Memorial Day Weekend Fishing on Lake Erie: Smallies, Walleye, and More

Artificial Lure here with your Sunday morning Lake Erie and Cleveland fishing report for May 25th, 2025. Sunrise today hit around 5:56 am, with sunset coming up at 8:50 pm. With Memorial Day weekend rolling, anglers are out early taking advantage of this beautiful stretch before some rain showers roll in later. Winds are light from the southwest, and it’s a comfortable mid-60s right now, with the water warming into the low 60s in the shallows. Lake conditions are good for the moment, but keep an eye on the sky—there’s talk of rain moving in this afternoon and tomorrow, which could muddy up the rivers and nearshore lake water quickly. On the tidal front, Lake Erie isn’t a tidal system, but boaters and shore anglers have noticed the usual seiche effect: lake levels can swing a foot or two with the wind, so pick your spots accordingly. Now, let’s talk fishing. The smallmouth bite is still hot—both in the lake and in connected rivers like the Rocky and Chagrin. Reports show excellent numbers of lake-run smallmouth bass, with plenty still stacked in the rivers and also out along the lakefront breaks and rock piles. Best baits this week have been olive tube jigs (around 3 inches), Ned rigs, swimbaits, and drop-shot rigs with minnow-style plastics. Spinnerbaits and medium minnow crankbaits have been getting smashed, especially in water from 10 to 25 feet deep. Don’t overlook the goby-patterned streamers, either—fly anglers are getting in on the action too[1][4]. Walleye fishing is solid and only getting better as the water warms. The night bite has been the ticket, with fish moving in closer after dark. Trolling crankbaits and casting deep-diving plugs along the city’s breakwalls and near Gordon Park has produced some limits. Some walleye are being picked up during the day, but numbers go up significantly after dark. Try stickbaits in purple, gold, or firetiger color patterns[4]. A few steelhead are still hanging around, mostly in the deeper runs of the rivers, but that action is slowing down each day. You might still get a shot at a “silver and bronze” double—both steelhead and smallie from the same hole if you work the deeper runs early[1]. For bait, live shiners and nightcrawlers are always solid choices for both walleye and smallmouth. Tube jigs and Ned rigs are the hot artificial picks. For hot spots today, check out the mouth of the Rocky River, the east breakwall at Edgewater, and the nearshore reefs off E. 72nd. Out west, the bay by Lorain has been steady for both smallmouth and walleye. That’s it for today. Get out while the weather holds, enjoy the action, and as always—tight lines from Artificial Lure. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.