The dog days of summer have hit, and they’ve brought great fishing…

The thing that has been so great about this year is the shoreline shallow water bite.   For the past 2 months, the 15-35′ between Huron and Cleveland has been as consistent as it gets, with personal favorite spots being Avon Point, the Lakewood Gold Coast, and Cranberry Creek.   Crashing up and down these breaks with inline weights with Off Shore Boards and bottom bouncers at 1.5mph using spinner rigs has been the key to success.   If the trash fish (white bass, white perch, and sheephead) are bad, I’ve been switching over to Reef Runners and picking up the speed to 2.0mph.  Although the size of fish has decrease over the past few weeks, there are still a few big ones in there, and plenty of quality eater walleyes!

The sand bar off Lorain is still producing lots of fish, with the weather bouy being a top spot, and I expect that to continue through the next month.  Out east, the bite is a little hit or miss, but a good chance a some of the hawg walleyes that have migrated east.  Geneva and Ashtabula are top ports for this.  Tops spot are 10-15 miles out in that 68-74 foot of water.  Target fish in the 35-55 foot down range with spinners or crankbaits.  The key is running around at 30mph and watching the Lowrance electronics until fish show up on the screen.  They move throughout the day, so the key is finding them and staying on them.  Expect a thermocline to develop this week, and for fish to stack up around it.

The open water steelhead has been a little hit or miss, but I have had good reports around the 42 04 line North of Avon Lake.  The problem this year has been the white bass…  It is so hard to keep a spoon down there without it getting followed up by a white bass.  Be prepared to work hard if you try.  I expect the thermocline developing to help the steelhead bite.   The have been a few caught here in there in the Geneva area, but nothing in the 15-20 hookup a day range I am looking for.

August is busy, as I have charters already booked, a salmon steelhead trip the 8th, 9th, 10th to Lake Ontario, a Marlin/Tuna trip in the Jersey Canyons on the 14th, 15, and 16th, the National Team Walleye Championships in Sault Ste Marie the week of the 17th-23rd, and then a Myrtle Beach family runion/ beach shark fishing August 29- Septemeber 1!  I can’t wait!  Charter dates available as of now: July 29, August 2nd, 26, and 28th.  Book now!