Email: "The Fish Ohio Report, June 16, 2010"
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CENTRAL OHIO

Hoover Reservoir (Delaware and Franklin counties) - Crappie fishing is slowing down as fish move to deeper water. Saugeye are becoming more active as the summer pattern starts to set up. Trolling worm harnesses and crank baits along the east shore can be productive. Bluegills are active now in shallower areas, flats and the back of coves. Try wax worms or night crawlers suspended by a bobber. Channel catfish are becoming active again. Fish the north basin using shrimp, night crawlers or chicken livers. There is a 10 horsepower limit at this reservoir.

Kokosing Lake (Knox County) - This 149-acre lake in Knox County is limited to outboard motors of 10 horsepower or less. Largemouth bass are being caught around shoreline cover and along the dam using crankbaits and tubes. Bluegills are in shallow areas, try wax worms or night crawlers under a bobber. Crappies have moved to deeper water. Use minnows or crappie jigs fished under a slip bobber around cover or the old creek channel for best results. Channel catfish can be caught on chicken livers, shrimp, or night crawlers fished on the bottom.

NORTHWEST OHIO

Delphos Gillmor Reservoir (Van Wert County) – The water temperature is 73 degrees and the water is clear. Saugeye have been taken recently in the evenings. Trolling or casting minnows or green twister tails anywhere along the bank is working well.

Van Wert Reservoir #1 (Van Wert County) – Small bluegills are being caught anytime of the day or night by fishing panfish jigs or wax worms under a slip bobber. South bank is best.

Bellevue Reservoir #5 (Huron County) – Some nice crappie are being taken here in the evenings. Try casting white twister tails along the north shore.

Ferguson Reservoir (Allen County) – Blue gills are being taken in the daytime. Casting jigs or still fishing night crawlers or crickets around the boat ramp is working well. Crappies are also being taken mornings, evenings, and nights by casting jigs or fishing minnows or wax worms under a slip bobber. Try the east and south banks for crappies.

NORTHEAST OHIO

Mosquito Lake (Trumbull County) – Many walleye are taken in shallow waters near wave-washed shores or while anglers are trolling crankbaits in about 14-feet of water. The best place is usually between the island and the causeway on the north end of the lake. Boat anglers should also trying jigging for walleye in the weed beds. On the west side of the lake, largemouth bass tend to bite close to shore. While chances are greater in March and April, some lucky anglers may even catch a northern pike since many have been observed by biologists during surveys. Anglers seeking pike should try large shiners, chubs, or suckers. There is unlimited horsepower at this 7,241-acre lake. Wheelchair accessible shoreline facilities are available. An updated map of Mosquito Lake is available at www.wildohio.com

Pymatuning Lake (Ashtabula County) – In the past, walleye have been biting well this time of year, with fish in the 20 to 25-inch range often being caught on crawler harnesses and brightly colored crankbaits. Troll the main lake basin while searching for schools of baitfish with a depth finder to locate the active fish. Largemouth bass, located much closer to the shore, tend to also be aggressive. Try quickly retrieving brightly colored spinner baits through shallow weed beds.

Tuscarawas River (Tuscarawas County) – Smallmouth bass, saugeye, and channel catfish can usually be caught this time of year near the Dover Dam off of State Route 800. Note: Most of the land along the river is in private ownership and access from shore is limited. A public boat ramp has been constructed east of Tuscarawas, Ohio on Tuscarawas Road. Anglers are reminded to obtain permission from the landowner to access fishing from the shoreline. Water conditions can vary so be sure to check up on current conditions with a local bait shop or wildlife officer. A fair number of eight to 14-inch smallmouth bass are present and jigs or crayfish fished on the bottom are an angler’s best bet. Targeting rocky structure just out of the main current or fishing underwater structure provides good results. Saugeye averaging 10 to 17-inches are also present and will likely hit on jigs and curly tails in the deeper pools of water near structure and wooden debris. Try tipping a jig with a minnow or earthworm, too. Channel catfish between 10 and 16-inches in size can be caught with cut bait, stink bait, chicken liver, or earthworms near undercut banks and areas with wooden debris piles.

SOUTHWEST OHIO

East Fork Lake (Clermont County) - Channel catfish are biting on chicken liver, shrimp, and stink baits fished on the bottom. Lots of six to seven inch bluegills have been caught recently around boat docks, rip rap shorelines, and along the edges of lily pads. Try using small jigs tipped with wax worms fished just one to two feet under a small bobber.

Paint Creek Lake (Highland County) - Good numbers of channel catfish are being caught by anglers using shrimp, cut bait, and chicken livers fished on the bottom under a bobber or by tight lining baits on the bottom. Successful catfish areas include the more shallow waters near the boat ramp or along the dam. Night fishing produces the best results. Bluegill, six to eight inches in length, are being taken on red worms or wax worms fished around woody cover found in six to 15-foot depths.

SOUTHEAST OHIO

Seneca Lake (Guernsey and Noble counties)– Angler surveys report good catches of striped bass were reeled in last weekend using artificial lures trolled near the first small island outside of the no wake zone. Saugeye were caught by trolling jigs tipped with a twister tail and a minnow. Channel cats have also been caught off the banks of the lake near Briar Hill Road past the last island in the upper section of the lake.

Tycoon Lake (Gallia County) – Water conditions are slightly cloudy and high. Both crappies and bluegill were being caught along the banks and around structure on minnows, wax worms, or grub tails before rainfall earlier in the week. A few catfish are being caught at night on chicken liver or night crawlers fished on the bottom.

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 NE of West Sister Island, east of Middle Sister along the Canadian border, and three to five miles east, northeast of Kelleys. 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 Green 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 36-feet of water, on Avon point, 40 to 55-feet NE off Edgewater Park in Cleveland and 40 to 60-feet NW off Wildwood State Park, 30 to 50-feet NW off Fairport and 50 to 60-feet NW off Ashtabula. Trollers are using black, purple, orange and green spoons and worm harnesses off planer boards and jet divers.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent in 45 to 50-feet NW off Cleveland and 38 to 41-feet NE off Edgewater Park in Cleveland, 50 to 55-feet NW off Fairport, 37-feet NE off Ashtabula and 37 to 39-feet NE off Conneaut. 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, smoke and brown tube jigs, and by trolling crankbaits.

Based on the nearshore forecast the water temperature is 72 degrees off of Toledo and 66 degrees off of Cleveland.

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 - High water levels and muddy conditions this past week has slowed fishing pressure and success considerably. There were some catfish under 20-pounds caught at the dam on cut bait. As water levels drop back to normal and the water clears, fishing action should improve. Try twister tails, plastic grubs, crank baits and minnows both at the dam and in the tailwater sections downstream. These baits may land you anything from catfish to hybrid striped bass.

Meldahl Dam (Clermont County) – Channel catfish are being taken in good numbers all along the river. Try chicken livers, shrimp, or night crawlers fished on the bottom

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