Grand Lake St. Marys: Good crappie fishing continues. Most are 10 inches deep around brush, under pontoons and docks. Use minnows or jigs. Catfish fishing has been crazy. Use cut shad or nightcrawlers and fish anywhere. Nice size bluegills have been hitting waxworms close to the banks. This weekend is the annual carp derby all around the lake. For details, call (419) 394-5769.
Caesar Creek Lake: Look for deep structure around the mouths of coves in about 15 feet of water to catch crappies. Saugeyes are biting on the flats by tightlining nightcrawlers or by trolling with a crawler harness or spinnerbait around the island. Bluegills are 6 feet deep around stickups. Toss a spinnerbait around wood to catch bass. White bass have been caught near the dam. Catfish are in the creeks.
Paint Creek Lake: Crappie fishing has been very good with most fish 3 to 7 feet deep, hitting minnows. Look for wood or underwater structure. The best bass fishing has been in the creeks with spinners or along the banks of the main lake with pumpkin-colored worms. Good crappie fishing has been going on in the spillway. (There is no size or bag limit on crappies taken below the dam.)
Rocky Fork Lake: Crappies are 7-16 feet deep. Use minnows or chartreusse jigs around wood and brush. Shad-colored crankbaits fished along rock walls and around stumps and laydowns have produced bass. Work the shallow water in the coves to catch nice bluegills. Troll a crawler harness in front of the south beach or around the island for saugeyes.
Cowan Lake: Work the north shore and around the island to catch crappies. Most are in 5-6 feet of water. Bluegills are tight to the banks, hitting waxworms. For bass, fish around stumps and laydowns with spinners and plastics. Fishing Has No Boundaries, Cincinnati chapter, will have an ouiting at Cowan on Saturday and Sunday.
Lake Erie: Walleye fishing has been good, mostly by trolling around the reefs and south of Kelleys Island. For yellow perch, fish off of Marblehead or east of Kelleys.
For Lake Erie information, visit wildohio..com or call (888) HOOKFISH.
Outdoor columnist Jim Morris can be reached by email at sports@coxohio.com.