Roger Knight, top Lake Erie fisheries biologist expects the fishing for big smallmouth bass, like this one taken by Terry Jones, to be “fair” in 2011.

The 2011 outlook for three of Lake Erie’s most popular gamefish species looks promising.

WalleyesFor the past five years, Lake Erie’s harvest-sized walleye fishery has been fueled by the record hatch experienced in 2003. Roger Knight, Ohio Division of Wildlife Lake Erie fisheries biologist, said the 2003 year class will continue to be a major contributor to this year’s take.Knight said 2003 fish will run from 20 to 28 inches. The 2007 hatch also will make its presence known, providing fish in the 16- to 22-inch range this year. Walleyes from 2005 also will 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 the big lake Knight said 2010 produced an average number of walleyes. These fish should begin reaching the 15-inch minimum length limit by midsummer of 2012.

Smallmouth BassKnight said anglers again can 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, he said when there are good numbers of young smallies, there tends to be an overflow of young bass into nontraditional 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 effect of the exotic round goby, a known nest robber.Knight said the no-harvest Lake Erie smallmouth bass regulation, which runs from May 1 until the last Saturday in June in Ohio, helps keep fishing pressure down, which helps keep more bass on the beds, where they can protect their young.

Yellow PerchWhen 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 by fish hatched in 2007 and ’08, along with some from ’03 and ’05.While yellow perch spawn every year, like walleyes, the most productive hatches seem to occur in 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 previous 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 creel limit change would go into effect May 1. A pamphlet is produced yearly that lists Lake Erie creel limits and is available at www.dnr.state.oh.us.In general, Lake Erie’s numerous fisheries are healthy. But there still are some concerns, one of the most significant being the ongoing presence of toxin-producing blue-green algae.Fueled primarily by the introduction of phosphorus into the lake from river tributaries, blue-green algae has the potential to reduce water quality to the point of being less habitable for desirable fish species.While toxins produced by blue-green algae, aka cyanobacteria, rarely affect humans, some believe that fish, at some life stages, can be poisoned.The Ohio Phosphorus Task Force, formed in 2007, has identified the principle source of phosphorus loading as commercial fertilizer and livestock manure. The two biggest contributors are the Maumee and Sandusky rivers.The problem is most serious in the western basin, though rivers such as the Cuyahoga and Grand, which feed the central basin, also are seeing an increase in phosphorus.Knight said that while factors that affect fish populations like weather can’t be controlled, phosphorus levels can be reduced to nonthreatening levels. He said the Division of Wildlife will continue to work with other agencies to that end.Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.