Concerns about fishing conditions.
Is anyone else getting concerned about what seems to be deteriorating fishing conditions on the Lake. I grew up fishing up here on weekends and remember how great the walleye fishing was all summer long, then came the zebra mussels and things really changed. It seems to me that within the last 4 years it is getting harder and harder to boat a limit of walleye and even perch. Not sure if the whatever has been causing the algae problem is linked or what, and the spring walleye kill really got me thinking. I surely hope that our ODNR is really looking into all this and not just writing it off as due to the muddy water this spring.
Lake conditions seem to be changing too me also
Have had a family fishing boat on the lake since the sixties. In the sixties there were not that many walleyes caught. At least we did not catch that many. Then a lot of sewage was being dumped into the rivers. So towns were ordered to stop dumping and build sewage treatment plants. And commercial fisherman took a lot of walleye. Not sure exactly when walleye netting was stopped but then in the seventies the walleye fishing went ballistic. And it stayed that way until as you mentioned the zebra mussels showed up. In the mean time we lived through the white perch invasion and the goby invasion. In the seventies and until the zebras showed up it was not unusual to not be able see your lure more than 2 or 3 feet under the water. I think the fish used their lateral lines to sense prey by vibration more so than sight.
Now with clear water the fish seem more wary. I think they sight feed more now. The lures we used to use do not work as well as they once did. Remember the gold nugget? We used that for many a limit catch. But try to catch something on it now. When you went out and got your limit time after time years ago the fish size average was considerably smaller than it is today. Of course this changes with hatch survival. Today if there is a good hatch who knows how many will be eaten by the gobys and then if they get too large for the gobys then the big walleyes will eat them. The gobys live on the reefs where the walleye eggs are layed who knows how many eggs they eat. Have not got to the lake much due to the weather but the fish we caught were all fat and healthy. The lake has been constantly changing. Back in the seventies there were not the number of charters here are today and the walleye seemed to school more.
So back to your question am I concerned? YES I am concerned this year about the time it takes the lake to clear after a storm. I am thinking that possibly some new contaminant is keeping particles suspended longer than they were suspended previously. Could be a new type of fertilizer or simply farmers using magnitudes more fertilizer which runs off with big rains like we had this spring. Or could just be the weather this year. On the modis imagry pictures of the lake the Maumee river and Sandusky bay look like pure mud.
A little more time will be needed to see if there is a new problem.
Lake Erie fishing concerns
Yep, I hear all of you and everything you all have said is true, but I would like to add something else. Has anyone else noticed the explosion of sheephead, white bass and white perch? Well I have and guess what....they eat the same thing as the walleye and perch. Everyone who catches these including commercial fisherman just through them back and their numbers are growing at an alarming rate. If everyone would not return them to the lake or if you do make sure they will not eat or spawn again how much more food will there be for our sport fish? If their is plenty of food you will have plenty of sportfish. Fishing pressure thru 80's and 90's removed a good portion of our sportfishing stock and these were replaced by sheephead etc. We can help our destiny cause Lord knows the government won't, by severly reducing the number of rough fish and keep food sources for the sport fish.
Airshot
In my past 5 years fishing Erie.
The fist year we decided to fish the west end of erie we were greeted with the dead sheepheads,everyone was concerned and rightly so,but we caught walleye like hell!!! fast troll slow troll drifting,if you had line in the water you cought walleye. The second year we stayed in port clinton tried what worked last year,nothing for 2 days. We booked a charter to learn what was working year #2 drifting bottom bouncers with big gold blades. Took our education back to our own boats, we did okay. Year#3 found this web site payed close atten. made some friends on here, took their advice did catch some walleye but not many(maybe I dont know what the hell i'm doing) Year 4 wind blew like the dickens for 3 days then a tornado,didnt wet a line. Year 5 this year 6guys caught 11 walleyes in 7 days 6-13 of may. What I'm trying to say,is the way we fish for walleye changing,or is there a real problem!!! I see a change and live in PA. I can't imagine what runs through you local guy's mind,not to mention the charter guys with more bad days than good,it's not good advertisement for the folks who make a living off the walleye.:(
The reply I got back from the state
Mr. Miller,
Generally, the declining walleye population over the past few years is
associated with a couple of things. First, the very large 2003
year-class is aging, and moving through the fishery, and second, we have
had moderate to poor hatches since the large 2003 hatch ('07 and '10
were considered average). In general, however, the walleye population
is still in the 20 million fish range, which is considered a
"maintenance" level. The larger than normal walleye mortality event
that occurred this year was unusual, and probably associated with the
horrible spring weather that we had. We tested several fish for
evidence of viral and bacterial infections that may have been the cause
of the die-off, and samples came back negative, so we believe that the
fish were in a highly stressed state due to the combination of spawning,
and weather, that that opened the door to secondary infections such as
Aeromonas.
I did follow the link you provided below and I see that a whole host of
potential issues have been brought up by the posters. Rather than
address each point with the info that we have, please feel free to call
me at the number below and we can discuss (it would probably take me a
few hours to address all of them in writing....).
Regarding additional spring fishing restrictions, we have been working
extensively in both the tributaries and on the reefs exploring factors
affecting hatch strength over the past decade. As it stands now, we
have no direct evidence that spring fishing is causing the poor hatches,
it appears that it is primarily weather driven. However, we'll continue
to develop science to explore these issues and take whatever management
steps are necessary to ensure that we provide the proper types of
regulations to enhance walleye production.
Thanks for your comments and please give me a call.
Regards,
