This is Artificial Lure with your November 25th, 2025 Cleveland-area Lake Erie fishing report.

Here on the lakeshore, anglers woke to a classic late-November morning — gray skies, raw winds, and the unmistakable bite of incoming cold. The National Weather Service shows a light southeast breeze this morning building to a stiff southwest wind later, with a chance of rain tapering off after breakfast and the lake kicking up with 1-foot waves early, climbing past 2 feet toward evening. Water temperature’s reading 48°F off Cleveland, nice for walleye and perch but chilly for the hands. Keep an eye out tomorrow: Gale Watch starts Wednesday, so small craft need caution.

Sunrise hit at 7:27 AM, and sunset will be early at 5:00 PM. If you’re tracking moon phases and the solunar calendar, today’s hot bite windows run 3:51–5:51 AM, 12:01–2:01 PM, and 4:15–6:15 PM. The late afternoon bite overlaps with sunset, and with the first stirrings of the waxing crescent moon, fish should be moving before the lake turns rough later in the week.

Now for the fishing—just yesterday, the “Lake Erie, Cleveland Fishing Report Today” podcast put out word of a steady walleye bite in 40–50 feet off the downtown stretch, with plenty of 16–20 inchers coming boat side. Most charters are reporting strong numbers of yellow perch and bonus steelhead near the east harbors. On the nearshore rocks, recent catches have included fat sheepshead and the odd channel cat. Bass anglers saw mixed luck: smallmouths were finicky with falling temps but still took drop-shot rigs and hair jigs close to structure.

As for bait and tackle, those walleye are crushing Bandit Deep divers in citrus and clown colorways, and plenty of limits were boxed on ⅜ oz hair jigs and classic Vib-E blade baits fished slow. Steelhead are keyed in on chartreuse and pink spawn sacks, as well as 1/64 oz marabou jigs under floats—especially around Edgewater Park and the mouth of Rocky River. Perch remain best on emerald shiners and live fathead minnows; spreader rigs off the bottom work like a charm.

Land-based anglers: try Perkins Beach at sunrise for a crack at mixed bags, perch and the occasional lake-run steelhead. Clifton Beach is another solid bet, especially in the afternoon as the sun hits the water and winds lay down. If you want consistent action, head to East 55th Street Marina, where the breakwall is putting out perch limits and decent catches of walleye after dark.

With the cold snap forecast and possible lake-effect snow on the way (Robinson Foundation calls for 2–6 inches starting Wednesday in the Erie/Cleveland corridor), expect fish to feed heavily ahead of pressure changes. If you’re chasing that trophy bite, hit the Cuyahoga River or Whiskey Island points in minor windows; steelhead will push into these spots as the lake muddies up.

Today’s best baits are lively—live emerald shiners for perch, spawn sacks for steelhead, and jigs tipped with minnow for walleye and bass. The top lures right now are Bandit Deep divers, Rapala Ripstop jerkbaits, and classic blade baits. For steelhead, don’t overlook small spoons in orange or silver.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI