# ODNR Fish Report 10/25/06



## Big Daddy

Wildlife News 
Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Division of Wildlife

The Fish Ohio Report

Oct 25, 2006

CENTRAL OHIO
Deer Creek Lake (Fayette, Madison, and Pickaway counties)  This is the season for tailwater fishing for saugeye at Deer Creek Lake. Most saugeye here measure between 10 and 28 inches and can be caught on small jigs tipped with twister tails or minnows. Continue fishing the tail water for saugeye until spring. Conditions remain good for anglers to take channel catfish in the upper half of the lake. Use night crawlers, chicken livers, and cut baits along the lake bottom for best results. The rocky shorelines and extended points are good places to fish for largemouth bass. Most largemouth bass will measure 10 to 16 inches. Anglers might still pick up some white bass in the vicinity of Tick Ridge.

Delaware Lake (Delaware County)  Areas with deep drop-offs that contain submerged stumps and other cover are good places to fish for crappies when using minnows and jigs. Crappie fishing can be good as the weather cools and this is one of central Ohios best crappie lakes. These same areas also are good bass fishing spots, but use spinner baits or tubes. For channel catfish try fishing on the bottom with cut baits or soft craws in the upper part of the lake. These fish generally measure 12 to16 inches.

NORTHWEST OHIO
Fostoria #1 (Seneca County)  Bluegill are being caught by fishing a worm under a bobber. Set the worm at two to three feet under the bobber. Bullhead are being caught by still-fishing worms on the bottom. 

Fostoria #2 (Seneca County)  Crappie are being caught by casting a rooster tail. Worms fished under a slip bobber at three to four feet are working well also.

Fostoria #3 (Seneca County)  Bluegill are being taken by fishing worms two to three feet beneath a bobber. Small perch are being caught by still fishing shiners on the bottom.

Geirtz Lake (Hancock County)  Catfish are being caught by still fishing worms or shrimp on the bottom.

NORTHEAST OHIO
Tappan Lake (Harrison County)- The hybrid cross between a female walleye and a male sauger- the saugeye- is a fish that can be caught all year round at this 2,132-acre lake. Saugeye stocked in 1999 are expected to average about 21 inches this year. Some fish from earlier stockings may be as large as 30 inches or more. Casting Rat-L-Trap style lures or using crankbaits and jigs with minnows into shallow waters at sunrise and sunset should do the trick. Vertical jigging with Sonars, Cicadas and other jigging type lures around the bridges located on U.S. 250 from mid-October through mid-November can be very effective. Saugeye are attracted to current and with the water level being drawn down at this time, the saugeye congregate at these constriction points, where water current is most noticeable. Its never too muddy for a saugeye, so try black jigs and twister tails in these conditions. The white crappie outlook is good with many crappie averaging 8.5-inches. Anglers are reminded that there is a nine inch minimum length limit for crappie in this lake to improve fish quality. Wheelchair accessible shoreline facilities available; 299 horsepower limit. 

Berlin Reservoir (Portage, Mahoning, and Stark counties)- Although the water is 10 feet below summer pool at this 3,321-acre lake, nine to 17 inch walleye are hitting on artificial baits. Anglers are reminded that there is a 15-inch minimum length limit on walleye and to please wet hands before gently releasing undersized walleye back into the lake. Crappie are also biting near the U.S. 224 bridge and around downed trees/ underwater structure. White crappies are larger (nine to 11 inches) but fewer while black crappies are numerous (averaging 8.5-inches). Unlimited horsepower.

Updated maps of both lakes are available at the Division of Wildlife website: http://ohiodnr.com/wildlife/Fishing/lakemaps/lmaps.htm 



SOUTHWEST OHIO
Grand Lake St. Marys (Auglaize and Mercer counties)  Channel catfish are being caught by anglers using night crawlers, cut shad, or chicken liver as bait. Fish the bait along the bottom of the lake. Anglers are having great success with #2/0 and #4/0 sized circle hooks. Keep the bait along the sides of underwater structure such as the stumps in the shallower bays. Bluegills are being a caught by anglers using wax worms or redworms as bait. Fish the two to three feet deep and under a bobber. Fish the bait along the shore, near any type of structure including the rocky areas and seawalls, and into the channels. Yellow perch are being caught by tipping a jig with night crawlers, minnows, redworms, tiger worms, or wax worms. Cast anywhere along the state beaches and fishing piers. Successful anglers are fishing the shorelines where the wind is blowing into them. Anglers are having success on Auglaize side due the wind patterns. Fish the bait in three to five feet of water and about six-inches off of the bottom. Largemouth bass are being caught by anglers using slow baits such as jig, jig and pig, Carolina Rigs, rubber worms, in the back of the bays. Shad color variations, pink, purple with green head, or a black or white head colored lures are working well. Fish the main lake points. 

East Fork (Clermont County)  Crappies are being caught by anglers using wax worms, tube, jigs, or medium to large sized minnows tipped on white or chartreuse jigs. Fish the bait three to six feet deep, 10 to 14, or 18 to 22 feet deep. Also look for good crappie fishing on the points and back into the cove areas as well as up and into Poplar and Clover creeks. Bluegills are hitting on wax worms or redworms on a #8 sized hook. Keep the bait under a bobber and about two to three feet deep. Cast anywhere around the docks, standing wood, or downed trees. Channel catfish are being caught by anglers using night crawlers fished along the bottom in the mouths of the creeks.

SOUTHEAST OHIO

Piedmont Lake (Belmont County)  Saugeye are starting to move into the shallow areas of the lake as the temperatures start to cool. Anglers have had good catches of saugeye all along the south side of the lake, especially at the County Road 100 bridge and the dam area near the old roadbed. Successful anglers have been using a vertical jigging technique with a jig and minnow set up, or fishing with twister tails, Rapala minnows, or small crankbaits that resemble shad. Water conditions are normal to low with a temperature in the low 60s. 

Tycoon Lake (Gallia County)  Crappie fishing is excellent right now; many crappie reeled in are over nine inches. Use minnows, twister-tails and wax worms in four to six or eight to ten feet of water. Some of the best crappie fishing is going to be near submerged structure along the shoreline near felled trees and stumps.

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. The daily bag limit for black bass on Lake Erie is five. The minimum size limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 14-inches. The steelhead trout bag limit is two. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.**

Fishing information based on reports from the week of 10/16/2006. Over the past week conditions have been poor and fishing information is limited.
With decreasing water temperatures be sure to take extra precaution when fishing on Lake Erie.

Western Basin

Fishing effort directed towards walleye has greatly decreased as western basin anglers have switched to perch fishing. Some success has been reported on Kelleys Island Shoal. Drifters are using mayfly rigs or weight forward spinners, while most trollers are using worm harnesses or spoons with jet or dipsy divers, and crankbaits.

Yellow perch fishing has been slow in the Western Basin. From two weeks ago the best areas were D can of the Camp Perry range, Green Island, Rattlesnake Island, Lucys Point of Middle Bass Island, N of North Bass Island, and the Marblehead lighthouse. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass should start moving shallower as water temperatures drop heading into fall. Fish rocky drop-offs and reefs around the Bass Islands and Kelleys Island along with nearshore areas from Catawba Island to Sandusky Bay to find active fish. Tube jigs and drop shot rigs with goby imitations are the most popular set-ups for smallmouth. 

Central Basin 

Walleye fishing from Sandusky to Vermilion has been good as the number of fish present continues to increase. Walleye have been taken from the Huron dumping grounds to Vermilion around the 27 to 30 north latitude lines. Fish have been caught on spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers and also on deep diving crankbaits.

Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin three miles N of Lakewood (Gold Coast) in 42 feet of water, four miles NE of the Cleveland water intake crib in 48 feet of water, three to four miles N of Fairport in 55 feet of water, and three to four miles N of Ashtabula 50 to 55 feet of water. Fish have ranged from seven to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish. 

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 25 feet of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop-shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

Steelhead fishing has been fair to good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Cowles Creek, Geneva State Park, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber. 

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 48 to 56 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.txt 

OHIO RIVER

Belmont and Monroe counties - Walleye and saugeye fishing has picked up along the river, particularly when they begin feeding - about an hour before sunset and then throughout the night. Check out the pier at the Pike Island Dam (Belmont County), where anglers have had excellent success vertical jigging with twister tails or jig-heads tipped with a minnow. Good catches of smallmouth bass and smaller white bass have been reported in the Pike Island area as well  try casting out with crankbaits resembling minnows or shad. Hybrid striped bass have been caught on big creek chubs or any deep-diving bait that resemble minnows. For hybrid striped bass and channel catfish stay in any of the tailwaters. Channel cats are being caught on cut bait, live shad, chicken livers and worms throughout the river.


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