Clark Lake: Plenty of catfish and crappies have been caught. Use nightcrawlers to catch catfish. Crappies have been caught mostly on minnows. There is no size or bag limit on crappies caught at Clark Lake.
Lake Loramie: Clearing water has brought on a good crappie bite. Anglers are getting them around lily pads, brush and bridges, mostly on minnows. Bluegills are hitting waxworms and redworms along the banks and in the brush. Saugeye fishing has been good in the main lake and in the bay at Luthman Road. Try casting Rat-L-Traps or troll with a stick bait. Catfish are hitting nightcrawlers all over the lake.
Grand Lake St. Marys: Crappie fishing has been very good under pontoons, but as pontoons are pulled the fish scatter. Work the brush, fallen trees and under docks. Large bluegills are still being taken around docks and brush. Waxworms or redworms have been the best baits. Catfish are hitting nightcrawlers and cut shad.
Cowan Lake: Work the drop-offs with minnows or tube jigs to catch crappies. The ledges in front of the marina are popular. Also fish along the north shore with minnows. Bass fishing has been good early in the morning. Work the banks with topwater baits. Bluegills have been hitting waxworms around brush.
Acton Lake: Fish around the dam, off of the pier and near the beach to catch crappies. Some in the 13-inch range have been caught. Minnows have worked best. Try tossing top-water lures early and late to catch largemouth bass.
Rush Run Lake: Bluegill fishing has been outstanding. Use waxworms and fish around brush and fallen trees. Anglers are also fishing the waxworms in deeper water to catch rainbow trout.
Caesar Creek Lake: Crappie fishing continues to be excellent. Try working the mouths of coves with minnows in about 20 feet of water. Most of the crappies will be suspended about 8-12 feet down. Bluegills are still hitting around stick-ups at depths around 8 feet. Look for white bass action in the creeks. Any shiny or white lure seems to work best. For saugeyes, troll around the island with a crawler harness or crankbait. Also try jigging a nightcrawler on the flats.
Paint Creek Lake: Most of the action has been in the spillway where anglers are catching largemouth bass, crappies, saugeyes and catfish. For bass, use shallow-running crankbaits. (Deep divers will get caught up in debris.) Some anglers are using white or chartreuse twisters and are catching bass or saugeyes. Crappies are hitting twisters or minnows fished under a bobber. On the main lake, look for bass around points. Use crankbaits or green/pumpkin worms. Crappies are deep, hitting minnows or tubes. A few saugeyes have been caught off of the beach.
Rocky Fork Lake: Work the points with crankbaits or plastics. Look for wood. Crappies are deep and the action has been very slow. Bluegills are being caught around docks or in the brushy areas of the coves. Use ice jigs tipped with waxworms. A few saugeyes have been picked up by trolling crawler harnesses around the island.
Lake Erie: The only really good walleye fishing has been in the central basin, 4-6 miles north-northwest of Vermilion using deep-diving crankbaits and harnesses. In the western basin, a few have been caught off of Kelleys Island Shoal and Gull Island Shoal.
The best yellow perch reports have come from the Toledo water intake, Clinton Reef and east of the Kelleys Island airport.
For Lake Erie information, visit wildohio.com or call (888) HOOK-FISH.
Outdoors columnist Jim Morris can be reached through his Website at www.examiner.com/outdoor-recreation-in-dayton/jim-morris or by email at sports@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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