Like a multi-starred concert at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that sits on its southern shore, Ohio’s share of Lake Erie furnishes anglers with a venue that features several headliners.

In spring’s warming water, that stage features a tripleheader that includes walleyes, smallmouth bass and yellow perch.

• Walleyes. For the past five years, Lake Erie’s harvest-sized walleye fishery has been fueled by the record hatch experienced in 2003. Ohio Division of Wildlife Lake Erie Fisheries Biologist Roger Knight said the 2003 class will continue to be a major contributor to this year’s walleye take.

Knight said 2003 fish will run from 20 to 28 inches. The 2007 hatch will also make its presence known, providing fish in the 16 to 22 inch range this year. Walleyes from 2005 will also add to this season’s catch, and will run from 19 to 25 inches.

“There will be a broad mix of walleyes,” he said. “Walleyes live up to 20 years in Lake Erie, so there will be plenty of large fish, ones over 28 inches that will qualify as Fish Ohio Award-sized walleyes.”

The future looks bright for walleyes in Lake Erie. Knight said 2010 produced an average number of walleyes. These fish should begin reaching the 15 inch minimum length limit by mid-summer of 2012.

• Smallmouth bass. Knight said anglers can again expect to catch smallmouth bass in the 15- to 22-inch range, which on Lake Erie translates into 2- to 6-pound-plus fish.

“I think it will be fair, by Lake Erie standards,” he said.

While the Division of Wildlife doesn’t survey for young-of-the-year smallmouth levels like it does for walleye and yellow perch (which would require specialized gear to check out hard-bottom areas in 15 foot-plus depths), he said when there are good numbers of young smallies, there tends to be an overflow of young bass into non-traditional soft bottom habitats, places where the agency does survey for other species like walleyes. He said they’ve been seeing young smallmouth during such surveys since 2004, which is a good sign. There have been concerns over smallmouth production, primarily regarding potential negative impact by the exotic round goby — a known nest robber.

Knight feels the no-harvest Lake Erie smallmouth bass regulation — which runs from May 1 until the last Saturday in June — helps keep fishing pressure down, which helps keep more bass on the beds where they can protect their young.

• Yellow perch. When the perch bite picks up, there’s little that excites anglers more. Parking lots are filled with trailered rigs, many of them sporting out-of-state plates.

Knight said this year’s perch bite will be provided mostly from fish hatched in 2007 and 2008, along with some from 2003 and 2005. While yellow perch spawn every year like walleyes, the most productive hatches seem to occur on odd-number years. Expect to catch yellow perch up to 13 inches, with a few older individuals exceeding that mark.

Last year both the western and central basins had 30 fish bag limits, a departure from the prior year.

Knight expects the same this season, though yellow perch and walleye limits are set in conjunction with a framework provided by the Lake Erie Council. Any change to creel limits would go into effect as of May 1 (information was unavailable at press time). A pamphlet is produced yearly that lists Lake Erie creel limits. It’s available online at www.dnr.state.oh.us and at district offices.

Jeff Knapp is a fishing columnist for the Butler Eagle.