Good morning, anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Lake Erie and Cleveland-area fishing report for Friday, August 29th, 2025. Let’s kick things off with the essentials you need before you hit the water.
Weather’s looking markedly stable after that cold front slid by last night. The National Weather Service Cleveland says we’re in for **north winds 5 to 15 knots, with waves 1 to 3 feet today, calming down to under 2 feet by this evening**. That means most boats should handle the chop, but keep an eye open if you head out deep—Erie has a reputation for turning quickly. And for those fun-loving storm chasers, there’s a slight chance of waterspouts popping up in the eastern basin, especially this afternoon.
**Sunrise was at 6:49 a.m., and sunset will be at 8:07 p.m.**, so there’s plenty of daylight for those who like chasing dawn walleyes or dusk bass.
Water temperatures are sitting pretty—**off Cleveland we’re holding at about 74 degrees**, which is prime for late-summer bites. Cooler water pushed down from the Niagara River after those strong northeast winds last week, and it’s got the fish hungry and moving.
Let’s take a look at the catch reports. The big action lately has been split in two:
- **Walleye:** You can hardly drag a deep-diving crankbait right now without hooking into a keeper out past the Cleveland breakwalls. Most boats fishing in 50 to 65 feet of water are pulling two- or three-man limits before noon, with evening bites picking up again right before sunset. Chrome and blue, or pink tiger patterns have been out-fishing more natural colors according to local boaters shopping the sales at FishUSA. Classic **crawler harnesses and spoons on dipsy divers are your go-to rigs**.
- **Yellow perch:** Small pods are scattered on deeper flats off East 72nd, but patient folks are filling buckets. Best results have been with **emerald shiners on drop-shot or spreader rigs**—a few downsized bladed perch rigs are picking up doubles too. Anchor up and let them come to you.
- **Smallmouth bass:** Breakwalls and rocky points from Edgewater east to Gordon Park are still giving up solid bronzebacks, especially on days with light chop. Locals recommend casting **topwater poppers (like a Kumbo mermaid tail) or tube jigs in green pumpkin**. Early mornings are hot—get out before boat traffic picks up.
There’s also a solid steelhead bite underway offshore for folks trolling spoons, meat rigs, and flies around the 28 to 29 line in deeper water. Those trolling Warrior Lures blue perch and similar flashy colors are hooking a mix of mature steelhead and a few kings, as reported by charters just east of Cleveland this week.
If you’re looking for hotspots to try today:
- **The Cleveland breakwall**: Still reliable for walleye, perch, and bass—especially at first light and sundown.
- **E. 72nd Street Access**: An all-day perch and smallmouth bite, plus easy shoreline access for shorecasters or kayakers.
- For quiet escapes, **Baldwin and Wallace Lakes in the Metroparks** offer relaxed fishing for panfish and the occasional bonus channel cat. Both are good bets with live bait or small crankbaits.
Best baits right now:
- **Emerald shiners, nightcrawlers, and soft plastic minnow imitations**
- For lures, go with **deep-diving crankbaits, colorful spoons, and green pumpkin or natural tube jigs**. Don’t overlook a chrome pink tiger crank; word from last night’s shop rush is the bite’s hot on that specific pattern.
- If you want to spice up your tackle selection, try out a custom-painted crankbait from one of our local lure painters—Coose Lure’s newest bling patterns are drawing rave reviews from the perch fleet.
That’s your Lake Erie fishing update for today! Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to hit subscribe so you never miss a local bite report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
