The islands-area shorelines and reefs will continue to be some of the best areas to target smallies, Hartman added.

The shorelines of North Bass, Middle Bass, South Bass and Kelleys islands are all great places to start. Hartman said that the productive reefs will be the West Reef, Gull Island Shoal and the Kelleys Island Shoal. Ruggles Reef, just east of the islands, can also be a fantastic fishery for near-shore anglers.

“Some of the best untapped smallmouth fisheries are from Cleveland to Conneaut,” said Hartman. “Harbor break walls and near-shore rocky dropoffs in Ohio’s eastern portion of Lake Erie produce some incredible fishing opportunities that surprisingly few anglers take advantage of.”

But it’s not only the smallmouths that are exciting anglers nowadays.

“The largemouth fishing on Lake Erie is becoming even more awesome,” said Adams. “In some spots, you can catch a limit of largemouth bass in 20 minutes on spinnerbaits or black-and-chartreuse worms.”

Adams doesn’t hold back when it comes to smallies, either.

“Lake Erie is my favorite body of water to fish, and the smallmouth fishing has been phenomenal. Hooking a 5-pound smallie and seeing it jump 40 yards out from the boat is a heart-stopper. During the summer, I like to drift-fish and drag a tube in 12 to 30 feet of water. Any shade of green or brown works great for this approach.”

One fish in particular still brings sighs, said Adams. He was tournament fishing out of Sandusky and using green-pumpkin tubes.

“I felt a light tick on the worm I was dragging and set the hook. My heart nearly stopped when the biggest smallie I’ve ever seen came crashing up out of the water. I fought it to within a couple feet of the boat, and it jumped again. It was much larger than the 6.5-pounder I’d seen caught by a friend. As I started to net it, my line broke. That was a 7-pound fish, I just know it!”

For more information, contact the Fairport Harbor unit at (440) 352-4199 or the Sandusky Fish Research Station at (419) 625-8062. For a recorded, updated Lake Erie fishing report, call 1-888-HOOK-FISH.

For more information on Ohio’s bass fishery management plan, contact the Inland Fisheries Management Research Unit in Hebron at (740) 928-7034.

Lodging information may be obtained by contacting the Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism at 1-800-BUCKEYE, or you can go online at DiscoverOhio.com.