bass. The shoreline cover also provides good opportunities to fish for bluegills when using wax worms and larval baits. Ten horsepower limit.
NORTHWEST OHIO
Maumee River-Independence Dam (Defiance County) -- Channel catfish 12 to 18 inches and an occasional flathead catfish are being taken near the dam on night crawlers fished on the bottom. Crappies from 8 to 12 inches are being taken near the dam on minnows under a bobber.
Auglaize River (Defiance and Paulding counties) -- Good numbers of crappies are being taken above the Power Dam all the way to Oakwood. Minnows fished under a bobber around brush piles and down trees are producing some crappies up to 14 inches. This fishing should be good through October. Boat anglers can use the Five Mile Creek Access to get to the best spots.
Maumee River (at Sidecut Metro-park and at Grand Rapids Dam-Wood/Lucas counties) -- Channel catfish, 19 to 25 inches, are being taken on shrimp fished on the bottom. An occasional walleye taken on twister tails fished in the deep holes below the dam at Grand Rapids.
NORTHEAST OHIO
Atwood Lake (Tuscarawas County) -- Catfish 8 to 16 inches are being caught on tightlines hooked with worms.
Mosquito Lake (Trumbull County) -- Catfish are being caught with minnows and chicken livers. White bass are being caught with jigs and twister tails.
Lake Erie (Cuyahoga, Lake and Ashtabula counties) -- Steelhead are being caught as they begin to stage outside the major river tributaries including the Rocky, Chagrin and Ashtabula Rivers. Perch in the 7-to 12-inch range are being caught with minnows one mile north of East 55th in Cleveland. Perch are also being located in 40 to 50 feet of water outside of Fairport Harbor. Perch in the 7-to 11-inch range are being caught off of Lorain in about 30 feet of water.
LAKE ERIE
Western Basin -- Walleye fishing pressure has been very low recently. As temperatures drop expect fishing to pick up east of Kelleys Island. Perch fishing in the western basin has been excellent with anglers targeting perch averaging more than 20 fish per trip. Best areas have included northeast and east of Kelleys Island in 35 to 41 feet of water, west and northwest of West Sister Island, near B and C cans north of the Camp Perry Firing Range, and west of Green and Rattlesnake Islands. Spreaders tipped with shiners have been most productive for 7 to 12 inch fish.
For smallmouth bass try fishing Kelleys Island and nearshore areas around the Bass Islands and Marblehead. Tube jigs have been used to catch fish between 15 and 20 inches. For largemouth bass try East Harbor around thick beds of vegetation and in the harbor channel.
Central Basin -- Walleye fishing in the central basin has been best east of the sandbar 6 to 10 miles northwest of Lorain, 6 miles northwest of the Chagrin River in 60 feet of water, and 8 to 15 miles north of Geneva and Ashtabula in 66 to 72 feet of water. Anglers have been trolling dipsy divers with spoons (most color schemes with copper, blue and fire tiger have been best) for fish from 16 to 28 inches.
Yellow perch fishing continues to be excellent in the central basin. Best areas have been 6 miles north of Beaver Creek in 30 to 40 feet of water, 1 to 2 miles north-northeast of Vermilion in 30 to 40 feet of water, 3 to 4 miles north of Gordon Park in 43 to 52 feet of water, 3 to 6 miles north of Conneaut and Fairport in 47 to 62 feet of water, and 2 to 3 miles north of the Rocky River in 42 to 50 feet of water. Spreaders tipped with shiners are taking fish from 8 to 12".
Smallmouth bass have been caught on Ruggles Reef and in harbor areas and along the shoreline in 19 to 30 feet of water near Lorain, Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva, Fairport and Cleveland. Fourteen to 18 inch fish have been caught on tube jigs, crank baits, jigs tipped with shiners, and crayfish.
Steelhead have been caught by trollers using dipsy divers with spoons 6 to 8 miles north of Eastlake, Geneva and the Rocky River in 62 to 70 feet of water. The steelhead have ranged in size from 23 to 29 inches. Steelhead are also beginning to show up at creek and river mouths.
OHIO RIVER
Belmont County -- Anglers at Pike Island tail waters are catching channel catfish and hybrid striped bass tight lining with chicken livers on the bottom. Sauger are biting in the early morning hours as well as the evening hours. Sauger are biting on spinners and crank baits. Water temperature is 77 degrees.
Monroe County -- Channel catfish and flathead catfish are being caught on the bottom. Channel catfish are biting on chicken livers and flathead catfish are biting on cut bait such as shad and bluegill. Hybrid striped bass are also biting well on chicken liver fished on the bottom. Water temperature is 78 degrees, up slightly, and a bit murky.