Lake Erie Walleyes Dominate as Bass Bite Heats Up

Good morning, anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Lake Erie and Cleveland waterfront fishing report for Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

Today’s sunrise came right around 5:54 AM and you’ll have daylight until sunset at 8:59 PM—plenty of time to hit the water before or after work. Weather-wise, we’re looking at comfortable highs in the mid to upper 70s, with a few clouds and maybe a scattered shower, but nothing that’ll keep the diehards at home. Winds are moderate and should lay down through the day, keeping lake conditions pretty friendly except maybe a little chop in the afternoon. Water temperatures are holding steady around 62°F, which means fish are spreading out and feeding heavily after that late-spring cooldown.

Let’s talk action! This week, Lake Erie continues to prove why it’s the walleye capital of the world. According to FishUSA’s June 9 update, daytime boats are crushing walleye limits in 40–45 feet of water—try trolling deep-diving plugs or small spoons on dipsies or jet divers. At night, the hot bite is in closer, 7–15 feet, with shallow plugs leading the charge. There’s a solid mix of eater-size walleye and some real trophies showing up from the spring hatches. If you’re after that dusk-nighttime bite, tie on a stickbait and slow your troll right up along the breakwalls or just outside the harbors.

Bass fans, you haven’t been left out. Both big and smallmouths are stacked up, especially in the bays and rocky nearshore structure. Reports from clevelandmetroparks.com confirm solid numbers of smallmouth and largemouth coming from the east side (think Bratenahl, Gordon Park, and the mouth of the Rocky River) as well as the inner harbors—drop shot rigs, swimbaits, and the Keitech Model 1 Jig have been especially productive. Don’t forget to add a little Berkley PowerBait attractant for that extra edge.

Bait and lure selection? For walleye, you just can’t go wrong with live minnows, leeches, and nightcrawlers, but most folks are having success on crankbaits, soft plastics, and jighead combos as well—swap in paddle tail minnows or grubs for durability and action. Jigging works wonders, whether you’re vertical or casting to structure nearshore. The River2Sea Bling Spinnerbait and Megabass Vision 110+1 jerkbaits are hot for bass, especially along rocky points and drop-offs.

Hot spots today:
- The Cleveland Harbor breakwalls and E. 72nd Street ramp for fast walleye action, especially at first light and after dark.
- Rocky River mouth and Edgewater Park for bass, both largemouth and smallies.
- Nearshore reefs off Bratenahl for mixed bags and great scenery.

That’s the scoop from the shoreline, docks, and out on the water. Thanks for tuning in—make sure to subscribe so you never miss a report. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.