Late Summer Walleye, Perch, and Smallies on Lake Erie, Cleveland

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Erie Cleveland fishing report for August 10, 2025.

It’s a classic late summer morning on the North Coast—sunrise was gorgeous at 6:23 AM and we’ll see sunset tonight at 8:34 PM. The weather is prime for anglers: clear skies, temps topping out in the upper 70s, light winds shifting south to southeast at around 5 to 10 knots, and wave heights across the lake holding at a gentle 1 foot or less, according to the National Weather Service Cleveland Marine Forecast. High pressure is dominating, and we’ve got stable conditions through the weekend.

There’s no true tidal action on Lake Erie, but water movements are mild with the light breeze—perfect for both casting and trolling. Water clarity is good in most nearshore areas, though a little algae bloom is lingering deeper and west around the reefs.

Let’s talk fish activity. The walleye bite is still king here in August. Reports from the last 24 hours show steady—though not frantic—catches in 40 to 44 feet of water, especially from Eastlake’s CEI stack east past Shoregate Towers. One local on OhioGameFishing.com fishing that zone yesterday pulled a short, but said the pickings were slow but present on Erie Dearies in chartreuse and white. For trollers, folks running deep-diving crankbaits and worm harnesses from Gordon Park eastward out of Wildwood and E55 have been boating better numbers, with several catches reported in the 18”–24” range. Summer trolling techniques—running bandits, flicker minnows and worm harnesses at 1.7–2.1 MPH—are still producing, especially in the cooler morning hours and late evening as the sun drops.

Yellow perch reports remain spotty near Cleveland itself, but those poking out to the 38–42 foot flats off Bratenahl and out towards Rocky River are getting a few solid pulls, mainly using emerald shiners on spreaders, especially near the bottom as the water’s still holding a chill below the thermocline.

Smallmouth bass anglers are quietly stacking some good fish out by the breakwalls and harbor mouths at Edgewater and E72, with topwater walkers and tube jigs pulling in plenty during dawn and dusk. Two-pounders are not uncommon! For the bite, try a chrome or bone Spook or a green pumpkin tube.

If you’re gearing up for a weekend bash, Mohican Hardware in Cleveland is carrying specialized Lake Erie walleye equipment and top-quality baits from Berkley and Shimano right now.

Best lures for today:
- For walleye: chartreuse or white Erie Dearie spinners, deep-diving crankbaits like the Bandit Walleye Deep or Flicker Minnows, and harnesses dressed with nightcrawlers.
- For perch: live or salted emerald shiners on crappie rigs or spreaders.
- For smallmouth: topwater stickbaits in the morning, tubes and drop-shot rigs mid-day.

Your **hot spots** for this weekend:
- The 44-foot contour between Eastlake CEI and Shoregate Towers for walleye—just off the city’s east edge.
- The flats off Bratenahl for those hungry perch.
- Edgewater breakwall and E72 harbor mouth for smallmouth, especially at sunrise and sunset.

Don’t forget tournament fever is in the air—yesterday wrapped up the last regular season National Walleye Tour event in Dunkirk, New York, and the energy on the lake is still high.

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