Walleyes, Steelhead & Lake Erie's Howling Halloween Winds

Lake Erie gave us a proper Halloween chill this morning—winds howlin’ out of the northwest, topping 20 to 30 knots, with waves stacking up 3 to 6 feet all along the Cleveland shore. The National Weather Service’s small craft advisory is posted right through tonight, so if you’re running a small boat, best stick to the shore or just wet a line from the rocks until the lake settles. Cleveland saw sunrise at 7:55 AM, with sunset rolling in at 6:23 PM—enough daylight to work both the morning and evening bites if you’re game for the wind. Temps won’t stray much from the upper 40s today, and with clouds and that bite in the air, the artificial lure bite for walleye and steelhead is set for prime time. Walleye action has been outstanding all along the shoreline, especially after dark. E55th breakwall, Edgewater, and Gordon parks are the main stages right now—local anglers are stacking five-fish limits on Perfect 10s, Husky Jerks, Bandits, and Ripfish, all in shad or perch colors. The key according to Cleveland Metroparks is a slow, steady crank once the sun’s gone—don’t rush it. Recent catches? Plenty. Folks like Alex Mangels have hauled in 25.5" walleyes this week, and there’s been an outright parade of fish at Edgewater rocks, regardless of color or brand of crankbait. Perch are also picking up from the north breakwall at E55th, and over by the Bass Islands on the west end, yellow perch have been filling baskets using emerald shiners on bottom rigs. For those using boats—when the lake gives you a break—try 50-70 feet for perch, but stay safe. Steelhead, meanwhile, are finally on the move after low rivers got a shot in the arm from this week’s rain. The Rocky and Chagrin rivers are still running a bit low, but there are deep, slow pools holding fish—just beware the leaves stacking up in that slow water. Down by the lake, Gordon and Edgewater beaches are good bets at first and last light. Little Cleos, KO Wobblers, Vibrax, and RoosterTail spinners are putting steelhead on the rocks. Nightcrawlers under a bobber about 4-5 feet down, marabou jigs with maggots, and Gulp minnows all count as top choices for this Lake Erie run. For you multi-species anglers, don’t overlook channel cats in Sandusky Bay—cut bait or shrimp has pulled some monsters lately, up to 30 pounds. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are still in play near structure with jig minnows, tubes, and crankbaits around rocky humps and breakwalls. Smallmouths in particular are on the chew for downsized presentations—try Ned rigs or drop shot rigs on light line. Top two hot spots today: - E55th breakwall—walleye and perch galore, with steelhead a bonus right at sunrise or dusk. - Rocky River lower pools—fresh steelhead, and even a report of a stray coho salmon this week. Reminder: Wendy Park by the old Coast Guard station is still closed for repairs, so steer clear until further notice. In short, it’s a banner late-October for fishing Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga shoreline, even as the wind how