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Find the best places to fish this week

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By Jim Morris, Staff Writer 1:52 AM Thursday, October 22, 2009

Grand Lake St. Marys: Trout is the fish of choice for many St. Marys anglers this week. The state stocked rainbows on Friday in the channel on the northeast corner of the lake. The best baits have been waxworms, Berkley Trout Bait and 1/32-ounce leadheads, fished 18-24 inches deep. Crappies have been hitting minnows in and around brush in the channels. Bluegills are taking waxworms around docks and brush.

Rush Run Lake: Trout fishing is still good after the state stocked 1,200 rainbows on Oct. 14. Use waxworms or Power Baits and small, shiny Roostertails and Mepps spinners.

Acton Lake: The lake turned over this week, so fishing should improve in a few days. Saugeyes have been hitting nightcrawlers on jigs and 2-inch white/pink twisters. For crappies, fish with minnows around brush and downed trees.

Indian Lake: Saugeyes are being caught all over the lake from banks and boats. Bank fishermen have been using minnows on floating jigs or casting with a Vibra-max or Vib-e. Boaters have been jigging with large minnows or vibrating baits or trolling with Rat-L-Traps. Crappies and bluegills have been hitting minnows, waxworms and redworms around docks and rocks.

Caesar Creek Lake: If you are ever going to catch a musky, now is the time at Caesar Creek. Work the shallow water with bucktails and jerkbaits. Look for follows and don’t forget your figure-eights. Saugeyes have been hitting crawler harnesses drifted and trolled across the flats. Crappies are still deep. Use minnows and work the ledges and deep structure.

C.J. Brown Reservoir: The best walleye fishing has been at dusk and into the evening. Walleyes seem to be coming into the rocks about that time each day and are being caught on large minnows. A 35-inch walleye was caught from Buck Creek last week. The best crappie fishing has been between the marina and the boat ramp with minnows or waxworms. Plenty of catfish have been hitting nightcrawlers and cut bait on the north side of the lake.

Lake Loramie: Fishing for crappies and bluegills has been good around brush and wood close to the banks. Use minnows for crappies. Also fish around lily pads. Bluegills have been hitting waxworms and redworms. Saugeye fishing has been good near the Luthman Road bridge, jigging with large minnows. As usual, catfish are biting on anything and everything.

Paint Creek Lake: With the water level dropped during the fall draw-down, crappie fishing has picked up. You should find plenty of fish, but most won’t be keepers. Use a black/chartreuse jig or fish with minnows. For saugeyes, troll the flats between the island and the beach with chartreuse twisters. With the water level down, avoid using the Rattlesnake ramp.

Rocky Fork Lake: Crappies are still deep — 12-18 feet. Minnows or black/chartreuse jigs have worked best. Bass fishing has been good with white spinners and fire-tiger crankbaits at 4-7 feet deep around points. Bluegills are hitting waxworms in shallow water around brush. Saugeye fishing is slow.

Cowan Lake: Crappie fishing is good on the dropoff in front of the marina and on Muskie Point. Use minnows and work the ledges. Bass fishing has been good on the north side of the lake. A 17 1/2-inch largemouth was caught on a Rat-L-Trap near the campground cove this week. Saugeyes have been hitting minnows fished by crappie anglers.

Lake Erie: Windy, stormy conditions have kept fishing to a minimum in recent days. Look for perch fishing to pick up as the lake clears. The best spots to try are east of Kelleys, Gull Island Shoal, around Greene and Rattlesnake Islands, off of Niagara reef and off of Cedar Point.

The best walleye fishing is in the Central Basin off of Huron in 30-42 feet of water.

For Lake Erie information, call (888) HOOK-FISH or visit wildohio.com. To view the predicted weather forecast for Lake Erie, visit weather.noaa.gov.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2409 or jmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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