With the boom in hatches over the last few years I wonder if State of Ohio DOW will raise the limit of walleye from 6 to 7 or perhaps even 8 per person. I have not seen an estimated population of walleye in Lake Erie but it has to be a huge increase with the hatches. I remember numbers like 93 M. Perhaps we have like 190 million after the 12-14-15 year hatches. Now with the reports of 2018 being the second best hatch in history three years from now it will be "thick" with eye on Erie and the head count maybe 250M. I have never heard of such numbers. Heck. if you go up in the spring to the reef areas their backs may be out of the water from so many fish! What a lake!
kdn
- Status
there also seems to be record numbers of recreational anglers, charter boats and new retirees with time and big boats bringing home 6 fish limits everyday of the week...
Unfortunately there is a record number of anglers catching more than 1 limit daily and most are getting away with it. I will give the the ladies and gentleman of the ODNR credit they are doing the best they can at catching them.
Yes. that is true but we are talking a few hundred thousand vs a population of hundred million! Then you have all the future hatches from 190-250M fish rather than from 85M fish. Kind of like the deer population in the urban areas of Ohio.
Just a population explosion!
Just a population explosion!
there is not an unlimited food supply in Erie like there is for deer... all of those walleye biters the last two years must have been real hungry and that problem will only get worse... the food chain is not unlimited... walleye populations will self-limit at some point
Does one or two fish per ticket really matter with these hatches and bite we have been having? I think we are spoiled and getting greedy. There is nothing wrong with 6. Careful what we ask for or we will be whining about the lack of fish in 5-10 yrs. It runs in cycles and there can never be too many walleye... Why exploit it just because it’s awesome right now?
As a conservationist, my concern here is the bait source for the walleye. We are already in a shortage of shiners and smelt in Lake Erie. A MAIN food source for the Walleye.To increase the limit now would only make sense before we have a major fish die off due to lack of bait fish. Nearly every game fish in Lake Erie eat the shiners and smelt, including the perch, which are another bait fish for the Walleye. Also, never has there been the numbers of Walleye in this lake, so your thinking that the lake runs in cycles is incorrect.
I would like to see a limit on the big fish that are kept. You can keep 6 (or 7), but only one or two over 28". Take pictures of those big fish and turn them loose.
Walleye
Ohio walleye anglers will catch fish mostly from the 2015 and 2014 hatches, with some fish from the 2010 through 2013 year classes. Additional trophy opportunities from 2007 and 2003 will also be encountered by anglers.
Many of the previously undersized walleye from the 2015 hatch will range from 15 to 20 inches during the 2018 season. Walleye from the 2014 hatch will range from 16 to 24 inches and accounted for just over half of the 2017 harvest of 1.3 million fish. Fish from the 2003 and 2007 hatches will continue to provide “Fish Ohio” opportunities (greater than 28 inches) and could give Ohio a new state record walleye.
The 2017 walleye hatch was near average, giving the population its third average or so class in the last four years. Anglers should expect to catch undersized walleye until these fish grow to legal size late in the 2019 season. Anglers are encouraged to release these fish with as little handling as possible.
From Ohio Game Fishing
Ohio walleye anglers will catch fish mostly from the 2015 and 2014 hatches, with some fish from the 2010 through 2013 year classes. Additional trophy opportunities from 2007 and 2003 will also be encountered by anglers.
Many of the previously undersized walleye from the 2015 hatch will range from 15 to 20 inches during the 2018 season. Walleye from the 2014 hatch will range from 16 to 24 inches and accounted for just over half of the 2017 harvest of 1.3 million fish. Fish from the 2003 and 2007 hatches will continue to provide “Fish Ohio” opportunities (greater than 28 inches) and could give Ohio a new state record walleye.
The 2017 walleye hatch was near average, giving the population its third average or so class in the last four years. Anglers should expect to catch undersized walleye until these fish grow to legal size late in the 2019 season. Anglers are encouraged to release these fish with as little handling as possible.
From Ohio Game Fishing
I guess my estimates were ay off but from the numbers it seems our eye population now is very high.
From the Sandusky Journal....
It’s estimated a little more 40 million walleye are in Lake Erie, said Matt Faust, fisheries biologist for the Ohio Department of Wildlife.
Eric Weimer, station supervisor, told reporters under current Ohio rules, there’s a daily bag limit of six for walleyes from May through February, with a bag limit of four during the spawning months of March and April.
Ohio is “a long way” from having to worry about lowering bag limits, said Weimer, as the current walleye population is “an embarrassment of wealth.”
State Rep. Kent Smith, D-Euclid, who joined reporters in sitting on Weimer’s briefing, asked if the population boom means that bag limits will be raised instead.
Weimer replied that in the 1980s, the bag limit was 10, and that “in the past, we did not like what the larger bag limits had done to our walleye.”
But a discussion about raising the bag limits has come up, Weimer said
From the Sandusky Journal....
It’s estimated a little more 40 million walleye are in Lake Erie, said Matt Faust, fisheries biologist for the Ohio Department of Wildlife.
Eric Weimer, station supervisor, told reporters under current Ohio rules, there’s a daily bag limit of six for walleyes from May through February, with a bag limit of four during the spawning months of March and April.
Ohio is “a long way” from having to worry about lowering bag limits, said Weimer, as the current walleye population is “an embarrassment of wealth.”
State Rep. Kent Smith, D-Euclid, who joined reporters in sitting on Weimer’s briefing, asked if the population boom means that bag limits will be raised instead.
Weimer replied that in the 1980s, the bag limit was 10, and that “in the past, we did not like what the larger bag limits had done to our walleye.”
But a discussion about raising the bag limits has come up, Weimer said
I fished a bunch in the early to late 80's and saw this kind of bite before with a bag limit of 10... back then few trollers out there... then fishing kind of died with the introduction of the Zebras in the 90's and covering water by trolling was about the only way to catch a limit...
actually the best reproductive fish are the 18"-24" walleye. After a certain age the eggs are not as viable as younger breeding stock. I don't like a 10 fish limit but perhaps a 7 or 8 fish limit would be accepted better. I remember fishing with an 8 fish limit when it was reduce from 10 fish. I then remember it being reduced to 6 fish and then the 4 fish limit in the spawn season. I just think for people who pay to fish and those that keep their boats up and pay for all the gas and time it takes to travel to get to the lake a increase would make a trip just a tad longer. For those that want to take 6 fish per person then great only take six fish. I fish in northern Ontario and return all walleye we catch and only keep a few northern pike for dinners. Lake Erie is a fantastic fishery. I leave it up to the ODW to set the limits...I just thought that there may be an increase coming in the near future. You know if you have so many walleye and they eat all the baitfish they will grow slower!
Kind of like our deer in the urban areas. You see lots of tiny does with twins and triplets. The does never get big because they have little food besides peoples shrubs and grass and the population is so large.
If the walleye pound the baitfish they will not grow as fast as they will have to work harder of find food.
Kind of like our deer in the urban areas. You see lots of tiny does with twins and triplets. The does never get big because they have little food besides peoples shrubs and grass and the population is so large.
If the walleye pound the baitfish they will not grow as fast as they will have to work harder of find food.
Things will work themselves out as always. We will catch what we can, mother nature will manage the rest.
Enjoy the bounty while it lasts. No need to change the limit IMHO.
Enjoy the bounty while it lasts. No need to change the limit IMHO.
I live 350 miles from where I fish erie. I only get to make 1 maybe 2 trips eash yr. im happy with the 6 fish limit.
sherman
sherman
I too experienced the 10 fish limit days on the big pond.. IMO six is adequate with the amount of pressure on them now. I recall reading somewhere that the 6 fish limit is a written law in ohio and any changes would be hard to do.
The walleye limit is not set by the ODNR it is set by the state legislature. Sad but true, it would actually take legislation for the limit to ever be over 6.
The law as it is now written has provisions for the limit to decrease , but nothing about increaseing it.
The 3 rod rule would be a real boon to the small boat (2 fishermen) army. And it would not bother me if it were to be a Lake Erie only rule.
The law as it is now written has provisions for the limit to decrease , but nothing about increaseing it.
The 3 rod rule would be a real boon to the small boat (2 fishermen) army. And it would not bother me if it were to be a Lake Erie only rule.
I am perfectly fine with the 6 fish limit. I make it up to the lake probably 8-10 trips a year from 1 day to a week long trips. I have so much walleye that I eat it all year long, hold multiple fish frys, and take a bunch to deer camp. No need to raise the limit IMO.
Imho.... Even though more fish sounds like a great idea, I also think there can be too much of a good thing. It won’t always be this easy to catch fish. Besides I for one still have fish in the freezer from earlier in the year, thanks to some bona-fide fish catchers. If anything I’d support a winter limit increase to six, but even that’s a stretch cause those are the fish that are gonna make the baby fish. I’m truly thankful that we have such an incredible fishery and I hope it remains productive for decades to come. Just my humble opinion!
I would like to see the 3 rod thing if nothing else. All our surrounding states do that. With one or two man trips it just gives you more options to dial in on the bite. I know its been hashed over a lot on OFG but that's my opinion for the big numbers of walleyes, instead of raising the limit.
Jim is correct, this proposal was adopted into law. No provision to change limit without legislative change.
![Image]()
All of the thousands of shorts we were getting 2 yrs ago seem to have grown just fine. All of the 6 fish limits I have been getting have been fine, chunky healthy fish. Just because the bait companies aren’t finding any shiners doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I haven’t seen anything put out concerning a “baitfish shortage”. If it’s down, I’m sure it’s due to the great hatches we have had. And out of those, what we don’t get the commercial fishing industry will hit it hard. I’ve been seeing shiners and perch while cleaning these healthy fish. There no fine line between being a conservationist and a conservative biologist or hell... we would all be scientists. And yes all nature has cycles. I’ve yet to see a shoreline littered with dead walleye that have starved to death. The only eyes I have been seeing are chunky with an exceptionally, beautiful golden color to them which I assume is from being in the colder 70+ water getting themselves fat for the colder water temps coming. But then again, I’m no scientist.
Leave well enough alone except for maybe rod limit. You also need to consider Lake conditions as far as Emeralds go I have been doing well with goldies. I am going to give goldies a try in my ponds ?????? try being the key word.
The nice yellow color on the walleye taken in deep water is because of the depth of water they are caught from. With less light the colors darken. Erynsimilar to the dark stained waters of the Canadian Shield lakes. I love to see the yellow on walleyes from deep water vs the greenies caught from nearshore waters. I started this thread thinking there maybe an increase in the limit. I never advocated it or was against it. But it is nice to see other fisherman opinions. And as for the comments on the Canadian betters. I am sure they are filling their quotas. I spend a lot of time in Ontario and I am sure they will go out everyday until they have their fair share
- Status
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
