CLEVELAND, Ohio — Strong winds have pummeled Lake Erie in recent days, making the fishing very difficult. Big west and northwest winds in the forecast for today will again make for a bumpy boat ride. The lake is expected to calm down for the weekend, and cooler lake water temperatures could lure the big schools of walleye closer to shore for Labor Day weekend fishermen.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife is completing it trawl net survey to determine the success of the 2019 spring hatches of walleye and yellow perch, and early indicators report yet another banner hatch of both species of fish.

Fishermen on Thursday in the Cranberry Creek area near the Huron River reported catching numbers of 10- to 12-inch walleye while casting spinner rigs and nightcrawlers, which are two-year-olds hatched in 2017. Lots of 4- to 5-inch walleye from the record-setting Class of 2018 are showing up.

CENTRAL LAKE ERIE

Labor Day weekend fishermen will have to do a bit of scouting to find the schools of walleye. The big fish had been gathering in 55 to 70 feet of water off Cleveland and Wildwood Park, and in 70 to 75 feet of water off Conneaut. With Lake Erie turning over in recent days, cool water has moved in along the Ohio shoreline, with baitfish and walleye also heading for shallower water.

A hot spot on Thursday was the Cranberry Creek area and The Castle just east of the mouth of the Huron River. That area was protected from Thursday’s brisk southwest and westerly winds, and very good numbers of walleye were reported caught in 25 to 29 feet of water by drift-and-cast anglers. Spinner rigs with gold blades and tipped with one-half of a nightcrawler were taking suspended walleye. Fishermen were also finding success with bottom bouncers pulling a spinner rig.

A top spot west of Cleveland has been in 34 feet of water east of the Avon Lake launch ramp. Walleye schools have been marked along the bottom of Lake Erie in 25 to 32 feet of water from Avon Lake to Cleveland. Walleye have been chasing crankbaits and spoons trolled with side planer boards and diving planers.

The yellow perch fishing remains slow, but that could change this week as cooler waters lure the schools of perch to near-shore humps, bumps and drop-offs.

WESTERN LAKE ERIE

Yellow perch fishermen are hoping this is the week when the tasty fish begin to gather in schools around the Lake Erie Islands and 30-fish limits of the green-and-gold become common again. The best report has been the line of buoys around the Camp Perry firing range northwest of Port Clinton. While H Can had been a top choice, A Can, B Can and D Can have given up some perch.

The west side of South Bass Island and the 25- to 30-foot waters east of the Perry Monument have been off-again, off-again perch hot spots. While perch spreaders baited with emerald shiner minnows have been a mainstay, anglers have switched to crappie rigs that suspend golden shiners from a few inches to a couple of feet off the lake bottom.

Emerald shiner minnows are still difficult to get at local bait shops. Minnow netters report the Maumee Bay emerald shiner minnow harvest has been hampered by massive numbers of young of the year walleye.

INLAND LAKES, RESERVOIRS

While the largemouth bass and walleye fishing has slowed on northeast Ohio reservoirs, the muskie fishing has perked up. West Branch Reservoir has been a good lake for late August muskie fishing while trolling the weed beds with diving plugs and drop-offs and casting the shoreline with big spinners and topwater lures.

The late summer largemouth bass fishing has been slow all around the region. The Portage Lakes has been pressured for its panfish and largemouth bass, especially Turkeyfoot Lake. The channel catfish fishing has slowed during the day, but some after dark anglers are picking up a few catfish.