Largemouths may be found in the flooded vegetation and bays in the southern end of the lake. Plastic night crawlers and small crankbaits often take nice-sized fish.

Biologists have sampled smallmouths up to 17 inches. Smallies dominate the lake due to the changing water levels and abundant rock humps and sandbars. They frequent the more open northern end of the lake near rocky ledges and sandbars.

Bass also prowl the sunken Christmas trees and old wooden pallets placed as fish attractors. These older structures are widely scattered around the lake.

The white bass are found below the dam and may be taken on small spinners and spoons.

The four-lane boat ramp is on Bonner Road at the lake's northern end near state Route 224 and the state Route 14 bridge.

Berlin Lake is 60 miles south of Lake Erie and 25 miles west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line. For additional information, contact ODOW's District Three office at (330) 644-2293.

LAKE ERIE
"May 1 through June 23 is closed to the possession of black bass on Lake Erie," said Travis Hartman, a fisheries biologist with the Sandusky Fish Research Unit. "Anglers may target bass but must immediately release any that are caught."

With that in mind, there's still plenty of good bass fishing on this Great Lake. Largemouths are not normally associated with Lake Erie, but there's a viable fishery there if you know where to look for them.

According to Hartman, harbors containing vegetation hold numbers of largemouths, with good potential for 5-pounders. As the water warms in the spring, the largemouth fishing in the harbors can become fantastic.

The same techniques used on inland waters will take big-water largemouths as well.

Largemouth bass aren't commonly targeted on Lake Erie, and fish will be caught that are as old as 11 years. The 1998 and 2001 year-classes are especially strong, Hartman said.

Better known for its exceptional smallmouth angling, Lake Erie will produce great catches of smallies from Lorain to Conneaut. The harbors and harbor break walls are the hotspots at this time of the year. Outside of the harbors are rocky shorelines, rock reefs and dropoffs that can be hotspots for big bronzebacks as well. (Cont'd)

Hartman pointed out that Conneaut is especially well known for early- season trophies weighing in at over 5 pounds. The reef at Avon Point and the shoreline dropoffs from Avon to Lorain have produced good numbers of bass in the past.

Strong year-classes of smallmouths that anglers can expect to tangle with this year are from 1993, 1996, 1998 and 2001, said Hartman. These fish will range from 14 to 29 inches and weigh from 1 1/2 to 4 pounds.

Access points for boaters and shoreline anglers are abundant. A detailed listing is available from the ODOW's District Three office by asking for the Lake Erie Fishing Guide.

Contact the Fairport Harbor station office at (440) 352-4199 for central basin fishing information, and the Sandusky Unit at (419) 625-8062 for western basin information. For a recorded up-to-date Lake Erie fishing report during the season, call 1-888- HOOKFISH.