Late Fall Walleye and Steelhead Bite on Lake Erie's Cleveland Shoreline

Artificial Lure here, bringing you your Lake Erie fishing report straight from the Cleveland shoreline for Sunday, November 2, 2025. It’s shaping up to be a classic early-November weekend on the North Coast. Out on the lake, surface temperatures are holding around 58 degrees off Cleveland. We’re dealing with southwest winds under 10 knots this morning, so the water’s staying pretty calm with waves less than a foot—perfect for both boaters and shore anglers, but don’t forget a jacket: the air’s brisk, struggling to crack the mid-30s, and you’ll feel it near the water. According to WeatherWorld, clouds will build as the day goes, but you should see a little early sun before things grey over by afternoon. Sunrise hit at 6:59 a.m., sunset at 5:19 p.m.—plenty of daylight for a long session. With a steady barometer, calm water, and stable weather, fish activity has been peaking during the low-light hours—think sunrise and the hour just before sunset. FishingReminder notes that today’s major bite windows line up perfectly with that first bit of daylight, so if you haven’t wet a line yet, now’s the time. Tidal swings aren’t a factor on Erie, but wind-driven current near harbor mouths and points can mimic a feeding window, especially when that breeze kicks west. The walleye bite is still in full swing out east and local anglers have been hauling in numbers, with some fish pushing the 8-pound mark, particularly by trolling deep-running Rapala Husky Jerks in fire tiger and clown patterns. Recent reports from Michiana Outdoors mention boats out near the 28-foot mark east of the islands landing limits in just a few hours, mostly trolling with crankbaits or slow-death rigs tipped with nightcrawler harnesses. Don’t be surprised to run into schools—electronics show plenty of bait roaming the open basins. Cleveland harbors and breakwalls are also giving up good numbers of late-fall steelhead, especially after cooler nights. Focus on Edgewater Park Marina, East 55th St. Marina, and the Cleveland Harbor wall. Most steelhead are hitting small, flashy spoons like Little Cleos in silver/blue or copper, but spawn sacs or waxworms under a float have been reliable when they hold deep. Perkins Beach and Clifton Beach both offer productive shore casting, especially during low light. The hotter holes have been along the points and just inside harbor mouths where baitfish are stacking up. As for bass, you’ll find smallmouths still active on rocky structure—shallow points and reefs are best. Ned rigs, dropshot baits in goby color, and tubes in green pumpkin are hard to beat. Soft swimbaits fished just above bottom are a sleeper choice, especially if you see bait dimpling the surface or marked on your graph. Largemouths are slowing with the chill, but look for them around marina docks and wood cover, often tight to the pilings. Best baits right now: - Walleye: Deep-diving crankbaits (Rapala Husky Jerk, P10), crawler harnesses, blade baits. - Steelhead: 1/4 oz spoons (Lit