Late Summer Lake Erie Fishing Report - Walleye, Bass, Cats and More

Good morning from the north shore—Artificial Lure here with your August 8th Lake Erie and Cleveland metro fishing report. We’re sliding deeper into August, and the summer bite is still rolling, though the patterns are shifting as fish respond to the season’s warmth and recent weather.

Let’s kick off with the basics: sunrise today was at 6:25 a.m., and sunset comes at 8:36 p.m. The weather is shaping up beautifully—expect mild lake breezes, mostly sunny skies, and temps climbing from the mid-60s toward the upper 70s by afternoon, classic conditions for August action. According to the National Weather Service, east winds at 5 to 10 knots are bringing calm waters; waves stay minimal at 1–2 feet or less. That’s ideal for nearshore casting and small boaters.

As we transition into late summer, the highlight species in and around Cleveland are walleye, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, panfish, channel catfish, and carp. Walleye, as always, headline the talk. Out in deeper water, anglers are reporting pockets of big fish—tournament boats yesterday out of Dunkirk pulled in more than 26 pounds in a single bag, and locals are still hitting 40-pound, five-fish limits on their best days. Still, the movement of bait and a slight thermal shift means the walleye schools are spread out, so the key is to track bait balls and the thermocline with sonar. Trolling with deep-running crankbaits, dipsy divers with crawler harnesses, and purple Michigan Stinger spoons has been highly effective. Jigging Rapalas and heavy jigs vertically with plastics or live bait are also producing when you find fish suspending mid-column.

Closer to the harbors and sheltered coves, smallmouth bass are lurking in the deeper, rocky holes. Dawn and dusk are prime, as the smallies move up to feed. Tube jigs in dark olive or brown, ned rigs, and dropshot setups are solid choices—anything mimicking crayfish or baitfish gets hammered. Wallace Lake harbors largemouth bass, and they're chasing topwater lures early or flipping plastics near docks and weeds as the sun comes up. According to the Cleveland Metroparks, a simple waxworm under a small bobber remains the old standby for panfish—especially if you’re entertaining kids or newcomers.

Catfish remain a story all their own. Bluegill, crappie, and pumpkinseed are always available around shorelines, but the night bite for channel catfish is legendary this time of year. Big bags of cats are coming out of Sandusky Bay, with a new local bait called Trout Tales drawing in the big ones—check Bay's Edge Bait & Tackle for those. Classic baits like nightcrawlers, raw shrimp, chicken liver, and processed dough baits are scoring channel cats everywhere from the Cuyahoga River to the stocked ponds at Shadow Lake and Ledge Lake. Not to be outdone, a rare 18-pound flathead catfish was pulled from Sandusky Bay last week, reminding us all that giants lurk nearby.

If you’re itching for hot spots, get out early and work the Cleveland harbor walls, Edgewater Park breakwalls, or the mouth of the Rocky River for mixed action. Today, Sandusky Bay is on fire for channel catfish and drum—especially in the pockets off the causeway and near the paper district shoreline. Don’t overlook the breakwalls around Gordon Park, where walleye and yellow perch can be taken off minnows or soft plastics in low light. And for a chance at a trophy, target the rocky points just east of downtown near Wildwood—early birds get the bass and sometimes a pike or two.

With schools of bait on the move, your lures need to match the action. Troll deep and slow with harness blades and spoons for walleye, run tubes and ned rigs for bass, suspend worms for panfish, and sink big smelly baits for cats. Adjust your presentation as the sun rises, and don’t hesitate to move until you find a pocket of feeding fish.

That’s the pulse from Erie’s edge today—tight lines, folks! Thanks for tuning in, and don’t...