Lake Erie Walleye Run About to Begin
Published: Thursday, March 21, 2013 7:00 am
By: George Noleff
Springtime on Lake Erie, and the walleyes are on the run. It is an annual rite along the North Coast, especially in the areas around the Sandusky and Maumee Rivers.
Right now, walleyes are staging just off the mouths of those two rivers. Once the water temperature rises above 42 degrees F, those fish will move into the streams to spawn. And when they do, the walleye angler pilgrimage will begin.
Thousands of anglers will converge on the banks of the Maumee and Sandusky Rivers. Most will wade the streams in search of the million or so walleyes that swim several miles upstream to spawn. This is not easy fishing. The water is cold, chest or hip waders are needed, and the rivers can become crowded as fishermen stand shoulder to shoulder along some stretches.
Still, the payoff is the chance to catch big fish, and plenty of them. Most of the walleyes that will make the run will come from the bountiful 2003 year class. Many of the fish in that class will run 19 to 28 inches and weigh more than four pounds. That is a good size for a walleye, and there are even bigger fish to be caught. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources projects the prospects for this year’s run to be excellent.
Along the Maumee, the more popular stretch runs from Conant Street to Jerome Road in Lucas County. The ODNR reports the area around Orleans Park in Perrysburg provides the best fishing. There is parking nearby, but anglers have to be mindful of the No Parking signs.
A closer destination for anglers from northeast Ohio is the Sandusky River and the city of Fremont in particular. The stretch from Brady’s Island to Young Park is popular. The ODNR says the area around State Street in Fremont is among the best. There is parking available nearby.
When it comes to techniques, most anglers cast floating jig heads weighted with half ounce sinkers and tipped with twister tails. Sometimes minnows are added to the jig. The lure is cast into the stream and allowed to swing into the current as it is slowly retrieved.
Hits are usually light this time of year, so anglers have to by hyper-aware of what they are feeling in their line and on their rod tip. Both streams are rocky and have plenty of snags, so fishermen should come well supplied with jigs and other tackle. Remember state regulations prohibit the use of more than one hook per line, so treble hooks are illegal.
There are limited runs on the Portage, Vermilion and Huron Rivers, too, but nothing like the runs on the Sandusky and Maumee. Of course, some anglers prefer fishing from a boat for early season walleye. They can do that on reefs of Lake Erie’s Western Basin. One of the top reefs targeted for early season fishing is Niagara Reef off of Port Clinton.
Again, jigs are the top lure, although crankbaits are also part of the arsenal on the reefs. Anglers cast toward the rocky areas where walleyes spawn. It is not easy fishing, weather conditions can be less than favorable, but fish are caught in numbers and size. A number of charter fishing operations in Port Clinton offer daily jigging trips on the reefs.
There are also special limits that apply. The total number of walleyes that can be kept per angler on Lake Erie and its tributaries is four until April 30 and the minimum size that can be kept is 15 inches.
As for timing, fish are being caught on the reefs right now, and walleyes should move into the rivers in about a week.
ODNR expects the peak of the run to be the last week of March or the first week of April. There will be some walleyes that linger in the rivers even longer. And after the walleye run comes the white bass run, but that’s a different story for another time.
