Walleye are in the spotlight in 38 to 53 feet of water, with trolling fishermen catching trophy walleye on inline spinner rigs and spoons. The hot colors are purple, pink and green, with copper or brass blades generally best. Orange-colored blades have been hot the past couple of days. Fishermen are targeting the 25- to 35-foot depths, using 1- to 3-ounce weights to get spinners down and planer boards to take lures away from the boat in the clear water.

Big walleye schooling off Cleveland can be found the Avon Point to Wildwood Park. While spoons are just beginning to take walleye, they’re also scoring on a few big steelhead trout in deeper water.

Yellow perch fishing is still slow, but fair catches have been reported in 25 to 32 feet of water off Bratenahl, East 72nd Street and the Rocky River. Some perch are being caught by anglers casting from the rocks at East 72nd Street. Cleveland Harbor fishermen are catching lots of rock bass and a few crappie around shoreline rocks on jig-leech combos and minnows or small worms worked under a float. Perch fishing off the Lorain Lighthouse has perked up, but big catches are still hard to find.

Central Lake Erie

Walleye fishing has been good from Huron to Geneva. Walleye are being caught in 50 to 65 feet of water northeast of Fairport Harbor, and in 42 to 60 feet of water off Geneva. Some walleye are moving into shallow water, being caught in 15 to 25 feet of water from Huron to Lorain. Deep water on the west side of the Lorain Sand Bar has been a top spot.

Yellow perch are being caught in 25 to 30 feet of water off the Chagrin River, in 38 feet northwest of Fairport Harbor and northeast of Ashtabula, and in 35 to 40 feet off Conneaut. A few perch are being caught from Mentor’s Headlands Beach Pier in the lighthouse area.

Western Lake Erie

Drift-and-cast and trolling fishermen are taking walleye around the western end of the lake, focusing on the deeper water north of the Niagara Reef Complex all the way to the Ohio-Ontario border. Walleye are also being caught around the north side of North Bass Island, west of Green Island and southwest of Kelleys Island.

Yellow perch are being caught in fair numbers along the Marblehead Peninsula and the southeast corner of Kelleys Island.