Best Fishing Times in Ohio This Week

Q: What are the solunar times in Ohio this week?

The table above shows the next 7 days for Port Clinton, Cleveland and Cincinnati, with each day's major and minor periods, sunrise and sunset, and a rating from Fair to Best. For your own spot, enter a ZIP on the best fishing times page.

Q: Do I need a fishing license in Ohio?

The Ohio fishing license page has what a resident and nonresident license costs and where to buy one, read from the state's own regulations.

Q: When does ice fishing start in Ohio?

The Ohio ice fishing page tracks when lakes freeze and what the agency says about safe ice. The solunar windows here work the same through the ice; winter tips favor mid to late afternoon.

Q: Does the moon really affect fishing?

The solunar windows are the old angler's rule, and the studies are mixed. Dawn and dusk are the reliable part: fish feed in low light. So each day here is rated on the moon phase and on whether a moon window meets sunrise or sunset, with the weather as a smaller nudge.

Q: Is today a good day to fish in Ohio?

Each town's card above rates today Fair, Good, Great or Best. The rating adds up the moon phase, whether a moon window meets sunrise or sunset, and the National Weather Service forecast for that town: pressure, fronts, wind, rain, cloud and thunder. A Fair day still has its dawn and dusk.

Near Port Clinton, Cleveland and Cincinnati: today on a 24 hour timeline and the next seven days rated Fair to Best.

Working out the moon and the sun for Port Clinton, OH, and reading the forecast.

Fishing somewhere else? Enter any ZIP for your own spot

Photo: “Fall fishing on the Madison River at sunrise”, Jacob W. Frank, Yellowstone National Park (NPS), Public domain

Ohio at a glance

Solunar windows plus the agency calendar

Towns rated this week

Port Clinton, Cleveland and Cincinnati

Solunar windows a day

two majors, two minors, set against sunrise and sunset

Dated entries from the agency

Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife

Fish the calendar names

walleye, yellow perch and steelhead

The fishing year

When fish bite in Ohio

Ohio's fishing year turns on Lake Erie: the Maumee River walleye run in March and April, open water walleye in summer, yellow perch into fall, and steelhead in northeast rivers from October through May.

Each entry below is from Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife or its published guides, quoted word for word and linked. Line the season up with the week above: a run in its prime and a Great day with a window at first light is the morning to take off.

March and April
Walleye
Walleye spawn in the Maumee River in March and April, with the peak from late March through mid April.
“In the Maumee, Walleye spawn during March and April, peaking late March through mid-April.”
Maumee River Spring Walleye Fishing, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, read October 9, 2026
June to August
Walleye
From June to August, Lake Erie walleye suspend in open water between West Sister and Kelleys islands.
“SUMMER WALLEYE (JUNE - AUGUST) During these months walleye are suspended in open water from West Sister to Kelleys islands.”
Lake Erie Fishing Guide, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, read October 9, 2026
Late summer through fall
Yellow perch
Late summer through fall brings some of the best yellow perch fishing on Lake Erie.
“Late summer through fall produces some of the best yellow perch fishing on Lake Erie.”
Lake Erie Fishing Guide, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, read October 9, 2026
October to May
Steelhead
Steelhead like water under 60 degrees, so the best time is October through May, when they move in and out of northeast Ohio rivers.
“Steelhead prefer cold (less than 60 degrees Fahrenheit) waters, so the best time to catch them is when they migrate in and out rivers in northeast Ohio from October through May.”
Lake Erie Fishing Guide, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, read October 9, 2026

Before you go

License, stocking and ice in Ohio

Ohio fishing licenseWhat a license costs and where to buy one.Ohio trout stockingWhere and when the state stocks trout.Ohio ice fishingWhen the lakes freeze and the ice is safe.Ohio daylightSunrise, sunset and day length all year.

How the days are rated

Reading the Ohio timeline

Each day has two major solunar periods of about two hours, centered on the moon overhead and underfoot, and two minor periods of about an hour at moonrise and moonset. A window within an hour of sunrise or sunset is marked in gold. The rating adds the moon phase, the gold windows and a capped nudge from the National Weather Service forecast for each town. Every factor and its points.

Dawn and dusk are the reliable part; the moon windows are the old angler’s rule.

An angler in a cap seen from behind, holding a rod over a calm lake at dusk, with a bobber on pink water and a pine shore beyond — Walleye fishing on a northern Wisconsin lake at dusk. The Wisconsin DNR says that in clear waters walleye stay deep in the day and move into the shallows at night, which is why the hour around sunset is shaded on every timeline here. “Fishing in northern Wisconsin for walleye”, Joanna Gilkeson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region, Public domain

Ohio fishing times questions

When is the best time to fish in Ohio?

What are the solunar times in Ohio this week?

When do walleye bite in Ohio?

When do yellow perch bite in Ohio?

Do I need a fishing license in Ohio?

When does ice fishing start in Ohio?

Does the moon really affect fishing?

Is today a good day to fish in Ohio?

Ohio at a glance

When fish bite in Ohio

Walleye

Walleye

Yellow perch

Steelhead

License, stocking and ice in Ohio

Reading the Ohio timeline

Ohio fishing times questions

Best fishing times in other states