COLUMBUS,
OH -- Year after year, Lake Erie anglers have
experienced some of the finest and most diverse fishing
on the Great Lakes and this year will be no different,
say fisheries experts with the Ohio Department of
Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. "Great
opportunities abound for veteran anglers and those new
to the Lake Erie fishing scene," said Roger Knight, Lake
Erie fisheries program manager at ODNR. "The lake's
famous walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, steelhead
trout and white bass are again plentiful this year."
Knight noted that good fishing and a large charter boat
fleet in the western and central basins, as well as
numerous public boat ramps, private marinas, and
shoreline access continue to make Ohio's Lake Erie
waters a popular fishing destination.
Walleye
The 2004 Lake Erie walleye fishery will be dominated
by the 1999 and 2001 hatches. Fish from the 1999-year
class will range from 18 to 22 inches and fish from 2001
will range from 15 to 18 inches. Walleye from the 1996
and 1998-year classes will provide 22 to 28-inch fish,
with "Fish Ohio" walleye (over 28 inches) being from
older year classes. Sampling during the 2003 season
found fish up to 21 years old remaining from the large
1982 hatch.
Anglers are reminded that new walleye regulations
(download in .pdf format) are in place for the 2004
fishing season. The bag limit during
March and April has been reduced
to three fish, while the bag limit from
May through February remains a
t
six. A new 15-inch minimum
size limit is in effect during the entire season.
Another new regulation also prohibits the use of
treble-hooked lures in Sandusky and Maumee bays during
March and April. State fisheries biologists believe the
2003 walleye hatch to be one of the largest in recent
history. August and September trawls sampled numbers
comparable to the 1982 and 1986 hatches, two of the
largest on record. By last September, anglers fishing
with shiners were already catching walleye hatched in
spring 2003. Individuals from the 2003-year class should
reach 12 to 13 inches by fall of 2004. With the new
15-inch minimum size limit in effect, any fish caught
from the 2003-year class should be gently handled and
released as soon as possible. The fish from the
2003-year class will reach 15 inches during the 2005
fishing season.
May ODC Recommend A Guide
Walleye | Smallmouth | Yellow Perch
Yellow Perch
The excellent perch fishing that anglers have
experienced since the mid-1990s should continue through
2004. Fish from the excellent hatch in 2001 will enter
into the fishery as 8 to 9-inch fish just in time for
the peak season in August through October. Anglers also
had some success fishing for yellow perch during
non-traditional months of June and July this past year,
especially in the central basin. However, fall is when
the catch rates are the highest. Limit catches of large
yellow perch should again be attainable during 2004. Ten
to 12-inch fish from the 1998 and 1999 hatches and a few
Fish Ohio-size fish (over 13 inches) from the 1996 hatch
will be available.
Conservative regulations for sport and commercial
fishermen, coupled with improved spawning success, have
helped Lake Erie's yellow perch stocks to gradually
recover after low levels in the early 1990s. Ohio's
daily bag limit for yellow perch
remains at 30 fish per angler for the 2004
season.
Smallmouth Bass
Excellent smallmouth bass fishing exists in many Ohio
areas of Lake Erie. Traditional "hot spots" such as the
Lake Erie islands, the western basin reef complex,
Sandusky Bay, Ruggles Reef, and harbor breakwalls from
Lorain to Conneaut, all produce good numbers of
smallmouth bass and also the potential to catch a trophy
over 5 pounds. In the spring of 2003, a smallmouth bass
weighing slightly less than the state record of 9.5
pounds (caught in the Bass Islands area in 1993) was
caught near Conneaut. Smallmouth bass anglers can expect
to land "smallies" from 1993, 1994, 1998 and 1999-year
classes, now ranging in size from 14 to 19 inches and
weighing 1.5 to 4 pounds. New smallmouth bass
regulations will take effect for the 2004 season. A
closed season will be in effect
from May 1 through June 26 to enhance
reproduction. Fishing during the closed season will not
be unlawful, but all black bass (smallmouth and
largemouth) must be immediately released.
The daily bag limit after June 26
will remain at five fish with a 14-inch minimum.
Steelhead Trout
Anglers should look for peak steelhead action on the
waters off Vermilion to Conneaut during June through
August, with catches measuring 17 to 29 inches. The
typical method for capturing steelhead in the open
waters is depth-controlled trolling with downriggers or
dipsy divers with spoons. Many charter guides now offer
steelhead charters as an alternative to traditional
walleye charters. Once Lake Erie's steelheads move into
central basin streams in the fall, these feisty fish
provide additional angling opportunities for wading
anglers throughout the fall, winter, and spring months.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife maintains this popular
fishery by releasing approximately 400,000 steelhead
trout each spring in the Vermilion, Rocky, Chagrin, and
Grand rivers, as well as Conneaut Creek.
Fishing conditions on Lake Erie can change hourly.
Adjusting fishing methods according to current
conditions is the key to success. Anglers should take
into account such factors as season, cloud cover, water
clarity, boat traffic, wave action, and amount of prey
fish present. Electronic equipment to mark fish is
helpful. Once a school of fish is located, anglers
should try various techniques including drifting,
trolling, and jigging at various depths in the water
column. The ODNR Division of Wildlife maintains a series
of web pages describing its Lake Erie research and
management programs, fisheries resources, and open lake
and steelhead fishing reports, maps and links to other
Lake Erie web resources. This information is available
on the Internet at:
ohiodnr.com/wildlife/fishing/fairport/index.htm
During the season, ODNR provides an updated, recorded
Lake Erie fishing report at 1-888 HOOKFISH. ODNR
Division of Wildlife staff members are available from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at Fairport Harbor
(440-352-4199) for central basin information and at
Sandusky (419-625-8062) for western basin information.
For additional information on lodging, charter boat
services, and local launch ramps, contact one of the
following lakeshore visitor's bureaus:
 | Ashtabula County Convention & Visitors
Bureau 800-337-6746 Lake County Visitors Bureau
800-368-5253 |
| Convention & Visitors Bureau of
Greater Cleveland 800-321-1001 |
| Lorain County Visitors Bureau
800-334-1673 |
| Sandusky/Erie County Visitors Bureau
800-255-8070 |
| Ottawa County Visitors Bureau
800-441-1271 |
| Greater Toledo Convention & Visitors
Bureau 800-243-4667 |
| Ohio Division of Travel & Tourism
800-BUCKEYE |
