Jim Morris' weekly fishing report

Clark Lake: This little lake about eight miles east of Springfield has been producing some nice fish this spring. Anglers are catching crappies – some up to 13 inches – mostly on minnows. Plenty of bullheads and channel cats are biting on nightcrawlers or chicken liver. One angler caught four three-pound largemouth bass while crappie fishing. A few trout are left from the March stocking.

C.J. Brown Reservoir: Fish around the marina for crappies. Most are close to the banks in 1-2 feet of water. Use minnows or small jigs tipped with waxworms. Channel and blue catfish are being caught all over the lake on nightcrawlers, cut shad and chicken liver. Walleye fishing has been slow.

Lake Loramie: Anglers are hammering the saugeyes in the spillway, using 3-inch black curly tails. Some good crappie fishing has been reported around the Ohio 119 bridge, using minnows or chartreuse or pink jigs. Catfish are hitting nightcrawlers and bass minnows. Bluegills are hitting ice jigs tipped with waxworms.

Grand Lake St. Marys: Crappie fishing continues to be outstanding in the channels around brush and wood. Use minnows or jigs. The best colors have been chartreuse, pink, white or purple. Also, many crappies have been hitting the Berkley Alive baits. Bluegills are biting on waxworms. A number of small bass have been hitting minnows being jigged by crappie fishermen. Catfish are going after nightcrawlers, cut bait and bass minnows. Walleyes or saugeyes have been caught in Beaver Creek (below the spillway).

Cowan Lake: The best bite for crappies has been on the north side of the lake in water 2-5 feet deep. Use minnows and work the drop-offs. Bass have been hitting crankbaits with a slow presentation. Channel cats are being caught with nightcrawlers. Use waxworms or red worms to catch bluegills.

Indian Lake: Crappie fishing has been excellent when anglers can find clear water. Recent rain has made the lake muddy. The best crappie baits have been minnows and jigs tipped with waxworms. Bass have been caught in the game reserve and in shallow water along the rocks. Use black/blue jigs or ChatterBaits. For saugeyes, use Vib-E's or bass minnows and try the south bank or the "donut harbor." Catfish are biting all over on nightcrawlers, chicken liver or shrimp.

Paint Creek Lake: Excellent crappie fishing has been reported in the creek arms. Look for wood and fish with minnows 3-6 feet deep. Bass have been hanging out just off of points and rocky bluffs. Use black/blue jigs or green/pumpkinseed worms. White bass are running in the creeks, hitting inline spinners. Saugeyes and crappies have been caught from the spillway.

Rocky Fork Lake: The best crappie fishing has been around Kelley's Cove or around the north beach. Use minnows or jigs and fish 4-10 feet deep around wood or brush. Work the points to catch bass with black/brown jigs or Shaky Heads. White bass are hitting Roostertails or Mepps in Rocky Fork Creek or Clear Creek. A few saugeyes have been caught by slow trolling around the south beach with Shad Raps or twisters tipped with nightcrawlers. Bluegills are hitting waxworms around docks.

Caesar Creek Lake: Crappies fishing has been picking up as the fish move closer to the banks. They have been staging at about 5-8 feet, hitting minnows and ice jigs tipped with waxworms. Musky fishing has dropped off a bit, but there are still some anglers trolling around the cove next to the Ohio 73 bridge. A few saugeyes have been caught from the banks, but they're still not hitting on the flats.

Acton Lake: Crappie fishing had been good all over the lake. They are hitting minnows or jigs. Green/black or pumpkinseed have been the top colors. Bass are biting on slow presentations of crank baits or jig-n-pig. Saugeyes have been hitting Hot-N-Tots slow trolled.

Lake Erie: Walleyes have been caught by anglers trolling and jigging over the past week. Trollers have caught fish around the outer cans of the Camp Perry firing range with "D" can being best. Rapala deep husky jerks have been the most consistent crankbait. Fish have been caught by jigging near shore west of the reefs and also on some of the reefs within the Camp Perry firing range. Purple or green hair jigs have been the lure of choice for jiggers.

Maumee River: High water has made fishing difficult. A few walleyes have been caught near Ft. Meigs. The run should continue as the water level drops. Check conditions and results at wildohio.com or maumeetackle.net.

Sandusky River: Flood conditions exist at most fishing locations. The run should continue as the river level recedes. Check wildohio.com.

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