Outlook is strong for walleye this season
Recently I spoke with Ohio Division of Wildlife Lake Erie Program Manager Travis Hartman regarding the outlook this year for Erie walleye, yellow perch and smallmouth bass.
Walleye
From trophy-sized fish, to eating-sized ones, along with various lengths in between, 2017 should be the start of consecutive banner years for Lake Erie walleye anglers.
Hartman said walleye anglers will still find fish from the 2003 year class, a testament to the species' longevity in Lake Erie waters, as well as the phenomenal size of that spawn.
The walleye hatch in 2014 was the strongest since 2003. 2015's, though not as successful as the prior year, was above average. Hartman said some of the '14 fish were legal by the fall of last year, many of them in the 16 to 18-inch range, thanks to fast growth rates. Those from the '15 hatch ranged from 11 to 13 inches. Some will be legal this summer.
“Last year's hatch, though below average, will also contribute in the years ahead,” the biologist added.
The success of walleye hatches varies greatly on Lake Erie, the reasons for which remain somewhat of a mystery. Much of the walleye population is produced in the western basin, which is rich in shallow water habitat. As the lake warms over spring and summer, vast numbers of walleyes migrate eastward, following baitfish, into eastern Ohio and Pennsylvania. As such, walleye fishing within the western basin tends to wane as summer progresses, while the action in the central basin, from the Huron area eastward into Pennsylvania, picks up later in July and August. How quickly this migration takes place depends on the weather of the year, influencing how fast Erie's waters warm up.
Hartman also said that while walleye production varies greatly, in general, nesting success has been more consistent in recent years. And fish from those below-average spawns will be present and help fuel the walleye fishing, accounting for many of the fish in the low to mid 20-inch range.
Even though lake-wide walleye action is driven, in general, by the summer's west-to-east fish movement, central basin waters have local fish, and account for some of the early summer action.
It's also significant to note that young walleyes, such as those two and three-year olds that will be common this summer, tend to stay closer to the shore. This is especially true during summers that lack above average water temperatures. This can provide some great “in close” action, such as that described at the outset.
Yellow Perch
Hartman expects 2017's yellow perch fishing to be good, particularly within the waters of the western basin. Perch populations in central basin waters may be down somewhat.
“Yellow perch populations in the western basin currently are as good as we've seen in years,” Hartman said. “We've had four good hatches in a row.”
Consistent perch production of late, combined with the fast growth rates of Lake Erie, should combine to provide western basin anglers with good numbers as well as size structure of yellow perch.
“Yellow perch are shorter lived than walleyes,” Hartman explained. “So, when you have some years with below-average spawns, you feel it. Unlike walleyes, perch from the record 2003 hatch are now gone.”
The perch picture isn't as bright in central basin waters. Hartman said this area of Erie, from Huron east to Conneaut (as well as Pennsylvania's share of the lake) has been in a down cycle, with less consistent recruitment.
Black Bass
“I'm optimistic about this year's bass fishing on Erie,” noted Hartman. “I think it's still one of the top destinations in the country for trophy-sized fish.”
Hartman said Erie's smallmouth fishery is difficult to assess. Unlike young walleye and yellow perch — which inhabit off-shore areas accessible to the agency's open water trawl efforts — young smallmouth bass frequent near-shore shallows. It takes about four years for hatched smallmouth bass to turn to the fishery, where their presence is displayed in angler catches. That noted, he said fisheries personnel have been seeing more and more young smallmouth bass, a trend that's been happening for some years.
So, in general, fisheries personnel feel smallmouth numbers are on the increase, though it's difficult to say exactly why, if indeed there is one specific reason. It's likely from a combination of factors, one being the no-harvest spring season that was instituted in 2004.
Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.
