The perch fishing is just starting to get good. Walleye fishing continues to be hot. Steelhead have started showing up in numbers offshore to feed. Smallmouth bass are in their summer patterns. Learn where and how to catch your favorite species in this Lake Erie fishing report for July 2025.
Walleye Fishing Report
Western Basin: Walleye can be found throughout the Western basin of Lake Erie. Recent catches have been around West Sister, NE of Kelleys Island, West Reef, and the Cedar Point Dump. While you can catch walleye on just about everything right now, most trollers are using spoons and dipsy divers. Anglers choosing to cast for walleye are using Rapala Finishers and worm harnesses targeting 20 ft. down.
Central Basin: Huron and Lorain are the hot areas right now. South of the Huron dump all the way to Vermilion has been producing fast limits. In Lorain, a good starting area is the dump. Schools of walleye are moving fast in search of food. You may have to move around a little bit to find them from day to day. Spoons and dipsy divers are ruling the trolling scene in the central basin. Note: Don’t be afraid to look in shallow water right now. You may be surprised to find schools of walleye roaming.
Eastern Basin: In PA, 40-70 FOW has been great walleye fishing. Most anglers are trolling, but some have been catching them jigging at those depths. Most likely with forward facing sonar. Trolling plugs or spoons with dipsies has been the most successful method this month.
Perch Fishing Report
Perch fishing is starting to heat up in the Western basin of Lake Erie. Anglers are reporting seeing schools start to roam around the water intake in Toledo, as well as the islands. The Canadian shore around Pointe Pelee has been great perch fishing for the last month. The deep waters off of the Northern shore attract perch year around. If you are looking to target perch, anywhere in Lake Erie, using a sibiki style bait has become the norm. Using a lure such as a Perch Assassin.
Steelhead Fishing Report
Steelhead are found offshore this time of year. They are schooled up and ready to be caught. If you are looking to target offshore steelhead you should be fishing 65+ FOW. Popular ports to target are Avon, Cleveland, Erie, and Barcelona. If you are fishing the North shore, any port will do as the water is deep closer to shore. Use bright colored spoons and dipsy divers to target the fish.
Smallmouth Bass Fishing Report
Most anglers target smallmouth bass around the islands located in the Western basin of Lake Erie. Although you can catch smallmouth around the US islands, Pelee Island (Canada), is the place to be. The entire area round the island is riddled with rubble and boulders. Along with the islands, the rocky shorelines on the South and North shores can be great places to find smallmouth. In these areas, smallmouth roam, so finding them might take some time. Good July baits for smallmouth include a tube, dropshot, ned rig, and a swimbait.
For more Lake Erie fishing reports, be sure to visit our fishing reports page!