Lake Erie Fishing Report June 4, 2025: Walleye, Perch, Bass, and Steelhead Bites

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure bringing you today’s fishing report for Lake Erie and the Cleveland area for June 4, 2025.

Sunrise hit at 5:55 AM this morning with sunset coming at 8:59 PM, giving us over 15 hours of good daylight for casting lines. We’ve got comfortable temps—expect highs around 24 to 26°C (that’s 75 to 78°F) and lows near 16°C (about 60°F). There’s a chance of scattered rainfall, which is pretty standard for early June in Cleveland, but the lake conditions early this morning are much calmer than they were this past weekend, when wind and waves kept most folks dockside.

The water is warming up, sitting around 17°C (62°F), ideal for turning up fish activity. After the weekend blow, clarity is improving fast, and bait is already pushing closer to shore. The bite is starting to pick up right on time.

On the catch front, Lake Erie continues to live up to its name as the Walleye Capital of the World. According to recent reports from FishUSA and Ohio DNR, limits of walleye are coming in both day and night, especially as the bite has really turned on with calmer weather. Daytime finds most boats working in 18–30 feet of water, while the after-dark crowd is hammering fish shallow, anywhere from 7 to 15 feet. Anglers are also seeing a strong class of trophy-sized walleye from recent hatches, so keep that net handy!

Yellow perch have been active from Toledo all the way over into Cleveland’s harbors. The west end is hot, but the central zone limit is now just 10 fish per angler—so double-check those local regs before heading out. Good numbers are coming in on crappie rigs or spreaders tipped with emerald shiners.

Bass fishing’s on fire, too—both smallmouth and largemouth are coming out of submerged structure and shoreline rocks. Remember, you’re limited to one black bass per day during the spawning window, and it has to be at least 18 inches long.

Steelhead are still cruising the nearshore and tributary mouths, so keep a rod ready for a bonus silver bullet if you’re running spoons or stickbaits. The trout and salmon daily limit is two fish at a minimum of 12 inches.

Best baits and lures right now:
- Walleye: stickbaits like Smithwick Rogues or Husky Jerks after dark, deep-diving crankbaits or crawler harnesses during the day.
- Perch: Emerald shiners on spreader rigs.
- Bass: Soft plastics (tubes, flukes) and drop-shot rigs.
- Steelhead: Spoons, small crankbaits, or drifting spawn sacs.

A couple hot spots to try: the Cleveland breakwall, especially near Edgewater Park, and the mouth of the Rocky River for a mixed bag of bass, walleye, and a shot at steelhead.

That’s your June 4th Lake Erie report. Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure, your source for what’s biting and where. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report, and be safe out there on the water.

This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease.ai.