Indian Lake: Bluegills are spawning. Fish in shallow water with waxworms or redworms. Catfish are biting on nightcrawlers and blood baits. Bass fishing has been good in the channels with plastics. Crappies are scattered with most at depths of 3-4 feet. Saugeyes have scattered, so the best method seems to be trolling with a crawler harness or crankbait. Fish around bridges, Pew Island, the Moose lodge or Crane Town Bridge. White bass are hitting inline spinners all over the lake.
Lake Loramie: Some large crappies have been caught in recent days. A 16-inch crappie was the largest, but many Fish Ohio fish have been measured. Work the shallow water around lily pads and brush with minnows and jigs tipped with waxworms. Bluegills are also biting on ice jigs tipped with waxworms, spikes or redworms. They're also close to the banks. Bass fishing has been good. Use plastics and fish in shallow water. A few spinnerbait hits have been recorded.
Grand Lake St. Marys: The spawn is over, but anglers are still catching plenty of crappies in the channels around brush and rocks. Use minnows or jigs and fish in shallow water. Bluegills are moving in, mostly around docks and rocks, biting on waxworms and redworms. Try flipping a plastic lizard into shallow water around wood to catch a largemouth bass. As usual, catfish are biting all over.
Rocky Fork Lake: A large fish kill – about 99.9 percent white bass – was seen at the end of last week. Wildlife biologists are blaming it on Mother Nature since tests have shown no other cause. Most fish were large and many still contained eggs. Fishing for other species has been good with bass around the points in 5-10 feet of water. Look for stumps and laydowns or the edges of weed beds and fish with spinnerbaits or black/blue jigs. Crappies are 10-12 feet deep. Bluegills are hitting waxworms around docks and brush in the coves.
Cowan Lake: Crappies are still shallow as spawning continues. Most have been found in 2-4 feet of water around stickups and laydowns. Minnows have been best. For saugeyes, work the area around the beach with jigs tipped with nightcrawlers. Catfish have been hitting nightcrawlers, chicken liver, chubs and cut shad.
Paint Creek Lake: Crappies have moved to deeper water, 6-10 feet around laydowns and brush. Use minnows or chartreuse tube jigs. Bluegills are biting around brush on waxworms. For bass, work the points with shad-colored crankbaits or green/pumpkin worms. Bluegills are biting on waxworms in brush. Anglers are catching saugeyes on twisters and crappies on minnows in the tailwaters.
Acton Lake: Crappies are biting all over the lake. The pier, the dam and the lodge have been good spots. You can catch plenty of small ones in shallow water, but the larger crappies are 4-6 feet deep. Bluegills are on the flats, hitting waxworms and redworms. Catfish are going after nightcrawlers, chicken liver and cut shad all over the lake.
Rush Run Lake: Try fishing for bass early in the morning or late in the evening. Topwater baits have been the best bet. Catfish are biting all over the lake.
Lake Erie: Walleye fishing was excellent over the past week. The best areas were from the turnaround buoy of the Toledo shipping channel to West Sister Island, "D" can of the Camp Perry firing range and north and east of Kelleys Island. Trollers have been catching fish on worm harnesses or with divers and spoons. Drifters are using worm harnesses with bottom bouncers or are casting mayfly rigs.
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