CENTRAL OHIO Buckeye Lake (Fairfield, Licking, and Perry counties) – The warm temperatures of last week have increased water temperature to the mid 70’s and above. Use crank baits, tubes and creature baits around Clouse Cove and Cranberry Marsh for largemouth bass; also fish any rip rap or woody cover. Try using chicken livers on the north shore from Seller’s Point to the north boat ramp when seeking hybrid striped bass. For bluegill, fish the eastern side of the lake using small worms and larval baits beneath a bobber. Crappie measuring seven to 12 inches and can be taken using minnows suspended by a bobber from shoreline areas that have submerged cover. This is central Ohio’s top lake for flathead catfish. Use live chubs or small sunfish and heavy sinkers fished along the lake bottom for best results. This is also one of the region's top lakes for carp, try prepared baits and dough balls fished along the bottom. Griggs Reservoir (Franklin County) – This 361-acre lake in Columbus offers shore-fishing access on the east side of the lake. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are hitting right now. Try plastic tubes and creature baits fished along rip rap and cover for the best results. Crappies are still being found in shallow water around woody cover. Use minnows or jigs suspended by a bobber fished right in the cover. Carp are large and plentiful in this local lake. Use prepared baits and dough balls. NORTHWEST OHIO Bellevue Reservoir #5 (Huron County) – Bluegill are being caught during the mornings and evenings by fishing wax worms under a slip bobber. Try the east side. Auglaize River (Defiance County) – Channel catfish have been caught in good numbers during the daytime. Stillfishing with goldfish at the base of the power dam is having the best results. Maumee River (Defiance County) – Crappie are being taken during the day time by fishing minnows under a slip bobber. Independence State Park is a great spot. Also, catfish have been taken by still fishing night crawlers on the bottom. Great fishing during the day as well as at night. Paulding Reservoir (Paulding County) – The water temperature is 80 degrees. Channel catfish are being caught during the mornings and evenings by still fishing night crawlers. They are being caught reservoir wide. Bluegills are also being caught. Mornings and evenings are best. Fishing wax worms under a bobber is working great. They are being caught reservoir wide as well. NORTHEAST OHIO Atwood Lake (Carroll and Tuscarawas Counties): The white bass bite is on! Anglers are catching large numbers of white bass up to 16-inches. White twister tailed jigs or jig and minnow combinations have been most productive. Both shore and boat anglers have had success jigging around rip rap, with boaters also catch white bass while trolling. Berlin Lake (Stark, Mahoning, and Portage Counties) - The summer catfish bite is starting to warm up in this large, multi-species lake. Catfish from 12 to 16-inches are being caught on night crawlers around the Price Street and State Route 14 bridges. Cuyahoga River (Summit County) – Anglers are catching smallmouth bass while fishing the canal near the towpath trail in southern Akron. Anglers should also try launching at Waterworks Park on Munroe Falls Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls and floating downstream for an hour or more. White bass and pike have also been caught in this river. North Reservoir, Portage Lakes (Summit County) – Boat anglers are experiencing a bass fishing frenzy while tossing crankbaits near shore. Crappie, perch, and bluegill are being reported by angler while bass fishing. Several fish measuring upwards of 14-inches have been caught. Fishing until the action stops, taking a 15 minutes break, and then fishing some more have produced good results. Tappan Lake (Harrison County) - White bass have been biting here as well. Early morning and late evening have been the most productive times, with curly tailed jigs and spinners cast around rip rap providing fast action. Bridges have been particularly productive areas. Bluegill fishing has been hot as well, with anglers catching good numbers on maggots fished under bobbers in shallow water. SOUTHWEST OHIO Great Miami and Twin Creek (Montgomery County) - Smallmouth Bass are hitting well on GMR and Twin Creek. Favorite baits are tube jigs, Crawfish imitations, jigs, Minnows. The anglers doing the best are wading or using small boats to gain access to spots that are not often fished from shore. The bass lay along the edges of the banks looking for a meal before they go to spawn. Anglers are also catching saugeye using the same techniques. The river has been producing lots of 2 to 5 pound channel catfish from Dayton to Franklin. Fishermen are using chicken liver and night crawlers fished on the bottom. Channel catfish catches have been good since the localized storms caused higher water levels in the river. Best catches of channel catfish have been below the low head dams at Monument Ave., Tay’s Station, West Carrollton, and Miamisburg. Grand Lake St. Marys (Auglaize and Mercer counties) - Walleyes are being caught by anglers trolling off of the West Bank. The best lure choices are minnow imitations, crankbaits, or jigging spoons. Keep the bait about three to four feet deep. Channel catfish are hitting on cut bait, night crawlers, or shrimp. Fish the bait tightline along the bottom. A particularly good spot is Windy Point along the West Bank. Cast into the rocky riprap areas or the mouths of the creeks entering the lake. Bluegills are hitting on wax worms. Keep the bait under a bobber and about two foot deep near any type of structure including the rocky areas. C. J. Brown Reservoir (Clark County) – Walleye fishing continues to improve. Early morning boat anglers fishing jigs tipped with a night crawler over the mid-lake humps and in the north end of the lake are beginning to catch some nice walleye. Remember there is a 15-inch minimum size limit and daily bag of six on walleye. Bluegills are being caught around the rocky shorelines of the dam and the marina. Also, try fishing the wooden piling structures near the boat ramp and campground. Use wax worms or redworms for bluegill, fished under a bobber. Anglers are still catching a few white bass along the rocky shorelines. Try using small spinners, jigs, or minnows. Caesar Creek Lake (Warren County) – Muskie anglers continue to be successful. Try casting large bucktail spinners, jerk baits, or crankbaits around standing or fallen timber in coves or along main lake shorelines. If you catch a muskie, please report it to the Ohio Huskie Muskie Club at www.wildohio.com Try trolling crankbaits or inline spinners tipped with a night crawler, and casting a jig tipped with a night crawler to catch saugeye. Try fishing the island area between the buoyed hazard area and the campground boat ramp. A few crappie are still being caught by anglers fishing deep water woody structure with minnows under a bobber and small hair or tube jigs in white or chartreuse. Bluegills are being caught in the coves around woody structure. Try using wax worms or redworms fished under a bobber. Use spinner baits and crankbaits around shoreline cover for bass early in the morning or late in the evening. East Fork Lake (Clermont County) - Flood waters have receded and the lake is about one foot above summer pool. Largemouth bass are being caught in about seven to eight feet of water. Anglers are having success with Texas rigged plastic worms and crankbaits. Most are being caught in the coves along brushy cover. Crappie are also being caught in about six to seven feet of water on minnows. They are also in the coves along woody cover. SOUTHEAST OHIO Turkey Creek Lake (Scioto County) - Anglers have had success casting for black bass using rubber worms and spinners fished on the bottom in the shallow waters on the north side of the lake. Good catches of redear sunfish have been caught on night crawlers fished in six feet of water off the point across from the beach. Muskingum River (Washington County) - June is a great month for bluegill fishing – try casting into the tailwater areas for “gill” catches that average seven inches, with anglers reporting good numbers caught in the Marietta pool. Try using red worms and wax worms fished under a bobber for best results. For sauger, try fishing jigs tipped with minnows, and jigs with rubber bodies. Crappie fishing is best around heavy cover along the river, try casting small jigs tipped with minnows. LAKE ERIE ** The daily bag limit for Lake Erie walleye is 6 fish per angler. The minimum size limit for walleye is 15”. ** ** The daily bag limit for yellow perch is 30 fish per angler on all Ohio waters of Lake Erie.** ** The steelhead daily bag limit is 5 fish per angler through August 31. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches. ** The Lake Erie black bass (largemouth and smallmouth) season is closed to possession (catch-and-release only) from May 1 through June 25. On June 26 the daily bag limit will return to 5 fish per angler with a minimum size limit of 14”.** Western Basin Walleye: The best fishing in the western basin has been around “L” can of the Camp Perry firing range, Niagara Reef, “D” can of the Camp Perry firing range, S of Green Island, and also N of Kelleys Island. Casters are using mayfly rigs or drifting bottom bouncers with worm harnesses. Trollers are catching fish on spoons and dipsys or jet divers, worm harnesses with inline weights, or with crankbaits. Yellow perch: The best perch reports have come from Marblehead, Kelleys Island, and Rattlesnake Island. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Central Basin Walleye fishing has been excellent between Ruggles Reef and Lorain in 28 to 32-feet of water. A few fish are being picked up nearshore in 30 to 50-feet off Cleveland and Chagrin River. Anglers are also picking up fish 38 to 50-feet NW off Geneva and 47-feet 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 to 50-feet N off Cleveland and 40 to 50-feet NE off Wildwood State Park, 50 to 55-feet NW off Fairport and 49 to 54-feet 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 Street 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-feet 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 69 degrees off of Toledo and 55 degrees off of Cleveland. For the most current steelhead information visit: www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/FishingSubhomePage/fisheriesmanagementplaceholder/fishingfairportsteelhead/tabid/6166/Default.aspx Anglers are encouraged to always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device while boating. To view the predicted weather forecast for Lake Erie visit: http://weather.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/fmtbltn.pl?file=/raw/fz/fzus61.kcle.glf.le.txt To view Lake Erie boating information, safety tips, and launch ramps visit: www.dnr.state.oh.us/default/tabid/2062/Default.aspx OHIO RIVER Racine Dam Area - Hybrid striped bass fishing has picked up this past week, with fish in the five to 10-pound range being caught at the dam. Hybrids are being taken with live bait, plastics, and crank baits, both with and without agitators. Sauger, smallmouth bass, and largemouth bass were also being caught this past week. Try twister tails, grubs, or minnows anywhere along the walkway and further down. White bass were also being caught in good numbers along the walkway.