Lake Erie Post-Spawn Bite Heating Up: Walleye, Perch and Smallies on Fire

About this episode

The episode discusses the current fishing conditions and tips for catching walleye, perch, and smallmouth bass in Lake Erie.

Hey folks, this is **Artificial Lure** comin' at ya with your Lake Erie fishin' report for May 5th, 2026, right here around Detroit's waters. Mornin' bite's just kickin' off at 03:00—perfect time to wet a line before the wind picks up. Weather's lookin' cooperative per NOAA: partly cloudy skies, temps hoverin' 55-65°F, light southwest breeze at 5-10 mph, and low chance of rain. Sunrise hits at 6:15 AM, sunset 8:45 PM—plenty of daylight for trophy hunters. No real tides on this freshwater beast, but water levels are steady at 573.5 ft per USACE, with a slight western flow from recent rains. Fish are active post-spawn! Anglers crushed it last week: walleye limits daily (15-25 fishers boatin' 20-50 keepers, 4-8 lbs), perch hauls of 30-50 per trip (NOAA creel surveys), smallies stackin' up on reefs (bass tourney reports show 5-7 lbers), and channel cats prowlin' shallows. Perch survey from Ohio DNR says yellow perch are thick in 20-35 ft. **Hot lures:** Husky Jerks or Reef Runners in firetiger for walleye trollin' 1.8-2.5 mph. Dipsy Divers with nightcrawlers for deep runners. **Bait kings:** Minnows on jigheads for perch, nightcrawlers or shad for cats and eyes. Local tackle shops…

People in this episode

Host: Artificial Lure

Topics covered

• fishing
• Lake Erie
• walleye
• perch
• smallmouth bass
• Detroit
• outdoor activities

Keywords

• Lake Erie fishing
• walleye
• perch
• smallmouth bass
• Detroit fishing report
• fishing tips
• outdoor activities

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NOAA, USACE, Ohio DNR

Products: Husky Jerks, Reef Runners, Dipsy Divers, Minnows, nightcrawlers, shad

Places: Lake Erie, Detroit, Pointe Mouillee, Detroit River

More episodes of Lake Erie, Detroit Fishing Report

• Early Summer Walleye Bite Heating Up on Lake Erie and the Detroit River · June 13, 2026 · 4 min
• Lake Erie Early Summer: Walleye Limits and Smallmouth on the Rise · June 12, 2026 · 4 min
• Late Spring Lake Erie: Walleye Limits and Smallmouth Action Heat Up · June 11, 2026 · 4 min
• Early Summer Walleye Limits: Lake Erie and Detroit River Fishing Report · June 10, 2026 · 3 min
• Late Spring Walleye Limits and Smallmouth Heat on Lake Erie and the Detroit River · June 9, 2026 · 4 min
• Early June Erie and Detroit River: Walleye Limits and Smallmouth on the Rise · June 8, 2026 · 4 min