Maumee river and Lake Erie report- 1 october 2021

Our man in the field “River Kam” ventured out to lake Erie the other night and scored a couple of 17-18 inch walleye casting off the shore. With that rain we had last week the area waters have cooled down significantly and as a result the fish are just starting to think about putting on that pre-winter feed. Looks like its going to be a good fall fishing season. Head out and explore the lake Erie shores, no boat required.Just toss out a minnow/shad style crankbait – reel in slowly and see what happens . The slow reel is the key . They are calling for South winds and 1-2 footers out on the lake  for most of the day–should be a nice sunny day and good chop for the night bite. We have a good supply of Bombers, P-10s, Reefrunners, Husky Jerks and Bandits.

We have a fresh supply of golden shiners -perfect size for crappie and perch.

 

The river- Throw out a night crawler  just about anywhere and you should get into some nice cats.

Its about time to start looking for some steelhead in the river. The behavior of steelhead trout is mostly temperature-based. Most fish in the river  operate on a  temp and day/night  cycle.  In the fall we see a few early swimmers, which start to show up when the water temperature drops into the 66 – 68°F range- loike where we are now.  When the temps hits the low 60s we will see more steelies will begin to move into the rivers and creeks , feeding actively. As the water  temperature drops into the 50s they will become less aggressive feeders. This time of year they  will concentrate around areas that require extra energy to pass – areas like dams, small waterfalls, or long areas of skinny, fast water. Dont forget about the local creeks , they are some hidden treasures that a lot of anglers pass right by.

Steelhead baits: When fly fishig the tried and true “wooly bugger ” is the go too bait. Although the woolly bugger can be fished anywhere in the water column, it probably is more often fished close to or down on the bottom.  Spinnerbaits that are natural colored also work well this time of year.

Have fun, be safe and good luck fishing .