Lake Erie has been a top walleye fishing “go to” spot for many years. And a recent Ohio trawl survey of fingerling fish shows why Lake Erie walleye fishing will continue to be outstanding for years to come.
“Erie’s spring walleye hatch seems to get better every year,” Ohio’s Lake Erie Fisheries Administrator Travis Hartman tells Wired2fish. “Eight of the last 11 years Erie has had great walleye hatches during the spring spawn. Every year there seems to be more fish and they get bigger, too.”
The Ohio trawl survey targets small 3- to 4-inch-long walleye fingerlings to learn how good the spring spawn was on Erie. Hartman says the fish spawn in March and April and the trawl survey is done in August. Fingerlings are young-of-the-year walleyes that grow to catchable 15-inch size in about two years.
“This year’s hatch is the 6th largest we’ve recorded in the 38 years that we’ve run the trawl survey,” says Hartman, a 22-year veteran with the Ohio DNR. “The lake has a superb food chain base, with lots of zooplankton for walleye larva and fry to feast on.
“As they grow, Erie’s mixed forage base of emerald shiners, rainbow smelt and gizzard shad ensures they get big, and fast. There are lots of heavy walleyes in Erie now because the lake is in such excellent condition, with lots of forage and good water quality.”
The most recent trawl survey done in the western Ohio basin of Erie showed there are 128 fingerling walleyes per 2.5 acres of water. That’s more than double the average of 57 fish usually caught in Erie trawl surveys.
Historically the western basin of Lake Erie is the most productive area for walleye spawning. Through the year fish scatter to the central basin of the lake. But Hartman says in recent years spawning in other regions of Erie has gotten better, with the central basin area now contributing to good fish reproduction, too.
The most recent trawl survey also showed a good yellow perch hatch, which should spell great Erie perch fishing in the future, too.
“Lake Erie is in an outstanding place now, with lots of walleyes and plenty of forage for them in the food chain,” Hartman continues. “It’s a lake-wide story, with walleye stocks growing throughout the fishery.
“It’s a great time for walleyes in Lake Erie, and the lake has well-earned its title of ‘Walleye Fishing Capital of the World’.”
