The walleye bite on Lake Erie’s western basin remains the headline across the Great Lakes this week. Fish have spread out across the basin and are being taken trolling crankbaits and worm harnesses and casting weight-forward spinners over the reefs and open water. The fish have been chunky and plentiful, and the central basin is starting to produce as well.
Smallmouth bass are biting well around the reefs, rock piles, and islands across Erie and the other lakes, taking tubes, drop-shots, and crankbaits — post-spawn fish have settled onto structure and are feeding aggressively. Yellow perch are schooling over the deeper bottom and provide fast action and excellent eating on minnows.
On Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, the salmon and trout troll has been productive, with kings, coho, steelhead, and lake trout coming on spoons and flasher-fly combos run at varying depths. Boats have been finding scattered fish on the temperature breaks and bait schools out in the open water.
Inland and around the harbors, largemouth bass, pike, and panfish are active in the shallows and around weed edges as summer patterns set in. The pier and shoreline anglers have found perch and the occasional walleye on the calm mornings.
Watch the wind on the big water and get out early. The Erie walleye and smallmouth bite should remain excellent through June, and the Lake Michigan salmon troll continues to produce for the trolling crowd.