FISHING BRIEF

01Jet-Ski Call — GO, run-anywhere day NWS LEZ143 pulled ~8:45 AM ET 7/23 · live data on refresh

The board is clean and the water is flat. No Small Craft Advisory on LEZ143, no land hazard banner on the Ottawa County point forecast, and api.weather.gov returns an empty alert list for the Catawba point. No fog, no daylight thunderstorms. Buoy 45005 at 7:50 AM: N 3.9 kt, water 75.4°F. This is the run-anywhere day the week has been building toward since Monday.

The wave sensor is still dark, and today that barely matters. Buoy 45005's WVHT channel has been blank for days, same as yesterday. But the correction that dominated yesterday's brief — a stale 2.6 ft reading treated as current — has no equivalent today: at 3.9 kt of wind with the marine zone independently calling 1 ft or less, this is a genuinely flat lake, not an estimate you have to squint at. There is no leftover chop from an overnight blow this time. The wind is light and the forecast holds it light: N 10 kt or less becoming E through the day.

Run the full list. Make the 6 nm WNW push to Niagara and Round, stretch the 9 nm to Toussaint if it holds glass, and put the in-line boards out. Launch Catawba Point. Bail-out harbors: Catawba, Port Clinton, Put-in-Bay, Kelleys. Friday holds light and mostly sunny too (SW 10 kt or less becoming E, 1 ft or less), so there's a two-day window, but take the glass today.

02What's Biting Port Clinton / Coe Vanna / walleye.com · pulled ~8:45 AM ET 7/23

• Walleye — the scatter is loosening and the fish are working back west. This is a better picture than the mid-July read. Port Clinton and Coe Vanna reports have walleye moving west into the Catawba area and the F Can / Green Island / Niagara corridor, with limits of 18-23″ fish on long runs to deeper water: worm harnesses, spoons, crankbaits, and tube traps, best early morning and late evening. The residual pattern still holds too — current seams near Mouse Island, Middle Bass, and Marblehead, plus rocky reef edges in 19-28 FOW with baits in the bottom 5-6 ft (Reef Runners, Husky Jerks, P10s, Bandits). Vertical and snap jigging work the rocky outskirts of Toussaint, Round, and Niagara in 10-16 FOW. Lead with the troll to cover water, but expect to actually find them west this time. community.walleye.com had no new Western Basin threads since the 7/17 pull (Stephanie and Jeff 7/17, a 7/16 report); listings only, bodies not served.
• Perch — the headline this week. Port Clinton perch is being called the best and most consistent in 15 years, with limits (210 for six) the new normal on charters and pleasure boats alike. Fish 16-24 FOW around the reefs north of Catawba, Little Pickerel, Toledo Light / A Can / L Can to the west, and around Kelleys. Carry a perch spreader with shiners — on today's flat water you can sit right on a school and load the cooler. This is not a consolation species right now.
• Smallmouth bass: Prime at 75°F, holding on rocky points and reef edges around the Bass Islands. Tubes, drop-shot, jerkbaits. Flat water finally lets you hold precise position on a point from the PWC.
• White bass: Summer blitzes any day at this temp. Keep a small spoon rigged for surface boils.

02bRecent Angler Reports (Facebook) loading...

02cWater Clarity (NASA MODIS satellite) NASA Worldview · 250 m/pixel · today's pass

Two satellites pass over Lake Erie daily. Use these to spot sediment plumes (muddy west end from Maumee River runoff), algae blooms (green/turquoise patches), and clearer water (deep blue). Walleye prefer stained but not muddy water — pick areas where the plume is fading into clearer blue.

TERRA · ~10:30 AM EDT pass · click for interactive

AQUA · ~1:30 PM EDT pass · click for interactive

If clouded or churned over, step back a day in the Worldview interactive viewer.

03Where to Go (full list) static for the day

⬇ DOWNLOAD .GPX FOR GARMIN

1. Catawba Point Association ramp (launch). [LOW] Your home ramp. Drop a pin at actual ramp and tell me — I'll re-deploy.
   > N 41° 35.280', W 82° 50.400'   📍 Open in Maps
2. Mouse Island REEF. [HIGH — Natural Atlas] Actual fishing structure, NOT the island. ~1.2 nm NNE of launch. Limestone shoal, 0.33 sq mi, least depth 9 ft. Today's first stop, and this week it doubles as perch central. Drop a perch spreader in 16-24 FOW off the edges, then troll the 14-22 ft perimeter at 1.4 mph for the walleye moving back west, jig back through anything you stack.
   > N 41° 36.402', W 82° 49.962'   📍 Open in Maps
3. Niagara Reef (buoy 5). [HIGH — Coe Vanna Charters] ~6 nm WNW of launch. Lighted buoy marks reef. Best structure in range, fully in play on today's flat water, and the west-moving walleye corridor named in the fresh reports (Green Island to Niagara). Troll 18-22 ft edges at 1.4-1.7 mph or jig the rocky outskirts, and put the in-line boards out here — open water and glass make this the spot to learn them.
   > N 41° 39.840', W 82° 58.390'   📍 Open in Maps
4. Round Reef. [HIGH — Coe Vanna Charters] ~5 nm WNW, right next to Niagara. Named in lakeeriefish for jigging 10-16 FOW. Fish it and Niagara as a single complex on one trip out. In play today with Niagara.
   > N 41° 37.040', W 82° 58.150'   📍 Open in Maps
5. Toussaint Reef. [HIGH — Coe Vanna Charters] ~9 nm W. The flat-day stretch, and today qualifies. Named in lakeeriefish for jigging the rocky outskirts, holds perch and walleye, and sees a fraction of Niagara's pressure. Nine miles is a real commitment on a PWC even on glass: run the 1/3-1/3-1/3 fuel rule, watch your fuel and the western sky. Snap or vertical jig 10-16 FOW.
   > N 41° 36.660', W 83° 01.240'   📍 Open in Maps
6. Marblehead current zone. [MED] ~3-4 nm E. High-current walleye seam named in lakeeriefish, one of the residual holding spots. Shelter isn't needed today, but it's a fine east option if you'd rather work current than run west. Troll Husky Jerk / Reef Runner 18-28 FOW @ 1.4-1.6 mph where current breaks the point. Verify the exact break with the fish finder.
   > N 41° 32.400', W 82° 42.300'   📍 Open in Maps
7. Crib Reef (buoy 7). [HIGH — Coe Vanna Charters] ~10 nm NE. Less crowded than Niagara but the longest haul on the list. On today's flat water it's a real option — the northeast mirror of the Toussaint run if you'd rather run NE than west.
   > N 41° 38.820', W 82° 39.990'   📍 Open in Maps

04What to Throw verified product links

Water is 75.4°F and steady, the walleye are working back west, and perch is the best bite on the lake, so run two programs today. Cover water with the troll to find the returning walleye, and carry a dedicated perch spread because it's the sure thing this week. Flat water means you can finally run the full spread and the in-line boards without leftover chop punishing a fumbled deployment. Speed is back to a normal 1.4-1.7 mph now that the post-front slowdown is behind us.

Off Shore OR12 In-Line Board — TODAY'S THE DAY

Off Shore Tackle OR12 Side Planer. Flat water at last, so this is the day to learn them solo. One board each side pulls lines 15-30 ft out so you can run 3-4 rods without tangling. Start with ONE, get the release tension right, and add the second only once the first feels routine. Run them at Niagara where you have open water.

View product » How to fish it »

Husky Jerk HJ12

Rapala Husky Jerk #12. Short-line troll 30-50 ft back at 1.4-1.7 mph along the reef contour 18-22 FOW. The workhorse for the west-moving walleye — run a couple off the back and add boards once you're set.

View product » How to fish it »

Hair Jig (3/8 oz, w/ stinger)

Northland Long Shank Fire-Ball Jig or similar. Purple/chartreuse, gold/black. Tip with 4″ minnow. Stinger dropper for short strikes. Best single bait once you locate fish, and the answer for anything you stack on the finder over the reef edges.

View product » How to fish it »

05Beginner Notes

• Bank the skills on the flat day. Genuinely flat Western Basin days are rare and short-lived. This is the day to run the in-line boards you rigged in the garage: one board first, get the release tension right, add the second only once the first feels routine. A tangle on glass is annoying; the same tangle in chop is how rods go overboard. Don't waste calm water grinding a technique you already know.
• Perch is the sure thing this week. If the walleye troll is slow, don't grind it. Slide to a perch school in 16-24 FOW off the reef edges and load the cooler. Best perch in 15 years is not a week to leave fish to look for fish. Carry a spreader and a bag of shiners so you're never more than a rig-change from a bent rod.
• One safety note: file a float plan with Jen (where, when back), keep the kill-switch lanyard clipped to your PFD, and remember Ohio's sunrise-to-sunset PWC rule (sunset ~8:50 PM). Even on glass, glance at the early sky for the slight waterspout chance and carry the VHF. DDM coords only; the .GPX loads all 7 waypoints to the ECHOMAP.

06Sources Pulled fetched ~8:45 AM ET 7/23

• NWS LEZ143 nearshore (pulled ~8:45 AM ET 7/23): no headline advisories. Today N 10 kt or less becoming E, waves 1 ft or less, slight chance of waterspouts early. Tonight SE under 10 kt becoming S, 1 ft or less, clear then partly cloudy. Friday SW 10 kt or less becoming E, mostly sunny, 1 ft or less. Friday night E under 10 kt becoming SW, mostly clear, 1 ft or less. Water temp off Erie reported at 75°F.
• NWS point forecast (Catawba/Marblehead, Ottawa County OHZ007, pulled ~8:45 AM ET): No active hazard banner (no fog, SPS, or t-storm watch). Today sunny, high near 77°F, N wind 5-7 mph, slight chance of waterspouts early. Tonight increasing clouds, low ~62°F, light SE wind. Friday mostly sunny, high ~76°F, SE 3-8 mph. Friday night mostly clear, low ~70°F.
• api.weather.gov active alerts for 41.5333, -82.8333 (pulled ~8:45 AM ET): features array empty. Independent cross-confirmation that no watch, warning, or advisory is in effect for the launch point.
• Buoy 45005 (via reel.quest/live.json, obs 7:50 AM ET 7/23 / 11:50 UTC): water 75.4°F, air 70.5°F, wind 3.9 kt from 350° (N). WVHT (wave height) still reporting null — the wave sensor has been dark for days. Near-calm wind plus the 1-ft LEZ143 zone makes the flat-water call trivial today, so no estimate gymnastics were needed. The raw NDBC realtime2 file returned a stale cached page on this run (rows from 7/16); the fresh cron value from live.json was used instead.
• reel.quest/live.json (cron-generated ~8:30 AM ET): alerts array empty, buoy 75.4°F, wind 3.9 kt at 350°, wave_height_ft: null — the cron independently sees the same dead wave sensor and correctly emits null rather than a stale value. Forecast periods match the point forecast.
• lakeeriefish.com Western Basin: domain fetch blocked on this run (network policy). Cross-covered via the Port Clinton / Coe Vanna / lake-erie-fishing.com web reports below.
• Port Clinton / Coe Vanna / lake-erie-fishing.com (web search, July 2026): walleye moving west into the Catawba area and the F Can / Green Island / Niagara corridor, deep-water limits of 18-23″ on worm harnesses, spoons, crankbaits, and tube traps, best early morning / late evening. Yellow perch the best and most consistent in 15 years, limits of 210 for six the new normal out of Port Clinton, in 16-24 FOW around reefs north of Catawba, Little Pickerel, Toledo Light / A Can / L Can, and Kelleys.
• community.walleye.com: no new Western Basin threads since the 7/17 pull (Fishing with Stephanie and Jeff 7/17, a 7/16 report, Big Planer Boards & Jet Divers 7/14). Thread bodies were not served to the fetcher on this run — listings only, no new Catawba-specific coords.
• Lake Erie Walleye Trail (.net): no new Western Basin event in the last 30 days; most recent completed event remains the LEWT Lorain Pro-Am (6/6), 39.90 lb on forward-facing sonar + casting jigs to suspended fish.
• FB groups PAUSED: account security checkpoint, pending Rob. No FB scrape this run.