Waters · Lakes · OH · Sun, Aug 16

How's the bite at Lake Erie today? On fire — get there by six.

Drop everything. Go.

8/10
On fire

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
Major
3:23 AM–5:23 AM
Moon underfoot
Minor
10:37 AM–11:37 AM
Moonrise
Major
3:45 PM–5:45 PM
Moon overhead
Minor
9:43 PM–10:43 PM
Moonset

Sunrise 6:40 AM · sunset 8:28 PM · tomorrow's first major 4:07 AM–6:07 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 11:50 AM

Conditions right now

Water temp
77°F
NOAA CO-OPS 9063079 updated 11:42 AM
Water level
2.972ft
-0.16 ft in 24h
NOAA CO-OPS 9063079 updated 11:42 AM
Pressure
29.96inHg
falling fast · -3.73 hPa/12h
NOAA KLPR updated 11:35 AM
Wind
10mph WSW
NOAA KLPR updated 11:35 AM
Moon
18% waxing
Solunar · computed updated 11:50 AM

Nearby gauges

These sit on connected water, not on Lake Erie itself.

  • Inflow above — 16600 cfs · 73.9°F
    USGS 04193500 updated 11:00 AM

What this means

Largemouth bass
77°F sits in the sweet spot. Work the first few feet early.
Work shallow to mid.
Crappie
77°F is above the comfortable band. Fish deep water and the first hour of light.
Work deep.
Catfish
77°F sits in the sweet spot. Work the first few feet early.
Work shallow to mid.

Lake Erie water level today

2.972 ft above LWD down 0.16 ft in 24 hours

That sits 44% of the way up the band it has held over the last 9 days, between 2.49 and 3.57 ft. Over the week it is down0.07ft.

08-07 2.49–3.57 ft 08-16
USGS 9063079 updated 11:42 AM

The week ahead

Mon 7 Biting
Tue 8 On fire
Wed 7 Biting
Thu 8 On fire
Fri 8 On fire
Sat 7 Biting
Sun 7 Biting

Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.

Before you go

A Ohio fishing license covers this water — $25 a year for residents. ODNR sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What it costs, and who is exempt →

Nearby waters today

Questions people ask about Lake Erie

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Lake Erie.

Is it worth fishing Lake Erie today?
8 out of 10 — on fire. Drop everything. Go. The strongest stretch is 3:23 AM–5:23 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level and the water temperature.
What time should you fish Lake Erie?
Today's major windows run 3:23 AM–5:23 AM and 3:45 PM–5:45 PM, with minor windows at 10:37 AM–11:37 AM and 9:43 PM–10:43 PM. Sunrise is 6:40 AM and sunset 8:28 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
What is the water temperature at Lake Erie?
77°F, read at 11:42 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 9063079. That is 0.9 degrees warmer than 24 hours ago.
What is the water level at Lake Erie right now?
2.972 ft above LWD, read at 11:42 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 9063079. Over 24 hours it is down 0.16 ft.
Can you eat the fish you catch in Lake Erie?
That is a health question and it belongs with the state, not with us. OH publishes fish consumption advisories through its health or environmental agency, and those are the ones that count. We give no eating advice.
Do you need a licence to fish Lake Erie?
Yes. A Ohio fishing license covers this water, required from age 16. ODNR sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What a Ohio license costs, and who is exempt

What size fish can you keep in Ohio?
It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, walleye, sauger and saugeye, yellow perch, white, striped and hybrid striped bass. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass limits · Walleye, sauger and saugeye limits · Yellow perch limits · White, striped and hybrid striped bass limits · Check a length against the rules

Where these numbers come from

Marblehead reports the open water of the Western Basin, next to the Bass Islands. The Maumee gauge at Waterville adds the river that carries the spring walleye run and most of the sediment load into this end of the lake.

No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.