Fishing the Walleye Capital of the World Just Keeps Getting Better
Published: Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Fishing for Lake Erie walleye has never been more exciting thanks to several exceptional years of fish production in the western basin. This summer, Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife trawl surveys found that trend will continue with another walleye hatch that is well above average. Fisheries biologists reported the 2021 walleye hatch is the fourth exceptional hatch in a row making for five excellent hatches since 2015.
“This is fantastic news for Lake Erie walleye and the future of the fishery,” said Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker. “This hatch will reach harvestable size during the 2023 fishing season. In the meantime, with an incredible run of strong hatches beginning in 2015 there has never been a better time to fish Lake Erie. Anglers can find an abundance of walleye averaging 20 inches, reaching up to 26 inches or more.”
The 2021 walleye hatch index was 90 fish per hectare (a standard measure of area), well above the rapidly increasing prior 20-year average of 34 fish per hectare. The young walleye averaged just over 4 inches long and were caught at every site sampled.
“Our fisheries biologists survey nearly 40 locations between Toledo and Huron by dragging a large, concave net along the bottom of the lake,” said Division of Wildlife Lake Erie Fisheries Program Manager Travis Hartman. “Smaller first- and second- year fish tend to feed near the lake’s floor and are captured in the net, while larger fully-grown fish dodge the net and are not routinely caught.”
Lake Erie is managed cooperatively by the five states and provinces that border it: New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario, Canada. Each August, Ohio’s fisheries biologists contribute to lake-wide efforts to survey hatch success in Lake Erie’s western basin. Ohio’s results are combined with surveys from each of the other states to estimate the total walleye population in the lake. This estimate is then used to establish fishing regulations and daily limits.
Want to stay current on everything wildlife? Connect with the Division of Wildlife by downloading the HuntFish OH mobile app, or check us out on Your Wild Ohio Angler Page on Facebook. Share your next fishing adventure with #fishohio.
A version of this article appeared in the Buyer's Guide (November/December) 2022 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
