Here is your early winter fishing report for Lake Erie steelhead, walleye, and perch.

Walleye: Most anglers are targeting Ohio fish right as the walleye make their way back to the spawning grounds. Not to mention the derby closing in a week. Fishing from Cleveland to Huron seems to be the hot spot to catch a big female cruising to the bay. Bandits and P10’s assisted with snap weights are catching most of the fish. Fish are being found all over the water column, so fish above what you are marking. Reef Runners as well as live bait are taking some fish as well. Speeds have been all over the place as of late. Seems like it is day by day what they want. We have heard as little as 1.2 and as much as 1.9. The key is to find active fish. There are a lot of people struggling the past few weeks to get fish. If you are marking but not catching, it’s time to move. The shore bite has been inconsistent this year. One night it’s fire, the next it’s dead. You have to be at the right place and time for the bait to be there. The best shore lures are P10’s, Shallow Husky Jerks, Reef Runner 700’s, and live bait under a float. Braid to a flouro leader for casting distance.

Perch: We have no real perch reports in the last week. The last we heard there were some fish around the Marblehead lighthouse, East of Kelley’s, and Green Island. Some perch are being caught off of the piers.

Steelhead: Right now is the time to fish for trout. There are fish at the mouths of the rivers and in the streams. If fishing from a boat target the mouths of the creeks with little cleos or husky jerks in chrome and firetiger back about 50 feet off of planer boards. If wade fishing upstream spawn sacs and minnows under a float are doing the best. Followed by egg and minnow imitation flies. Target the deep tail-outs and slow deep runs for cruising fish.

Hopefully we will have a better report going into Turkey weekend.