Lake Erie walleye outlook is good

Division of Wildlife predicts good perch fishing, but only fair for smallmouth bass.

By Jim Morris, Contributing Writer Dayton Daily News

Roger Knight likes your chances of having successful walleye fishing trips on Lake Erie this year.

Knight, who heads the fisheries unit out of Sandusky for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, thinks the walleye population will give anglers another good season, even if the future is a bit cloudy.

“I am feeling better about this year than I first thought,” Knight said. “I think anglers will have a good year, especially if they are willing to move around.

As the water temperature changes, the fish will move, so everyone should be aware of that.

“The 2003 class is still out there in abundance — not as abundant as they once were — but they have been out there for seven years now. And those fish are going to be in the 20-to-28-inch range.”

He said the 2007 hatch will provide most of the 16-to-20-inch walleyes.

Bag limits: Wildlife officials do not have to announce bag limits until quotas are set by the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission.

Once those quotas are announced in about two weeks, Ohio officials will look at this state’s share of the total allowable catch for walleyes and yellow perch and determine if Ohio bag limits need to be adjusted.

The current daily bag limit is 4 walleyes during the spawning months of March and April and 6 for the rest of the year.

“While we think there are plenty of fish out there for this year, we are not all that pleased with the overall numbers,” Knight said. “I don’t know if we will have to reduce the bag limit. It all depends on what comes down.

“A year ago the thinking was the situation was rather dire, but since then the news has been more positive. So I am feeling a little better about the chance we won’t have to reduce the bag limit.”

He said if the quota for Ohio is 950,000 walleyes or more, the bag limit won’t change this year.

Regardless of the new bag limit, which goes into effect May 1, the 15-inch size limit will remain.

Perch: Chances of returning to the split bag limit for Lake Erie yellow perch in Ohio appear to be probable.

A couple of years ago, biologists felt the Western Basin perch population had been reduced to the point where a daily bag limit of 25 was needed to help restore the numbers. It was switched back to 30 for the whole lake last year, but it might have to be reduced on the western side again.

“From Cleveland on east the perch population is very good, but not on the western side,” Knight said.

Ohio anglers and commercial fishermen did not go over the perch quota last year, but it was close.

“Part of the perch problem is tied to what’s going on in the lake environmentally,” Knight pointed out. “We have to get a handle on that — the phosphorus and algae blooms. Where we are seeing the largest perch populations are where the algae blooms are not as strong.

“Don’t get me wrong, there will be times when the perch fishing will be very good this year. There should be a good supply of 7-to-12-inch fish. And as it always is, the farther east you go, the more fish you will find, and they will be larger as well.”

Smallmouth bass: Knight expects smallmouth fishing to be “fair” this year with many fish in the 15-to-22-inch range and 2-6 pounds.

Ohio has had a closed season (all catch-and-release) for all black bass during spawning months. This year the dates are May 1 to June 24.

“We started the closed season in 2004, so for the past couple of years we have been able to observe how the program has been working,” Knight said. “There have been some positive signs, but no changes are planned right now. We’d like to observe it for three more years before we make any determination about changing the closed season.”