Catawba Fishing Brief - 2026-07-18
Western Basin Lake Erie waypoints. Verified against Coe Vanna Charters + Natural Atlas. Mouse Island Reef is the structure ~0.94 nm N of the island itself. 7/18 is a CAUTION on timing and heat, not the wind quadrant: wind SW 15-20 kt becoming W (buoy 15.6 kt from 230, the friendly lee direction), waves 1-3 ft, no marine advisories, but 60-70 percent thunderstorms build 2-5 PM and heat index nears 100F on a shadeless PWC. Sunrise-to-early-afternoon trip only, off before the storms. Weather approaches from the west, so favor close and east for a short run home - Mouse Island Reef and the Marblehead seam. Treat the WNW Niagara/Round run as morning-only, turn back if the western sky darkens. Water 78.4F, full summer scatter - troll to find pods, jig what you mark. Sunday is the clean GO.
Reel Quest

Catawba Pt Assoc Launch
APPROXIMATE. Private community ramp at the tip of Catawba near Mouse Island. Verify exact location.
Launch

Mouse Island REEF
VERIFIED. Actual fishing reef, NOT the island. ~1.2 nm NNE of launch. Limestone shoal, 0.33 sq mi, least depth 9 ft. At 78.4F troll the perimeter to find scattered pods, jig back through them. Closest reef and today's best pick - a two-minute run home when the western sky darkens with the afternoon storms.
Fishing

Niagara Reef (buoy 5)
VERIFIED. Lighted buoy 5 marks the reef. ~6 nm WNW of launch. Best structure in range, but it is the direction the afternoon storms come from - morning-only, and turn back the moment the western sky darkens. Troll 18-22 ft edges, jig rocky outskirts 12-16 FOW.
Fishing

Round Reef
VERIFIED (Coe Vanna). Named in lakeeriefish for jigging, 10-16 FOW. ~5 nm WNW of launch, part of the Niagara/Round reef complex. Fish it alongside Niagara on the morning run, before the storms build to the west.
Fishing

Marblehead Current
APPROXIMATE. Just E of Marblehead Lighthouse in current break. High-current walleye zone named in lakeeriefish. East of the ramp, away from today's incoming western weather - the smart pick with storms building. Reef Runner / Husky Jerk 18-28 FOW @ 1.5 mph, bottom third. Verify exact current break with fish finder. Quick bail to Catawba or Port Clinton.

Toussaint Reef
VERIFIED. Named in lakeeriefish for jigging. ~9 nm W of launch. A long open-water haul straight toward the incoming western weather - skip it today unless you are out at dawn and back well before the storms. Only if the lake is genuinely flat.

Crib Reef (buoy 7)
VERIFIED. Buoy 7 marks it. ~10 nm NE of launch. Less crowded than Niagara. The longest haul on the list - a long way from home with storms building this afternoon, so morning-only and only on a settled lake.