CLEVELAND, Ohio — Lake Erie trawl surveys by the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s fisheries biologists have shown an unprecedented fifth straight year of record hatches of walleye around Lake Erie. While the yellow perch numbers are still low, a rapid growth rate of the perch stocks have been a cause for optimism.
“Lake Erie walleye anglers will continue to benefit from terrific walleye populations,” said Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker. “This year’s hatch will grow to catchable sizes in two or three years, which it will contribute to decades of excellent fishing in the Walleye Capital of the World.”
While sport and commercial fishermen are disappointed with the low numbers of yellow perch in central and eastern Lake Erie, good perch fishing is forecast for Western Lake Erie.
“Lake Erie yellow perch are surveyed and managed as regional populations within management zones,” said Travis Hartman, the Division of Wildlife’s Lake Erie Fisheries Program Administrator, “The Division of Wildlife uses these zones to monitor perch hatches and, by comparing results to previous years, determine safe harvest levels.”
The walleye daily bag limit for Lake Erie sport anglers will undoubtedly remain at six fish per day. Perch should continue to have the traditional daily bag limit of 30 fish around Western Lake Erie, but the restrictions imposed in recent years will continue a daily bag of just 10 perch east of Huron.
There is optimism, said Hartman. The yellow perch being surveyed are generally thriving, growing faster and longer than age groups checked in the past by biologists.
“Perch have generally changed their feeding habits,” said Hartman. “They’ve switched their diet from emerald shiner minnows and small baitfish to midges, spiny water fleas and mayflies. The perch we examined are healthy, and we feel they will have successful spawning seasons in the future.”
Lake Erie fish stocks are jointly managed by the states bordering Lake Erie — Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York — and the Province of Ontario. Their studies will result in a total allowable catch from their waters, which will be set at the annual Lake Erie Committee meetings held on March 29-30 in Hamilton, Ontario.
The results of the fall walleye trawl survey of the 2022 hatch on Lake Erie shows an unprecedented fifth straight year of excellent reproduction. (Ohio Division of Wildlife)
Trout stockings kick off cold weather bonanza: The trout trucks have returned this week to the Cleveland Metropark’s lakes to bring some outstanding rainbow trout fishing. While winter ice should soon be on the way, trout are the perfect game fish for both open water angling and ice fishing.
This year’s load of 3,000 rainbow trout, brook trout, golden rainbows and colorful tiger trout were released on Monday in Wallace and Ranger lakes.
Shadow, Ledge and Judges lakes will get a trout transfusion Friday.
“Walleye Lake is the biggest of the lakes, and the most popular for trout fishermen, so it gets about 1,400 of the foot-long trout,” said Aquatic Biologist Mike Durkalec.
The trout are supplied by Hooked on Trout Farm, which raises a wide variety of species of fish. The tiger trout it stocked in the Cleveland Metropark lakes are real trophies, with one released at Wallace Lake stretching 21.5-inches in length.
The daily trout bag limit is three trout per angler at Wallace, Ledge, Ranger and Judge’s lakes. The daily bag limit at Shadow Lake and the Ohio & Erie Canal, which was stocked a few weeks ago, is five trout per day.
Where’s the rain?: Steelhead trout fishermen need some rain to lift river water levels and lure a fresh batch of big trout from Lake Erie. It looks like like a wet weekend is in order. But not a gully washer that will shut down the river fishing all weekend.
In the meantime, there are good numbers of trout already in the rivers, but dress warm. Sucker spawn and yarn eggs are working right now for fly fishermen, and spin anglers are relying on spawn bags and marabou jigs tipped with maggots or minnows.
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