Concerns about fishing conditions.

[airshot]

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

[Eyezcrazy]

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

I sort of agree with you on this. I have heard some on here say it is unethical to kill the sheephead, my question is, is it legal? I do agree that these forage fish are taking food from the game fish and eating eggs as well. But, what I really think would help the walleye population is if the netters were pushed out of the Western basin, ESPECIALLY the reef area during the spawn for Gods sake! How can they reduce the take for sportsman yet allow nets in these critical areas at spawn time? Come on ODNR get with the program while we still have a chance. That is, until the Asian Carp get here then it's all over anyway.

[gregnwtf]

[QUOTE=airshot;15125]

I fished Sat, Sun, and monday, caught walleye everyday, drifting and trolling. Yes it is a tough year for sure, no doubt at all. There are alot of fish out there of all sorts. Sheephead are plentiful and getting bigger. Most walleye are suspended and can be caught casting a short count and trolling the baits mid way in the water column. I have caught small walleye from 9 to 14.5 inches lately, Sunday the average size was 24 inch. Had 16 Sunday , all 4-5 pounds, drifting. Have stayed around the reefs most of the year and only going out further to get cleaner water when wind blew the mud around. 6 weeks of bad weather didnt help anything. Here is a good one , sort of funny but caught a 4.5 inch emerald shiner on a spoon today. Does that mean they are hungry to. Only one yellow perch all weekend. As for what to do with the sheephead you catch, some say they eat the zebra mussels. Some leave a train of sheephead behind the boat. I think the walleye are there, but they have plenty to eat as I see the fat in the bellies. Some of them have been inhaling the worms, they hungry. Presentation, presentation.Some days I cant get the presentation right the way they want it , and I think, Never give up. Maybe this is mother natures way of helping the lake and not the fisherman. The jury is still out on the spawn. Keep fishing, it should get better with stable weather through the summer. Keep Fishing, Keep fishing.