spring spawn

["chillin"]

I'm anxious to get through the next couple months and head to the lake for my first spring walleye run fishing trip. was hoping to get some pointers on where to fish in my 16 ft. lund. this summer i went out as far as the reefs but the weather will probably not be so cooperative in the spring. I have heard the action is hot on the maumee but have never fished it. any feedback would be appreciated and help pass the time til good fishing returns in the spring. merry christmas!

[MBLMIKE]

Hey Chillin I know what you mean I get it about this time every year and start loggin on to this site for some walleye.com fishing stories, you dont have to be to afraid of that size boat I have been fishing the same size boat and as long as you ck your weather and waves you will be ok .There is realy some good fishing no some great fishing in early spring just after ice is off the lake and can be had really close to shore any of the main rivers will hold fish pre spawn, during, and after. A favorite place for us is straight out of wildwings in front of davis bessie cooling towers, you will see a group of boats there we dont get into the pack of boats but stay on the inside closer to shore , 11 foot of water up to 14 foot stay in that range purple hair jigs tipped with a shinner or two vertical jig , get your 4 fish and head home ,you can do this every eve all thru the early spring . we leave from Columbus Ohio about 4 pm find some bait You need call ahead to see who is open in early spring some of the bait stores close early . launch the boat catch our limit and be back home by 11 pm its a great time of the year , hope to see you out there let me know how you do mblmike

["chillin"]

Is jigging productive for the bigger females as well as the males? So far my largest walleye was 30 inches and 10 pounds. I would love to get a 13 pounder for the wall this spring. But on the other hand the best eaters are the smaller ones!

[shawnb1977]

dont get to excited the algae has everything a mess and dosent look good for this year also.

[ReelTime]

dont get to excited the algae has everything a mess and dosent look good for this year also.

Seriously? Have you ever seen algae in the spring?

[shawnb1977]

What I mean is do to all the weather and algea last year the hatch was about zero.and and this year dosent look good , just the info I retrieved from our lake Erie water shed meeting last week , they estimated3-5 years for the spawning beds to turn around. While reducing the numbers from 4-3 fish a day. An estimated one hundred charters went bankrupt last year. And the record rainfall this year will make things difficult this year also.

[pap]

We have been comming out to the western part of Erie for years, but this year I think I will cancel out. the last two years have been tough for us and all the talk about the alge has the guys on edge about comming out this year. This is a sad situation!!!. I know skipper9 and a few others done well! but it is 10hr. ride for us and we only have a week. To all the locals and charters tight lines be safe!

[skipper9]

Bankrupt, Hell I am considering buying a second boat... We caught limit after limit of great eyes... I just had to spend the gas money to follow them big fish.. don't throw in the towel yet. There are plenty of eyes in the great lake Erie....

[gregnwtf]

Bankrupt, Hell I am considering buying a second boat... We caught limit after limit of great eyes... I just had to spend the gas money to follow them big fish.. don't throw in the towel yet. There are plenty of eyes in the great lake Erie....

Ya, ran more trips during 2011 than I ever have and already have most of the peak times booked up for 2012. People will still keep coming up, they want to fish. Plain and simple, they want to fish. The kicker is I havent booked the regulars yet. Looks like its time to send out the winter flyer and start making casting rigs. 13 weeks to go.

[mkalink]

I'm sure the economy had a lot to due with those charters going out of business not the lack of walleyes in the lake. Most likely a lack of walleye in the box. I also believe some people are just too stubborn to give up on casting and start trolling. I finally gave in and bought the equipment. Although, I can't wait for the spring jig bite so I can knock the dust off the loomis rods and leave the trolling stuff in the shed. I would rather catch one walleye casting or jigging then 10 trolling, but you have to do what you have to do when the fish are all scattered after they spawn and leave the reefs.