Catfish - Largemouth bass - White bass - Yellow Perch
Bull-head and Channel catfish are available
in huge numbers in the western basin of Lake Erie and the Sandusky
Bay than in any other inland or Ohio river population statewide.
These catfish are an underutilized and often un-sought species;
no intense fishery exists for them. Catfish are easily accessible
to both shore and boat anglers, but few anglers seek them as walleye,
smallmouth bass, perch and white bass are preferred. Majority
of late spring and early summer spawning catfish range from 14
to 16 inches and from one or two pounds; these fish are typically
two or three years old. Occasionally, channel catfish exceeding
10 pounds, and possible as old as 20 years are caught. An average-sized
catfish is generally two to four years of age.
Fishing for largemouth bass is slowly becoming more and more recognized on Lake Erie. Between mid-May and mid-July offers the best fishing action for largemouth bass anglers. The top areas to fish are the shallow murky waters around the town of Port Clinton and the Sandusky Bay. The Portage River offers many hot-spots for largemouth bass. Lilly pads, weed beds, brush piles are just a few of the places these shallow water hunters like to prey on baitfish. Many areas around the Sandusky Bay also hold many lunker bass.
Workbaits or lures along 2 to 5 depths off shorelines, weed beds, sunken trees, brush piles and docks. Shallow areas next to deeper waters are excellent places to begin. There are many areas all along the Portage River, the bridges that cross the river, and the numerous canal areas connected to the river. The Sandusky Bay, around the Cedar Point causeway, Johnson Island, The Johnson Island bridge, the Sandusky shoreline and as far west as Fremont offers many uncharted bass fishing habitat.
The white bass fisheries exist for the opportunistic anglers. Large spawning runs of white bass into western basin tributaries like the Maumee and Sandusky rivers in the spring have supported traditional fishing. Boat fisherman also seek out schools of white bass chasing minnows to the surface in open water during the summer months. These wide-eyed anglers look for the circling packs of curious sea gulls that have their attention on the frenzied action of minnows leaping out of the water, followed by larger fish boils. Many experienced white bass anglers realize these fish can be taken in large numbers from warmwater discharges that bring in baitfish and white bass during the winter and early spring. Remember that white bass fishing is often a hit or miss; these schools are always on the move and their location can vary widely from week to week.
White bass are usually found nearshore or in shallower waters less than 20 feet in the Western Basin and less than 35 feet in the Central Basin. White bass tend to be located in the upper two-thirds of the water depth. They spawn in the spring in major tributaries of the lake, but also spawn in embayments and on nearshore reefs or gravel. They oftn can be caught during this time at depths from 2 to 20 feet. As juveniles switch over to eating larval and juvenile fish during their first summer. Adults eat primarily fish. Fish species commonly seen in white bass diets include gizzard shad, minnows or shiners, smelt (Central Basin), white perch, and rarely, other white bass or yellow perch.
White bass can reach eight inches in length after the first growing season. They also can live up to 10 years, and can somtimes reach 18 inches and 3-4 pounds or more. Typically the white bass caught are one or two years old. Some males are sexually mature in their second year of life, but all male white bass are mature in their third year. All females are sexually mature in their fourth year, and a few in their third.
Typical tackle for white bass can be as simple
as a live minnow rig, or as complicated as an in-line spinner
combined with a rubber trailing jig fished behind a surface chugger
or agitator. The most popular tchniques are spinners or jigs with
twisters fished high in the water column to the aggressively feeding
fish. Also, many popular small crankbaits, other minnow imitations,
and even streamer flies can also work on feeding schools of white
bass.
The tasty yellow perch are one of the most popular species to Western Basin fisherman and all Lake Erie anglers. Perch fishing often passes walleye fishing during the late summer through fall when perch are concentrated in large schools nearshore and are caught relatively easily. Unfortunealty, the yellow perch's spawning success is extremely variable and is dependent on postive environmental conditions. In the spring, yellow perch spawn over a variety of depths and habitat types ranging from shallow gravel bars & reefs, to sandy vegetated embayments, to hard mud bottoms out to depths of 45 feet. Typically, in Lake Erie, yellow perch tend to be found suspended near or on the lake bottom. During the summer yellow perch tend to move offshore to deeper depths of 30- to 40- foot. But as the waters begin to cool during the late summer and early fall, yellow perch generally begin to form schools and move closer inshore. The can usually be found schooling in 35- to 55- foot depths in the late summer, and move into 10- to 40- foot depths as the water temperatures drop more in the fall. Usually, they are found in shallower water in the Western Basin than anywhere else on Lake Erie. During the winter, they can be found in many of these same areas as well, but the schools can more often be loosely aggregated as fish begin to prepare for spawning in the spring.
Zooplankton, other aquatic invertebrates or insects, and even an occasional zebra mussel is the food of juvenile yellow perch. Adult yellow perch consume less zooplankton and more insects and adult fish. Most of the fish consumed by yellow perch are shiners or minnow species, but smelt, trout-perch, round gobies, or even juvenile yellow perch may be consumed.
Bottom fishing with live shiners or minnows
is the preferred method used by anglers to take yellow perch.
The most effective and simplest technique uses two or three hooks
attached to a spreader or "perch rig" and weighted with
a sinker to get the bait down to the bottom quickly. Anglers have
become more successful by changing the location of the bait on
or near the bottom. This jigging or movement technique up and
down in the water column has led to larger catches. Fisherman
also use dead, salted minnows, nightcrawlers, red worms or perch
belly meat as a substitute for live minnows. Ice fishing can also
be a good method for taking perch. Again, minnows are the preferred
bait, but some perch are taken on ice jigging spoons or jigs tipped
with waxworms, maggots or worms.
CURRENT
HOW, WHEN & WHERE TIPS:
Catfish
4-29-99 - Of course the catfish are being caught now. Many of the shore anglers are having stringers full of channel and bullheads. The Old Bay Bridge fishing access has been extremely crowded with anglers. Also, most of the launching parls that have a breakwall are slowly seeing more and more shore fisherman catch catfish.
Largemouth Bass
4-29-99 - Largemouth are being more easy to catch as these days keep suuny and the shallow marina and back cove waters warm during the daylight hours. While driving thru a marina on Wednesday, we witnessed a couple of fisherman on a bass boat pull up a nice largemouth on a spinnerbait! We stopped and asked how there luck was, and they said GREAT! They have been catching them on spinner baits around the docks in every marina they could make it into. The Portage River has also seen plenty of bass boats casting along the RR bridge, Route 2 Bridge and along the swampy, tree fallen shorelines.
3-31-99 - Currently, a number of Bass fisherman are catching this out of season fish. The primary area of concentration is inand around the Nugent's Canel system. Also, many areas of the Portage river have been good. Most fisherman are throwing rubber worms or jigs with a slow presentation. Most of the Largemouth being cought are small, however a few 2-3 pounders have been seen. The water in the Portage River and Nugent's is murky and low.
White Bass
5-3-99 - The white bass run is getting good. Mostly males are being caught right now, but the females should begin to move in within a week. A lot of bass are being caught on minnows and 3-4 inch jigs.
4-28-99 - The white bass should start to move into the rivers soon for their spring spawning run. The walleye are nearing an end to their run, and white bass follow.
Yellow Perch
OFF SEASON