 Year
after year, Lake Erie anglers have experienced some of the finest and
most diverse fishing on the Great Lakes and this year will be no
different, say fisheries experts with the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
"Great opportunities abound for veteran anglers and those new to the
Lake Erie fishing scene," said Roger Knight, Lake Erie fisheries program
manager at ODNR. "The lake’s famous walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth
bass, steelhead trout and white bass are again plentiful this year."
Knight noted that good fishing and a large charter boat fleet in the
western and central basins, as well as numerous public boat ramps,
private marinas, and shoreline access continue to make Ohio's Lake Erie
waters a popular fishing destination.
Walleye
 The
2004 Lake Erie walleye fishery will be dominated by the 1999 and 2001
hatches. Fish from the 1999-year class will range from 18 to 22 inches
and fish from 2001 will range from 15 to 18 inches. Walleye from the
1996 and 1998-year classes will provide 22 to 28-inch fish, with “Fish
Ohio” walleye (over 28 inches) being from older year classes. Sampling
during the 2003 season found fish up to 21 years old remaining from the
large 1982 hatch.
Anglers are reminded that new walleye regulations are in place for the
2004 fishing season. The bag limit during March and April has been
reduced to three fish, while the bag limit from May through February
remains at six. A new 15-inch minimum size limit is in effect during the
entire season. Another new regulation also prohibits the use of
treble-hooked lures in Sandusky and Maumee bays during March and April.
State fisheries biologists believe the 2003 walleye hatch to be one of
the largest in recent history. August and September trawls sampled
numbers comparable to the 1982 and 1986 hatches, two of the largest on
record. By last September, anglers fishing with shiners were already
catching walleye hatched in spring 2003. Individuals from the 2003-year
class should reach 12 to 13 inches by fall of 2004. With the new 15-inch
minimum size limit in effect, any fish caught from the 2003-year class
should be gently handled and released as soon as possible. The fish from
the 2003-year class will reach 15 inches during the 2005 fishing season.
Yellow Perch
The excellent perch fishing that anglers have experienced since the
mid-1990s should continue through 2004. Fish from the excellent hatch in
2001 will enter into the fishery as 8 to 9-inch fish just in time for
the peak season in August through October. Anglers also had some success
fishing for yellow perch during non-traditional months of June and July
this past year, especially in the central basin. However, fall is when
the catch rates are the highest. Limit catches of large yellow perch
should again be attainable during 2004. Ten to 12-inch fish from the
1998 and 1999 hatches and a few Fish Ohio-size fish (over 13 inches)
from the 1996 hatch will be available.
Conservative regulations for sport and commercial fishermen, coupled
with improved spawning success, have helped Lake Erie's yellow perch
stocks to gradually recover after low levels in the early 1990s. Ohio's
daily bag limit for yellow perch remains at 30 fish per angler for the
2004 season.
Smallmouth Bass
Excellent smallmouth bass fishing exists in many Ohio areas of Lake
Erie. Traditional "hot spots" such as the Lake Erie islands, the western
basin reef complex, Sandusky Bay, Ruggles Reef, and harbor breakwalls
from Lorain to Conneaut, all produce good numbers of smallmouth bass and
also the potential to catch a trophy over 5 pounds. In the spring of
2003, a smallmouth bass weighing slightly less than the state record of
9.5 pounds (caught in the Bass Islands area in 1993) was caught near
Conneaut. Smallmouth bass anglers can expect to land "smallies" from
1993, 1994, 1998 and 1999-year classes, now ranging in size from 14 to
19 inches and weighing 1.5 to 4 pounds.
New smallmouth bass regulations will take effect for the 2004 season. A
closed season will be in effect from May 1 through June 26 to enhance
reproduction. Fishing during the closed season will not be unlawful, but
all black bass (smallmouth and largemouth) must be immediately released.
The daily bag limit after June 26 will remain at five fish with a
14-inch minimum.
Steelhead Trout
Anglers should look for peak steelhead action on the waters off
Vermilion to Conneaut during June through August, with catches measuring
17 to 29 inches. The typical method for capturing steelhead in the open
waters is depth-controlled trolling with downriggers or dipsy divers
with spoons. Many charter guides now offer steelhead charters as an
alternative to traditional walleye charters. Once Lake Erie's steelheads
move into central basin streams in the fall, these feisty fish provide
additional angling opportunities for wading anglers throughout the fall,
winter, and spring months. The ODNR Division of Wildlife maintains this
popular fishery by releasing approximately 400,000 steelhead trout each
spring in the Vermilion, Rocky, Chagrin, and Grand rivers, as well as
Conneaut Creek.
Fishing conditions on Lake Erie can change hourly. Adjusting fishing
methods according to current conditions is the key to success. Anglers
should take into account such factors as season, cloud cover, water
clarity, boat traffic, wave action, and amount of prey fish present.
Electronic equipment to mark fish is helpful. Once a school of fish is
located, anglers should try various techniques including drifting,
trolling, and jigging at various depths in the water column.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife maintains a series of
web pages describing its Lake Erie research and management programs,
fisheries resources, and open lake and steelhead fishing reports, maps
and links to other Lake Erie web resources.
During the season, ODNR provides an updated, recorded
Lake Erie fishing report at
1-888 HOOKFISH. ODNR Division of Wildlife staff members
are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at Fairport Harbor
(440-352-4199) for central basin information and at Sandusky
(419-625-8062) for western basin information. For additional information
on lodging, charter boat services, and local launch ramps, contact one
of the following lakeshore visitor’s bureaus:
Ashtabula
County Convention & Visitors Bureau 800-337-6746
Lake County Visitors Bureau 800-368-5253
Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland 800-321-1001
Lorain County Visitors Bureau 800-334-1673
Sandusky/Erie County Visitors Bureau 800-255-8070
Ottawa County Visitors Bureau 800-441-1271
Greater Toledo Convention & Visitors Bureau 800-243-4667
Ohio Division of Travel & Tourism 800-BUCKEYE
For additional news check out the
ODNR
Press Room.
For Further Information Contact:
Roger Knight or Jeff Tyson, ODNR Division of Wildlife
(419) 625-8062
-or-
Jane Beathard, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6860
This article
reprinted courtesy of the ODNR Division of Wildlife
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