■ Lake Erie/Ohio: Amid scattered reports of tougher walleye fishing due to the recent mayfly hatch and a rash of wind events that had stirred up the western end, captain Eric Hirzel from Erie Gold Sportfishing relayed news of strong catches for his clients using Mini Streak and Stinger Scorpion spoons with copper backs, rigged on No. 2 Tadpoles, targeting fish 16 to 25 feet down in the water column. Hirzel also employed Bandits and said the largest fish came on those crankbaits. The pros at Netcraft also documented widespread good walleye fishing recently in the western end, with limits coming from the water northeast of Gull Island Shoal for anglers pulling crawler harnesses and using 1½ ounce weights fished 26 to 30 feet back. Gold blades with chartreuse beads have been the top producers. For the perch anglers, the ODNR reports the best success has come from the areas around Little Cedar Point, West Sister Island, and the Toledo Water Intake, with spreaders fished in 20 to 30 feet of water.
■ Catawba boat ramp: Beginning on Saturday, the boat ramps at Catawba Island State Park will be closed for construction, according to the ODNR, and will remain closed through the end of the year. The restrooms, fishing pier, and parking area at the park will remain open. Anglers and boaters are urged to use Mazurik boat access area on the north side of the Marblehead Peninsula and Dempsey boat access area on the south side of the Marblehead Peninsula during this closure.
■ Lake Erie/Michigan: The MDNR reports that limit catches of walleye are coming from around Buoys 1 and 2 off the River Raisin, and straight out of Stony Point and near the Michigan-Ohio border. Anglers have been picking up fish trolling copper, chartreuse, or lime crawler harness 50 to 60 feet back in 24 to 28 feet of water.
■ Maumee River: The action is slow and very intermittent on this waterway, with a few catfish anglers avoiding the heat of the day and working from twilight into the night to take fish from the deeper holes, using worms, cut bait, and shrimp fished on the bottom. Anglers have reported a mixed bag of species have been found in the late evenings around the patches of vegetation and at the base of the runs at Weirs Rapids access. Sheepshead, white bass, white perch, smallmouth bass, and catfish have made up the bulk of the catch, with a few crappie and largemouth bass in the picture.
■ Sandusky River: The big news here is very big — the Ballville Dam is coming down. While the angling action on the river is slow, as is usually the case when it is the middle of summer, the action at the dam is intense, with huge jackhammers banging away at the old concrete carcass. Once the dam is gone, many anticipate the start of a new era of fishing on the Sandusky.
■ Lake St. Clair: The muskie fishing has been slow as of late, according to guide Spencer Berman, but he expects a north wind that is in the forecast will add some color to the water and prompt a spike in the activity. Trolling has been the best bet in recent days, with six-inch crankbaits working for the trollers, and Medusas the choice for the casting crowd. The staff at Netcraft reports the bass fishing has been hot on St. Clair, with accounts of many five-fish limits that totaled more than 20 pounds, caught on drop shot rigs and Ned rigs.
■ Sandusky River, Michigan/sturgeon: The lake sturgeon season opens July 16 on the Detroit River, St. Clair River, and Lake St. Clair. On the Detroit River, the fishing is catch-and-release only. On Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River, sturgeon must be between 42 and 50 inches to be kept, with the possession season running through Sept. 30. Anglers are limited to catching and keeping one lake sturgeon per regulatory year (April 1-March 31) and are required to report, within 24 hours, any lake sturgeon they take. Reporting can be done online at michigan.gov/registerfish, or by calling 844-345-FISH.
First Published July 6, 2018, 1:05 a.m.
