Late December Fishing on Lake Erie Cleveland Harbors: Walleye & Perch Action Abounds

# Lake Erie, Cleveland Fishing Report Hey folks, Artificial Lure here with your Lake Erie fishing update. It's late December, and conditions are prime for some solid walleye and yellow perch action around the Cleveland area. **Current Conditions & Fish Activity** We're in prime winter fishing season right now. Lake Erie's been producing some excellent results this year. The 2025 walleye hatch in the western basin came in strong at 128 fish per hectare—that's the sixth largest hatch we've seen in 38 years of surveys. Even better, the central basin walleye population is sitting at 26 young-of-year per hectare, well above the long-term average of 8. These fish are going to start hitting catchable size come spring 2027, but we're already seeing fantastic action. Yellow perch fishing has been solid too, especially in the west zone where we got a hatch ranking seventh of the past 38 years with 733 fish per hectare. That's above average, and anglers have been pulling limits of large yellow perch near central basin harbors—particularly around Lorain and Cleveland late in the fall. The central and east zones are running a bit slow right now, but don't let that discourage you from hitting those spots. **Best Techniques & Gear** For walleye, your standard jigs and live bait are going to produce. Jigging live shiners or crawlers in 15 to 35 feet of water is your bread and butter. Trolling crankbaits also works well this time of year when the water's cold and fish are concentrated. Yellow perch? They love small live shiners and tube jigs. Keep your presentations tight and methodical—perch aren't aggressive this time of year, they're looking for easy meals. **Hot Spots** Head to the harbors around **Lorain and Cleveland**. We know anglers have been crushing limits there recently. **Edgewater Park** in Cleveland offers solid access and productive structure. The **rocky areas and break walls** near the harbors are holding good concentrations of both species. Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Erie fishing report. Make sure you subscribe for daily updates on conditions, catches, and pro tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.