Lake Erie Fishing Report: Walleye, Bass, and Perch Bite Strong Ahead of Summer Solstice

Artificial Lure here with your Lake Erie and Cleveland fishing report for Saturday, June 14, 2025.

We’re waking up to classic early summer weather, with morning temps around 66°F and highs near 79°F by afternoon. Clear skies and a light southwest breeze make for a gentle chop—just enough to keep things interesting on the water. Lake Erie’s clarity is above average right now with little recent rainfall, and surface temps are sitting right at 63°F, perfect for sparking fish activity. Today’s sunrise hit at 5:52 AM and sunset won’t be until 9:05 PM, so you’ve got plenty of daylight to fill the cooler. Tides aren’t a major factor on a Great Lake, but keep an eye on wind-driven changes in water level, especially if you’re fishing from shore or the piers.

The walleye bite continues to be the main event out here. Reports from FishUSA and local captains say the best daytime action is in 40–45 feet of water, where trolling deeper-diving plugs and small spoons behind divers is putting lots of ‘eyes’ in the box. Limits are common for boats working that deeper contour. If you’re heading out after dusk, tie on bandits or stickbaits and troll in closer—7 to 15 feet near the Cleveland breakwall or off Edgewater is a hot ticket right now, with plenty of eaters reported.

If you’re a bass chaser, the action remains steady both in the bay and nearshore. Largemouth and smallmouth are going for drop shots, jigs rigged with swimbaits, and jerkbaits in baitfish patterns—white and silver are doing the trick as usual. Blade baits and jigging spoons are working great around drop-offs and channel edges, especially early and late when fish slide up shallow.

Don’t overlook yellow perch; the bite is picking up in the harbors and just off the Cleveland shoreline. Fish the spreaders or crappie rigs tipped with live emerald shiners—this is a classic and still the best way to boat a mess of slabs. According to the Ohio DNR, the perch limit in the central zone is 10 per angler—don’t forget to count your fish!

A quick reminder on limits: walleye is 6 per angler, minimum 15 inches, black bass is 1 fish over 18 inches until June 21, and trout or salmon is 2 per person with a 12-inch minimum. Always check the latest regulations and wear that PFD.

Hotspots to check out today:
- The 40–45 foot contour northeast of Edgewater Park for walleye
- The drop-offs at the mouth of the Cleveland Harbor for big smallies
- The inside of the breakwalls near Gordon Park for perch and bonus rock bass

Best baits? For walleye, try deep-diving crankbaits, smaller spoons, or stickbaits at night. Use jigs or swimbaits for bass, and live shiners on a simple rig for perch. Anglers trolling at night are pulling some bonus fish near shore, so stick around after sunset if you can.

Thanks for tuning in to the report—don’t forget to subscribe for daily updates and share your catches with the crew. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.