# ODNR Fishing Report 5/31/06



## Big Daddy

Wildlife News 
Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Division of Wildlife

The Fish Ohio Report

May 31, 2006

CENTRAL OHIO
Buckeye Lake (Fairfield, Licking, and Perry counties) - Hybrid striped bass are really hitting right now along with a good number of saugeye. Anglers were catching these fish on minnows fished on the bottom around the canal at Liebs Island. You can also try chicken livers for catching hybrid stripers. If largemouth bass are your target, use spinner baits, crank baits, and Carolina rigs around Clouse Cove and Cranberry Marsh. Fish along the lake bottom east of Journal Island with cut baits and prepared baits to take channel catfish. The eastern half of the lake is best for bluegill fishing. Use small worms and larval baits beneath a bobber at depths of two to six feet. Crappie measuring seven to 12 inches and can be taken from shoreline areas that have submerged cover using minnows beneath a bobber.

Delaware Lake (Delaware County) - This 963-acre lake provides the highest quality crappie fishing in central Ohio. As water warms with our hot weather, fish the deep drop-offs containing stumps or other cover. Use minnows suspended under a bobber. Crappie must be nine inches or longer to keep. For largemouth bass, fish shoreline cover and drop-offs with crank baits and tubes. Largemouth bass must be 12 inches or longer to keep. Channel catfish can be caught using cut baits and shrimp, especially in the upper part of the lake. 

NORTHWEST OHIO
Beaver Creek Reservoir (Seneca County)  The water temperature is 63 degrees and the water is turbid due to pumping. Bluegill in the 7 inch range and crappie are being caught with fly rods. Largemouth bass in the 3 to 6 pound range have been caught by using surface type 

repalla lures.

Lake McKarns (Williams County)  Very good trout fishing on this pond this week. Afternoons and evenings are best. Fish minnows deep under slip bobbers.

Lake Barton (Williams County)  Nice crappie fishing. Fish minnows under a slip bobber along the south east shoreline for the best results.

Paulding Reservoir (Paulding County)  Saugeye are being caught in the mornings by fishing leaches under a slip bobber.

Auglaize River (Paulding County)  Crappies are being caught in the mornings by fishing minnows under a bobber.

Maumee River (Paulding County)  Channel catfish have been taken in the mornings by fishing with nightcrawlers. The Cecil Bridge seems to be a hot spot recently.

NORTHEAST OHIO

Mosquito Lake (Trumbull County) - This 6,550-acre lake is offering some good fishing. White crappies in the 10 to 12 inch class range are being caught on emerald shiners or jigs with minnows. The western side of the lake, past second point south of the causeway is offering a good spot. Bass in the 10 to 12 inch class range are biting on shiners (emerald or golden colored) as well, in 15 to 20 feet of water. Channel catfish in the 12 to 14 inch class range are biting on minnows on the western side of the lake in 10 to 15 inches of water. Good fishing is in the early in the morning. This lake has unlimited horsepower limit and has wheelchair accessible shoreline facilities. 

Tappan Lake (Harrison County) - Panfishing is picking up with bluegills averaging about eight inches in length. This is a great time for kids to try bobber fishing by using a medium size hook tipped with small pieces of night crawlers (two to three inches long). If you prefer to cast your line out, tighten the line and wait for it to start moving, and then set the hook. The reason for using two different techniques is that its hard for the kids to keep the line tight and watch it move. Its a lot easier for them to watch the bobber, but sometimes bobbers can spook the fish. An updated map of Tappan Lake is available at www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/fishing/lakemaps/lmaps.htm This lake covers 2,132 acres and has a 299 horsepower limit. Wheelchair accessible shoreline facilities are available. 

East Branch Reservoir (Geauga County) - Shoreline access is abundant for six to 10-inch bluegill fishing. Medium (size six to eight) hooks tipped with meal worms or minnows are working best. There is 420 acres of fishing water available with 7.5 miles of shoreline available for fishing. Both sides of the lake near the spillway are about 10 to15 feet deep, a good depth for these panfish. 



SOUTHWEST OHIO

Grand Lake St. Marys (Mercer and Auglaize counties)  Channel catfish are being caught using a long-shanked hook baited with shrimp or nightcrawlers as bait. Fish in areas near the shoreline. Using a slip bobber keep the bait about one to two feet off of the bottom or fish tightline along the bottom. Let the bait drift with the current or use a slip bobber. Use a #8, 1/0, or 2/0 long-shanked hook. Harmons and Windy Points are producing good catches of channel catfish. Bluegills are being caught using a #10 sized hook baited with red worms, waxworms, or jigs with chartreuse plastic bodies. Fishing is good on the south side of the lake. Cast into channels, along the pier, or from the shoreline into areas with rocks or brush. Keep the bait about one to two feet deep. 

Cowan Lake (Clinton County)  Located nine miles southwest of Wilmington on SR 730. Crappies are being caught all around the lake close to shore by using medium or small minnows on a #2 to 6 fine wire hook. Bluegills are being caught close to shore by anglers using a waxworm on a small #6 or 8 fine wire hook as bait. Fish the bait under a bobber and about three to six feet deep. Saugeye are being caught by anglers using a chartreuse jig tipped with a waxworm or nightcrawlers on a #2 sized hook and fished seven to eight feet deep along the rocky bottom. Fishing is good from a boat or canoe by drifting with the currents. 



SOUTHEAST OHIO

AEP ReCreation Land Ponds (Morgan County)  Water conditions in most ponds is clear and normal levels. Nice bass up to six pounds are being caught on K & S Bass Stoppers, night crawlers, spinner baits, and Rattle Traps. Bluegills are hitting wax worms or night crawlers fished under a bobber. These ponds provide an exciting experience for the first-time angler! The ReCreation area map and permit may be obtained by visiting www.aep.com or by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE.

Jackson City Reservoir (Jackson County)  Anglers are having success fishing for channel catfish at this 190-acre reservoir also known as Hammertown Lake. Try fishing cut bait tight-line off the bottom. Most shoreline anglers are catching 12 to 14-inch catfish. 

Seneca Lake (Guernsey and Noble counties)  Water conditions are clear and normal at this time. White bass six to 15 inches can be caught on yellow and red jig heads and small spinner baits. Crappies averaging six to 12 inches will hit jig heads tipped with minnows over a bobber in six to eight feet of water around fallen trees. Saugeye anywhere from 11 to 20 inches have been biting on crank baits, jigs tipped with minnows or night crawlers, or jig heads with yellow or red heads. Best area for saugeye is near the swimming beach. Catfish 12 to 18 inches will hit night crawlers fished on the bottom in the muddy water areas where the small streams flow into the lake.



OHIO RIVER

Greenup Dam (Scioto County)  White bass, freshwater drum and catfish were reeled in by successful anglers over the weekend. Shoreline fishermen fished cut bait tight-line off the bottom for all three types of fish. Drum were reeled in weighing over six pounds. Many of the white bass were in the eight to 12 inch range. Other successful sites along the Ohio River included many of the creek confluences that flow into the main stem.



LAKE ERIE

**The walleye daily bag limit is six fish. A 15-inch minimum size limit for walleye remains in effect for the entire season. The Lake Erie daily bag limit for yellow perch is 40 fish. Lake Erie black bass (smallmouth and largemouth bass) are closed to possession (catch and release only) May 1 through June 23. The daily bag limit for black bass on Lake Erie is five after June 23. The minimum size limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 14-inches. The steelhead trout bag limit is five. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.**

Western Basin

Walleye fishing continues to be excellent with many limits being caught. Fishing has been best around West Sister Island (south, west and north), from E can of the Camp Perry firing range to Niagara Reef, north of North Bass Island, around Gull Island Shoal, and E of Kelleys Island. Drifters are using mayfly rigs or worm harnesses with bottom bouncers, while trollers are using worm harnesses with inline weights or bottom bouncers and jet or dipsy divers with spoons.

The best yellow perch fishing in the western basin has been around the Toledo water intake and Kelleys Island Shoal. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Central Basin

Walleye have been caught northeast of Fairport Harbor in 20 to 25 feet of water and two miles north of Euclid in 46 feet of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses, crankbaits and spoons.


Yellow perch fishing has been fair in 48 to 52 feet of water off of Fairport Harbor and one to two miles north of East 72nd Street in Cleveland in 37 to 38 feet of water. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas and in 15 to 25 feet of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, tube jigs, or by trolling crankbaits.

For Steelhead fishing information visit: http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/Fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 57 to 67 degrees.

To view the predicted weather forecast for Lake Erie visit: http://weather.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/fmtbltn.pl?file=forecasts/marine/great_lakes/le/lez160.


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## peple of the perch

how do u get these before the websight even updates with a report


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