**From May 1 until Saturday June 25 is a no-possession season for smallmouth bass on Lake Erie. Anglers can legally target smallmouth bass, but they must be immediately returned to the water.** Although some walleye are still spawning on the main lake reefs and in the western basin tributaries the spawning season is wrapping up. Walleye can be caught as they migrate out of their spawning grounds and begin to feed. The best areas to fish this time of year include Maumee Bay to West Sister Island (including the Toledo shipping channel), the flats around the Camp Perry firing range, the Bass Islands area, Kelleys Island, and from Sandusky to Vermilion as post-spawn females begin to migrate east. Popular techniques include drifting with mayfly spinner rigs or trolling crankbaits, crawler harnesses or spoons. Yellow perch fishing should be good off of Marblehead, near Lucy Point of Middle Bass Island, east of Kelleys Island, around the Sandusky Bay foghorn, and within 1 to 2 miles of the ports from Vermilion east to Conneaut. Spring is a great time to catch trophy yellow perch over 12 inches. Lake Erie surface temperatures are generally in the mid to upper 40's.
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