Anglers long for limits of walleyes, dream about tangling with monster muskies, wonder how to hook Erie steelhead and how to catch Mosquito Lake largemouth bass.

They could hire a guide and accomplish all of the above. But first, they should check out the tips that follow from four of our region’s top walleye, bass, steelhead and muskie pros.

Steelhead trout are charging around Lake Erie harbors and river mouths right now and Girard’s John Breedlove is hard at work on them. He trolls, catches and releases hundreds of acrobatic steelheads every autumn on spoons like Little Cleos and KO Wobblers, as well as plugs like Rapala Huskie Jerks, Shad Raps, Flicker Shads, Tail Dancers and Mag Lips.

Breedlove’s success makes steelhead fishing seem easy. The truth is, he calls on his years of experience when he heads north on Ohio 11 to Conneaut, Ashtabula and Fairport Harbor.

“On sunny days in clear water, I troll natural colors that match the baitfish–shad and emerald shiners,” Breedlove said. “Sometimes, especially early in the fall, on sunny days, the fish will shy away from hitting chrome and flashy colors.”

Anglers often encounter stained water after rainy or windy weather. “In dirty water, you can go with lures with bright colors and chrome. Steelheads are sight-feeders, so bright colors help them see in stained water.

“Always–I repeat always–keep one eye on the depth finder because you need to be around the baitfish. If the baitfish move, you have to go find them. The steelhead will always be around the baitfish.”

Muskie pro Chris DePaola of Austintown also serves up great advice.

“Pay attention at the boat,” DePaola said. ”This season, the majority of the action I’ve had has been boat-side strikes. That last 10 feet of your retrieve is crucial.”

DePaola watches closely for muskies zeroing in on his lures. When he sees a follower, he transitions into a steady, uninterrupted figure 8 or circle.

“Don’t do anything abrupt. Make it as easy as possible for the fish to follow, overtake and eat your lure. Increase the speed, especially when pulling the lure into the turns. This is one of the most exciting ways to catch a muskie.”

When it comes to Mosquito Lake bass, Nick Prvonozac of Howland has perhaps only one peer–his brother George–so when Nick offers advice, bass anglers pay attention, especially when it comes to fishing hollow-body frogs on matted vegetation.

“When it’s really matted, I use the traditional style hollow-body frog to go over the grass because the popping style tends to dig in,” Prvonozac said. “Around the edges or when it’s not real matted, I go with popping frogs like to Booyah Pad Crasher.”

He always rigs his frogs on 50- to 65-pound braided line.

“I use a 7-foot 4-inch heavy action frog rod around bushes and willows and a 7-foot 8-inch extra heavy for really long casts on the grass flats with a high-speed 8.5-to-1 gear ratio reel,” he said.

Prvonozac has produced two YouTube videos for retailer Fisherman’s Central with details about froggin’ and the Palomar knots he ties. Google “Nick Prvonozac frog fishing video” to view his tips.

Walleye pro Sammy Cappelli of Poland says anglers can catch more walleyes by mastering a variety of techniques, particularly the jig-and-minnow, trolling with lead-core line and snap weights, and jigging heavy metal baits like the VibE.

“I think it’s important to learn different tactics because you have to do whatever it takes to catch walleyes every day,” Cappelli said. “Like now in the fall, the VibE bite is taking off at Berlin.”

Jack Wollitz’s book, “The Common Angler,” is a collection of stories that explain why anglers are passionate about fishing. Send a note to jackbbaass@gmail.com.