CLEVELAND, OHIO — Two especially dynamic species of fish — feisty smallmouth bass and hard-charging steelhead trout — are starting to gather along the Lake Erie shoreline and around the mouths of the Northeast Ohio tributaries of Lake Erie.

A couple of early-arriving steelhead trout were reported caught this week from the marina area of the lower Rocky River. Fishermen are casting spoons for the big trout around Cleveland Harbor.

With Lake Erie cooling to about 69 or 70 degrees, expect the fall walleye and steelhead trout bite to improve in the coming weeks.

CENTRAL LAKE ERIE

Fishermen are marking a lot of walleye with their sonar units, but the fish have been particularly hard to catch this week. Some big schools of walleye have been noted in 40 to 42 feet of water from Lorain to Avon Point. The top lures have been crankbaits, or diving plugs, with Bandits and Reef Runner with chrome-dominated paint jobs topping the list right now.

The best catches off Cleveland, Fairport Harbor and Conneaut have come in 65 to 70 feet of water, with walleye and some steelhead trout suspending about 30 to 55 feet below the surface.

Trolling crankbaits with 2-ounce weights about 100 to 140 feet behind the boat have been a good combination for deep water walleye. There are also shallower patches of walleye from Huron to Cleveland in 20 to 25 feet of water.

Schools of yellow perch have been moving closer to shore in the Vermilion, Lorain and Cleveland areas, but they’ve changed their habits. According to Ohio Sea Grant reports, because of a lack of oxygen in the waters close to the lake bottom, the perch seem to be suspending 10 to 15 feet off the bottom and feeding on water fleas, not minnows.

Emerald shiner minnows, traditionally the top live bait for catching a limit of perch, are very hard to find at bait shops along the Ohio shoreline right now.

Lake Erie anglers are casting tube jigs, crankbaits and drop shot rigs for near-shore smallmouth bass, and bouncing rocky structure with jigs tipped with leeches, crayfish and minnows.

WESTERN LAKE ERIE

The Western Basin walleye fishing is in a bit of a slump, but cooler waters should make a big difference soon. With temps expected to sink below 70 degrees fairly soon, head to the reefs and rock piles for walleye and cast a small spinner rig with a gold blade or a weight-forward spinner, both tipped with a nightcrawler.

The areas around the Cedar Point dumping grounds, about 3 to 6 miles east of Kelleys Island and along the Ohio-Ontario border northwest of the Bass Islands have been overworked in recent weeks, but should still offer some decent walleye fishing. Trolling with diving planers and spoons remains a top method.

Yellow perch fishing had perked up a bit, but is slow again. The perch seem to be suspending, rather than relating to the lake bottom, so present minnows on crappie rigs and suspend the rigs a few feet off the bottom.

The channel catfish bite has been fair to good, especially for big catfish, around Sandusky Bay. Catfish are biting on uncooked shrimp, night crawlers and cut bait.

INLAND LAKES, RESERVOIRS

The walleye fishing is fair to good at Mosquito and Berlin reservoirs while trolling spinner rigs and nightcrawlers. LaDue and East Branch reservoir water levels are down a few feet right now.

Cleveland area fishermen are still catching trophy largemouth bass at Wallace Lake in Berea. Panfish are biting at Ledge and Shadow lakes and Beyer’s Pond in the Cleveland Metroparks.

GET READY FOR STEELHEAD

To get ready for the cold water trout fishing on the Northeast Ohio tributaries of Lake Erie, check out the Steelhead Expo on Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Rocky River Nature Center. The all-day event is a collaborative effort between the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders and Cleveland Metroparks.

The free expo has a wealth of seminars, lots of fishing exhibits and a raffle to help the steelheader’s group fund fishing derbies, angling clinics and conservation programs on the local rivers.