Chasing Chromers and Bronzebacks: Cleveland's Fall Fishing Forecast

Lake Erie and the Cleveland shoreline are greeting anglers this Friday, September 26, 2025, with a golden sunrise at 7:24 AM and what promises to be a bluebird fall day. Clear skies, patchy morning fog, and light winds topping out at just 10 mph from the northwest will greet you at the launch or down at the rocks. Water temps are hanging around 70 degrees, and wave heights are right at a foot or less—so just about perfect if you’ve got a small craft or you’re walking the banks, according to the National Weather Service Cleveland marine forecast.

We just got a shot of rain this week, finally breaking up those super low flows in the Rocky and Chagrin rivers. That cooler weather and a bump in water levels have started to nudge early steelhead into the local streams and creeks. Hot spots this morning for steelhead activity: Edgewater, E55th, and Wildwood Parks right along the lakefront. These rocks are your best bet if you want to land that first chromer of the season while casting before work or at dusk, as shared in the Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Report.

The steelhead bite has been best on classic spoons like the Little Cleo or KO Wobbler and staples like Vibrax or Rooster Tail spinners. Don’t be surprised if you hook an outsized buffalo sucker or even a stray smallmouth—Edgewater’s seen both this week. Walleyes are still active after dark, especially along the shore. Trollers heading out about five miles off Rocky River are still reporting limits on Bandit and Perfect 10 crankbaits. According to regular Captain Rich, walleye fishing has been “good” trolling cranks, and you might even get company from a migrating warbler or two.

And let’s not leave out the smallmouths: river anglers working the heads of deeper pools are finding great action on 3- to 4-inch tubes in dark olive or brown, or Ned rigs in similar shades. Live minnows, leeches, spinners, and small minnow plugs are also pulling in decent smallies and even the occasional sheepshead or carp. If you’re more into panfishing, tube jigs and dropshot rigs are catching rock bass, bluegills, and the occasional crappie along the Cleveland shoreline.

Word from the Metroparks is that the best bite windows are early morning and later in the afternoon, just as the sun’s getting lower—so plan accordingly. Sunrise is 7:24 AM and sunset 7:26 PM, so you’ve got just over 12 hours of daylight to chase those fish.

For bait, bring along a mix: steelhead and smallmouth are taking both artificials and live—nightcrawlers, small minnows, and leeches have all been productive. If you’re out to target perch, keep an eye on E55th breakwall, especially as waters cool further in the coming days; live minnows or small jigging spoons are best. Catfish and panfish fans are still getting action at urban spots like Wallace Lake, Ledge Lake, and Beyer’s Pond.

For those looking for events, don’t miss the Steelhead Expo this Saturday at the Rocky River Nature Center—free to attend and a great way to pick up tips before heading to the water.

Two hotspots you should consider this weekend:
- The E55th breakwall for a mixed bag of migratory steelhead, walleye, and the occasional perch—especially in the low light.
- The mouth of the Rocky River where fresh steelhead are staging and feisty smallmouths are on the chew, especially near current seams and drop-offs.

Good luck out there—this is Artificial Lure signing off. Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss what’s biting around Cleveland.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Lake Harry and the Cleveland Shoreline are greeting anglers this Friday,
September twenty six, twenty twenty five, with a golden sunrise
at seven twenty four am and what promises to be
a bluebird fall day. Clear skies, patchy morning fog, and
light winds topping out at just ten miles per hour
from the northwest will greet you at the launch or

(00:22):
down at the rocks. Water temperatures are hanging around seventy
degrees and wave heights are right at a foot or less,
so just about perfect if you've got a small craft
or you're walking the banks. According to the National Weather
Service Cleveland Marine Forecast, we just got a shot of
rain this week, finally breaking up those super low flows

(00:43):
in the Rocky and Chabrin rivers. That cooler weather and
a bump in water levels have started to nudge early
steelhead into the local streams and creeks. Hotspots this morning
for steelhead activity Edgewater E fifty fifth and Wildwood Parks
right along the lake front. These rocks are your best
bet if you want to land that first chromer of

(01:05):
the season while casting before work or at dusk. As
shared in the Cleveland Metro Parks Fishing Report, the steelhead
bite has been best on classic spoons like the little
Kleio or Ko wobbler and staples like vibracs or rooster
tail spinners. Don't be surprised if you hook an outsized

(01:25):
buffalo sucker or even a stray smallmouth edgewater is seen
both this week. Walleys are still active after dark, especially
along the shore. Trollers heading out about five miles off
Rocky River are still reporting limits on bandit and perfect
ten crankbaits. According to regular captain Rich Walleye fishing has

(01:47):
been good trolling cranks and you might even get company
from a migrating wobbler or two. And let's not leave
out the small mouse. River anglers working the heads of
deeper pools are finding great action on three to four
inch tubes in dark olive or brown or ned rigs
in similar shades. Live minnows, leeches, spinners and small minnow

(02:10):
plugs are also pulling in decent smallies and even the
occasional sheep's head or carp. If you're more into pan fishing.
Tube jigs and dropshot rigs are catching rock bass, bluegills
and the occasional crappie along the Cleveland shoreline. Word from
the Metroparks is that the best bite windows are early

(02:30):
morning and later in the afternoon, just as the sun's
getting lower. So plan accordingly. Sunrise is seven twenty four
am and sunset seven twenty six pm, so you've got
just over twelve hours of daylight to chase those fish
for bait. Bring along a mix. Steel head and small

(02:50):
mouth are taking both artificials and live night crawlers. Small minnows,
and leeches have all been productive. If you're out to
target perch, keep an eye on E fifty fifth Breakwall,
especially as waters cool further in the coming days. Live
minnows or small jigging spoons are best. Catfish and panfish

(03:14):
fans are still getting action at urban spots like Wallace Lake,
Ledge Lake and Buyer's Pond. For those looking for events,
don't miss the Steelhead Expo this Saturday at the Rocky
River Nature Center, free to attend and a great way
pickup tips before heading to the water. Two hotspots you

(03:37):
should consider this weekend the E fifty fifth Breakwall for
a mixed bag of migratory steelhead Walleye and the occasional perch,
especially in the low light the mouth of the Rocky
River where fresh steelhead are staging and feisty small mouths
are on the chew, especially near currency and drop offs.

(04:02):
Good luck out there, This is artificial lure. Signing off.
Thanks for tuning in. Don't forget to subscribe so you
never miss what's biting around Cleveland. This has been a
quiet please production. For more check out quiet please dot
ai