Cleveland's Fall Walleye Run Heats Up on Lake Erie

Lake Erie anglers, this is Artificial Lure bringing you your Saturday, October 4th, 2025 report for the waters around Cleveland. Sunrise hit at 7:27 AM and we’ll see sunset at 6:58 PM. Out on the lake, we’ve got calm early autumn conditions, with southeast winds shifting to southwest, staying under 10 knots throughout the day according to the National Weather Service. Waves are flat—1 foot or less—so it should be easy paddling whether you’re fishing nearshore or venturing out a little deeper. Off Cleveland, water temps are holding steady around 70 degrees, perfect for keeping the bite going into fall. Local reports and charter captains like those with Rippin Walleye Charters are saying that the *walleye bite remains strong*, especially in those transition zones between the 32- and 40-foot depths. Anglers are pulling limits on most good days with many fish in the 18- to 22-inch range. The largest catches this week hit that healthy 25+ inch mark, especially at first light and near sundown—a pattern that should keep up given today’s stable weather. Yellow perch are also making a bigger showing—try south of the Cleveland water intake crib or north off Edgewater Park. Perch are coming up quick in 38–44 feet, with limits reported over the past few days. *Smallmouth bass* are cruising the rocky structure just outside of the harbors and breakwalls. The bite is best on jig-and-crawler rigs or drop-shotting finesse plastics—morning hours are productive, especially if you target rock piles east of the Cuyahoga. Some bonus buffalo and channel cats are being landed as bycatch in slower water near the river mouths, usually on live bait or even jigs. For lures, the most productive tactics today: use deep-diving crankbaits in shad or perch patterns, especially trolled slow in 34–40 feet. Jerkbaits like custom-painted blanks in chartreuse or clown colors are hot for walleye. If you’re chasing smallmouth, a 1/4-oz tube jig with natural green pumpkin is working best along the Cleveland breakwalls. Live golden shiners or half-crawlers are still the best bet for perch, but don’t overlook small hair jigs tipped with minnow. A couple hot spots for today: - **56 Buoy Area (off Euclid):** Still producing limits of walleye and quality perch, especially running boards 40–60 feet back with Bandits or Flicker Minnows. - **East 72nd Street Marina:** Good catches of smallmouth reported all week. Fish the riprap straight north of the harbor, especially at sunrise. Most folks are seeing best action by keeping things slow and matching the hatch. Lake Erie’s famed fall run is just warming up, and weather looks to hold all weekend, so don’t miss your window. Thanks for tuning in to the Lake Erie, Cleveland daily report. Don’t forget to subscribe for your local update—this has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn