Lake Erie out of Cleveland served up a wild one this November 26th. This is Artificial Lure, and folks, today’s report is for the die-hards only—serious gales and a heavy snow front rolling in from the west have brought some of the roughest late-season conditions we’ve seen. The National Weather Service put us on a full Gale Warning from this morning through early Friday, with winds topping 40 knots and waves climbing to 15-plus feet offshore, 9+ feet nearshore. It’s the kind of day the old captains would've called “one for the birds, not the boats.” Water temperature just off Cleveland’s breakwalls measured a brisk 48 degrees early this morning, with a low water advisory complicating things for shallow draft anglers.

Sunrise nailed the lake at 7:25 AM, with sunset cruising in at 5:02 PM. Fish activity? If you toughed it out before the big blow, this week’s trend was classic late-fall: big walleye prowling the drop-offs, feisty smallmouth bass holding over deep mid-lake humps, and a batch of perch still stacked near the river mouths. Ohio DNR reports from November 17th flagged strong catches of lake spawning walleye in the Central Basin, with some fish pushing 8-10 pounds landed before the winds cranked up.

Best bets on bait and lure: The pro circuit recommends a drop-shot rig with green pumpkin finesse worms for smallies—Berkley MaxScent Flat Worms and Strike King Dream Shots, especially in natural shades, have been accounting for quality fish on the deeper rock piles out near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. For walleye, the deep-diving jerkbaits—ghost shad and perch patterns—have been king along the Avon Point ledges, especially with water temps in the high 40s and a strong cold front moving in. Don’t sleep on blade baits like the classic Silver Buddy or Johnson ThinFisher; they’re red-hot around winter holes and the east-side reefs.

Live bait anglers are soaking emerald shiners and fathead minnows off the edge of marinas and the old breakwall cuts, and the perch bite has been best during the slack water periods between wind spikes.

Local hot spot recommendations: Give Edgewater Park a look for protected casting—provided you stay landlocked—or check the Rocky River mouth for some fishable stretches out of the worst wind. If you can safely approach (and today, most can’t), the Avon Point ledges and Cleveland Harbor corners have stacked up fall walleyes whenever the wind lays down. Otherwise, hit the rivers: the Chagrin and Cuyahoga both offer decent late-fall bass and steelhead when Lake Erie kicks up like this.

Safety tip: With gale-force warnings, it’s a stay-on-shore day for all but the most experienced, best-equipped anglers. That low water advisory is real—expect tricky navigation and some spots close to dry on the west end.

Thanks for tuning in to today’s Lake Erie fishing report. Be sure to subscribe for your regular dose of local fish wisdom. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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