4 Favorite Fishing Spots Along Lake Erie

Lake Erie and its tributaries offer some of the world’s best fishing. Tory Gabriel, fisheries educator and extension program leader for The Ohio State University’s Ohio Sea Grant College Program, shares great spots to reel in a catch.

East Harbor State Park: Each fall, anglers cast for walleye and smallmouth bass from the park’s pier. Throughout the year, they look for panfish and largemouth bass in its inlets. “There are a lot of different species you can target in there,” Gabriel says.

Sandusky River: This tributary of Lake Erie is known for its walleye and white bass runs in the Fremont area each spring. “The walleye run is really good,” Gabriel says, “and there are a lot of access points.”

Rocky River: With public-access points in the Cleveland Metroparks, this is a premier fishery for steelhead trout and smallmouth bass. “There are some monster smallmouth in the rivers around Lake Erie,” Gabriel says. “Rocky River has a lot of them.”

Kelleys Island State Park: Anglers can target largemouth bass and panfish from the protected side of the L-shaped pier and walleye and smallmouth bass on the lake side. “In the fall, walleyes will be coming in pretty close,” Gabriel says.

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