Reports › 2026-10-22

Lake Erie fishing report roundup — week of October 22, 2026

Cleveland shore anglers are picking up more walleye after dark at Edgewater, and yellow perch are coming in from the breakwalls. Lake-run steelhead are still scarce. ODNR hasn't filed a new written Lake Erie report since August 20.

Walleye

• The Metroparks report says shore walleye picked up at Edgewater Park this week. The best action has come after dark on minnow-imitating crankbaits (the report names the Perfect 10 and Bandit styles).
• A Lake Erie boat angler quoted in the report caught and released a couple dozen walleye, all 8 inches or smaller. Remember the 15-inch minimum.
• The report expects walleye and perch fishing to keep improving as the weather cools.

Yellow perch

• Shore anglers are catching perch along the Cleveland lakefront. The report names Wendy Park (the old Coast Guard station area) and the E. 55th breakwall. It mentions one angler at Wendy Park who came within a couple of fish of his limit from shore.
• Bottom rigs (a crappie-style rig on the bottom) with live minnows or worms are the go-to presentation from shore. The report says mornings and late afternoons have been the most productive.
• One reader report described 13 perch, 11 of them jumbos, from a Monday trip on the lake. Cleveland is in the Central zone, so the limit there is 10 (see regulations).

Steelhead, rivers & other species

• The Rocky River was low and clear, with lots of falling leaves. The report says steelhead were few so far, with the marina area the most consistent spot. Breakwall steelhead (Edgewater, E. 55th, Wildwood) have been slower than usual.
• Metroparks staff say they're hearing early worries about below-average steelhead numbers after two slow seasons. They note it's too early to call, since streams have been low and the water only recently cooled.
• The Chagrin River and Euclid Creek gave up a few steelhead. Resident smallmouth bass were active in the Rocky River for anglers fishing small finesse nymphs.
• The Ohio & Erie Canal off E. 49th St. was stocked with rainbow trout and channel catfish, according to the report.

Notes

• ODNR's newest written Lake Erie fishing report is dated August 20, 2026. It covered summer patterns (central-basin trolling for walleye and western-basin perch), so it's out of date for late-October fishing. We'll add ODNR's next Lake Erie update when it comes out.
• Cleveland Metroparks publishes its fishing report weekly from September through May (monthly in June–August). Read the full report, with photos, at the link above.

This is our summary of the reports above, in our own words. All credit for the original reporting goes to the sources. Limits: 2026–27 Ohio regulations. Published 2026-10-28.