Starting December 1 the spear fishing season for Northern Pike and Muskellunge began on all waters through the ice except designated trout lakes and designated trout streams and other specific waters. No muskellunge spearing is allowed on Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, the Detroit River or the St. Clair River as well. Many anglers will try their hand at this historical method of fishing until the season concludes on March 15.

Spear fishing is often much different from general ice fishing. Anglers will cut larger holes in the ice and fish from tents or small shelters commonly called shanties. The shanty blocks the light, allowing anglers to see down into the water in order to spear the fish.

It’s important to note that other species are also allowed to be speared throughout the state – visit the Michigan Fishing Guide for a complete list of opportunities.

Anglers who spear fish generally dangle decoys or large live baits (such as suckers) in the water to attract their target fish. They utilize spears that typically have a substantial weight to them and have seven to nine tines on the end of a seven-foot handle.

The post Try Your Hand at Spear Fishing this Winter appeared first on Out In Michigan.

Spring fishing continues and catch rates will improve once the weather stabilizes. Steelhead fishing continues to build as we move further into spring.

Southeast Lower Peninsula

12.5 lb limit from Ohio waters

Lake Erie: – The daily possession limit for walleye in the Michigan waters of Lake Erie will be as follows: April 1 through April 30, 2011 the limit will be five (5) walleye. Beginning May 1, 2011 through April 30, 2012 the limit will be six (6) walleye. Rain did decrease water clarity but increased water temperatures. Crappie, perch and bluegills were in the Metro Park Marina however it closes to fishing on April 15th. A few walleye were caught by those trolling in Brest Bay, but the better action was near Turtle Island when using jigs and blade baits.

Huron River: Steelhead are being caught along the entire river including up near the Flat Rock Dam. Most are using jigs and wax worms or flies, but a few were using spawn. No word on crappie yet. Reminder: Walleye season is closed.

Detroit River: Had fair to good walleye fishing for those using a jig and minnow, but those using stinger hooks caught more fish. Perch are still being caught however the number is starting to wind down. Try the mouth, border waters or the back bays.

Clinton River: Is producing steelhead and suckers.

Lexington: Boat anglers have caught good numbers of coho, chinook, steelhead, brown trout and lake trout when trolling body baits in 5 to 15 feet of water just north of the harbor. Pier anglers are taking a few perch and the occasional lake trout.

Port Sanilac: Boats are getting out but the bite was still slow.

Saginaw Bay: Had excellent perch fishing off Pine River and Palmer Roads. The bite was good one day but shut down the next. Boats were fishing around the commercial nets and taking 50 to 60 fish per boat on the good days. Perch were caught at Sebewaing, be ready to sort out the small ones. Pier anglers at Caseville caught perch, walleye, brown trout or lake trout. Nothing at Port Austin as Bird Creek was still high and turbid. Suckers are starting to run in most of the rivers in the Thumb area.

Saginaw River: Is producing some perch in the lower river.

Southwest Lower Peninsula

St. Joseph: Boats are likely still going out however we have no report for this week.

Grand Haven: Pier anglers caught brown trout, steelhead and the occasional coho on spawn. Catch rates are good one day and slow the next. Boat anglers trolling the shoreline caught steelhead and brown trout on gold and black stick baits. Some are trying for perch off the State Park however water temperatures are still pretty cold.

Grand River at Lansing: Steelhead can be found over at the Moore’s Park Dam. Try crawlers, spawn bags or spinners. Those casting spoons at the point where the Grand meet the Red Cedar caught steelhead. Prairie Creek in Ionia is producing good numbers of steelhead. Catfish action has started to pick up at the North Lansing Dam and the Moore’s Park Dam.

Muskegon: Pier anglers are still trying for steelhead and brown trout however catch rates were slow. Boats fishing north of the State Park had no luck.

Whitehall: Pier anglers using spawn bags caught some steelhead and brown trout. A couple walleye were caught in the big lake.

White Lake: A few perch were caught along the west side near Indian Bay and the old post office. Some nice bluegills were caught off the pier in the marina.

Northeast Lower Peninsula

Ocqueoc River: Recent rain should get the steelhead moving. The few fish caught were taken on spawn bags under a bobber. No luck with spinners or body baits.

Rogers City: Should be fishable soon, especially for boat anglers. Shore anglers should try casting small spoons or body baits off the breakwall. Good colors are chartreuse, green or blue with silver or fire-tiger. Fish the stained waters which are slightly warmer for Atlantic salmon and brown trout.

Rockport: Anglers are fishing off the old pier but no fish were caught. Atlantic salmon should be moving in soon but it appears that it is still a bit early. The launch is still iced but it is breaking up. One boat went out and did manage to catch a brown trout when trolling body baits along the shoreline.

Thunder Bay River: The launch on the marina side was still iced in but the river is open so boats are launching behind the Post Office. Shore anglers caught steelhead and brown trout using pink and white flies, artificial lures or spawn.

Higgins Lake: Has open water one quarter mile out from shore. Any remaining ice is not safe. Boat anglers are launching from the North State Park and the west launch. They are trolling along the drop-off for lake trout, brown trout and rainbows.

Houghton Lake: The ice blew off and is piled along one side. The canals are opening up so crappie fishing should start soon.

Harrisville: Ice in the harbor is gone, one skid pier is in and the boat launch is open. A few boats are targeting walleye with body baits, crawler harnesses or small spoons.

Oscoda: Steelhead were caught off the mouth of the river by those casting spoons or body baits. Walleye are in 20 to 30 feet of water.

Au Sable River: Steelhead are making their way up the river. Fish range from 5 to 12 pounds and were hitting on wax worms.

Tawas: Pier anglers caught a few lake trout and walleye. Boat anglers were not doing very well for walleye.

Au Gres: A lot of boats are heading out for walleye but catch rates were slow. The fish are still in the river for spawning and will move back to the lake soon.

Au Gres River: A couple steelhead were caught in the surf near the Singing Bridge. Walleye are still up in the river however anglers are reminded that walleye season on the inland waters is closed until the last Saturday in April. Cold water temperatures will most likely push the smelt runs back a week or so.

Rifle River: Is producing a good number of suckers and steelhead.

Northwest Lower Peninsula

Elk River: Had fair to good steelhead action for those floating wigglers and crawlers off the bottom near the power dam.

Traverse City: The West Bay was producing some lake trout along the east side in 100 to 130 feet of water. Perch fishing in front of the Boardman River was slow.

Boardman River: Had a good number of steelhead at the Union Street Dam.

Frankfort: Boats trolling north to the point caught lake trout and brown trout in 50 to 75 feet of water. Anglers caught fish off both piers before first light.

Onekama: A few nice walleye were caught off both piers after dark.

Portage Lake: Is ice free. Anglers were out trying for perch but the bite was slow.

Lake Cadillac: Ice fishing season is over and any remaining ice is not safe.

Manistee: Boat anglers caught the occasional steelhead, brown trout or lake trout when trolling the shoreline with small spoons or body baits. Pier anglers were using fresh spawn.

Manistee River: Is producing steelhead between the mouth and Tippy Dam.

Ludington: Boat anglers trolling in the channel and around the piers have caught brown trout on body baits in natural patterns. Steelhead and brown trout were also caught by surf and pier anglers.

Pere Marquette River: Those fishing below the M-37 Bridge in the flies only section have found a good number of steelhead on the gravel. Fish were hitting on spawn bags between Rainbow Rapids and the Walhalla Bridge. Sucker runs are just getting started and fish were caught off Scottville Park.

Pentwater: Steelhead action was still a bit slow however those fishing the channel have caught some nice brown trout.

Upper Peninsula

Lake Gogebic: Ice fishing is done. Anglers are advised to stay off any remaining ice due to the honeycomb effect. Some boats were fishing out of Silver City but no reports have come in yet.

Marquette: Catch rates improved for coho but only a light number of splake and brown trout were caught. Both harbors are ice free so anglers can use the boat ramps. Those trolling did better in 10 to 20 feet of water between the lower harbor and the Chocolay River. A few coho and splake were caught off the power plant breakwall. Shore anglers did best in the early morning using a single egg, crawlers or Cleo’s. Water temperatures range from the upper 30’s to 40 degrees near shore.

Menominee River: The bay still has ice so boat anglers are fishing the river between the mouth and the Hattie Street Dam. Try jigging minnows in the deeper holes. Those wading near the dam and Stephenson Island have caught light numbers of steelhead and brown trout. Walleye fishing was hit-or-miss. All the boat launches are open except for the one at the lighthouse.

Little Bay De Noc: Has open water. The rivers are flowing high with little or no ice. The Ford and Rapid River launches are usable but no docks are in yet.

Big Bay De Noc: Is pretty much open water except for the unstable ice in the bays. All the launches appear to be usable except for Fayette because of the ice. The only dock in was at Ogontz. The rivers are open, look for steelhead and smelt.

Au Train: Had good steelhead fishing along with the occasional coho. Try early morning off the mouth of the Rock River or the Au Train River with spawn. Steelhead averaged 20 to 30 inches while coho were a bit smaller at 15 inches. Ice has finally left the bay except for some areas along the shoreline. Docks were not in yet at the Brownstown launch.

Munising: The ice has since broken up and for the most part moved out of the bay. Flow ice remains in the east channel and around Grand Island. The docks at the city launch are in and the small craft launch at the mouth of the Anna River is also being used since water levels are up. The first of the boat anglers have only caught a couple steelhead. Coho action was slow. Shore anglers are seeing rainbow trout however most were on the small side.

Grand Marais: Ice has moved out of the bay. The launch has been dredged and should be ready for use as long as flow ice does not move back in. The snow and ice buildup on the pier should be gone soon. Some were surfcasting for steelhead and coho but catch rates were slow.

Manistique River: Steelhead fishing at the first dam has picked up. Anglers drifting peach colored yarn did well while those using spawn bags reported fair catch rates. Boat anglers trolling spoons were not having much luck.

DeTour: Steelhead anglers are fishing the rock pile near the mouth of Albany Creek. Try casting stick baits or floating spawn bags.

Cedarville and Hessel: Ice fishing for perch is done however boat anglers should continue to do well in 10 to 12 feet of water.

Nunn’s Creek: Has started producing some smelt.

Carp River: Steelhead were starting to show up near the mouth. Smelt runs were underway with limit catches reported.

The post Weekly Fishing Report April 14th appeared first on Out In Michigan.

Spring fishing is getting started at least in most of the Lower Peninsula. Look for catch rates to improve as temperatures rise and we get more rain. Ice conditions are deteriorating on a daily basis now so anglers need to use extreme caution.

Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie:  ATTENTION WALLEYE ANGLERS – The daily possession limit for walleye in the Michigan waters of Lake Erie will be as follows: April 1 through April 30, 2011 the limit will be five (5) walleye. Beginning May 1, 2011 through April 30, 2012 the limit will be six (6) walleye. Water temperatures are anywhere from 34 to 40 degrees depending on location. Walleye fishing is behind this year due to the extended cold temperatures. Most anglers are jigging or trolling in Ohio waters of Maumee Bay and around Turtle Island with jigs and minnows, hair jigs or blade baits.

Huron River: Steelhead were caught between Flat Rock to Rockwood. Remember, walleye season is closed. The catch and release trout fishing which opened on April 1st is going well.

Detroit River: Walleye fishing is just getting started. The new walleye possession limits for Lake Erie DO NOT apply to the Detroit River. The daily possession limit here will continue to be five (5) fish.

Clinton River: Anglers caught suckers along with a few pike in the Spillway however pike season is closed. Steelhead are moving up into the river as fish were caught at Yates Park in Rochester Hills.

St. Clair River: Still has lots of flow ice coming down.

Lexington: Those trolling have caught chinook and lake trout on body baits in 10 to 14 feet of water. Pier anglers caught perch and a few lake trout inside the harbor.

Harbor Beach: Still had ice in the harbor.

Grindstone City: Was unfishable as there is still ice in the harbor.

Saginaw Bay: Ice fishing is pretty much done. Some are shore and dock fishing for panfish in the marinas. It is about that time to start fishing the cuts and lower rivers for perch. If anglers wait to hear the perch are biting, it will be too late, and they will miss the opportunity. A few lake trout and whitefish were caught by those fishing off the pier at Caseville.

Flint River: Sucker runs are underway. Anglers are reminded that walleye season is closed.

Shiawassee River: Sucker runs are underway.

Southwest Lower Peninsula

St. Joseph: Boat and pier anglers continue to take limits of coho along with a few brown trout.

St. Joseph River: Continues to produce steelhead and a few brown trout.

South Haven: Boat and piers anglers were taking limits of coho along with a few brown trout.

Kalamazoo River: Still has good steelhead movement from the mouth to the dam.

Grand Haven: Was producing the occasional coho, steelhead or brown trout.

Grand River at Grand Rapids: Steelhead is the word with good numbers of fish being caught on spawn, flies and yarn. Orange, pink and chartreuse were good colors. Try to 6 to 10 foot leaders with extra weight up near the dam.

Grand River at Lansing: Steelhead were caught near the dams such as Webber and Moore’s Park. Try spawn, crawlers, and flies. Hot colors were orange, chartreuse and pink. Those fishing near Ionia caught steelhead in Prairie Creek. Some are looking for catfish but most are steelhead fishing.

Maple River: Is producing a few suckers.

Muskegon: Catch rates were hit-or-miss for pier anglers but some did manage to catch steelhead, brown trout or coho. Most were using spawn.

Muskegon River: Water levels are high and muddy. Steelhead are still being caught but fishing was a bit more challenging with the current conditions.

Northeast Lower Peninsula

Burt Lake: Still had ice.

Mullett Lake: Still had ice and is producing some perch. Extreme caution needs to be used.

Ocqueoc River: Is open but those fishing have not had much luck. Water levels are low, clear and cold.

Rogers City: Is still iced in but should open up soon so boat and shore anglers can get out and start targeting Atlantic salmon and brown trout.

Rockport: Some were casting body baits off the pier for Atlantic salmon but no fish were caught. Typically these fish are caught in the spring when still-fishing with large grey minnows.

Alpena: The bite is slow with only the occasional brown trout or Atlantic salmon caught when still-fishing with large grey minnows in the warm water discharge off the Lafarge Plant.

Thunder Bay River: The launch ramp in Alpena is open but the marina ramps are iced in. Anglers drifting spawn and flies up at the Ninth Street Dam had no luck.

Higgins Lake: Is giving up smelt, perch and lake trout.

Harrisville: The harbor was still iced in. A few walleye and steelhead were caught off the breakwall by those casting spoons or body baits.

Oscoda: The pier was iced over but the rocks were accessible. Some walleye were caught just outside the mouth of the river in 20 to 30 feet of water when using crawler harnesses, small spoons or body baits.

Au Sable River: Steelhead, brown trout and suckers have been caught at the mouth. Steelhead were caught near the Whirlpool, High Banks and Rea Road.

Tawas: Pier and boat anglers are taking lake trout, steelhead, brown trout and walleye. Catch rates were fair.

Au Gres River: Is high and muddy. A couple steelhead were caught in the river and in the surf near the Singing Bridge.

Rifle River: Suckers runs are going good. Steelhead have started to move up into the river.

Northwest Lower Peninsula

Harbor Springs: Great numbers of perch are again showing up this year for the late ice fishing season off Ford Park. With any luck, anglers will still get about a week of fishing before the ice starts to deteriorate.

Petoskey: Little Traverse Bay is still locked in with ice but should start to open up in the next couple of weeks.

Bear River: Steelhead are starting to show up at the mouth and adjacent harbor.

Boyne River: Steelhead activity was picking up

Jordan River: Is producing some steelhead. Try wax worms or wigglers.

Elk River: Steelhead were caught in the bypass in front of the power dam. Try wigglers under a bobber at first light.

Traverse City: Some of the launches in both bays are still frozen but could be thawed out by the end of the week. Lake trout were caught in the East Bay when jigging Swedish pimples in 115 feet of water off Elk Rapids. In the West Bay, anglers are catching perch out in front of the Boardman River in 90 feet of water. Catch rates were slow but should start to pick up soon.

Boardman River: Does have some steelhead present but few fish have been caught. Try drifting wax worms at the mouth and the Union Street Dam.

Frankfort: Low water levels had anglers fishing off the piers where steelhead and brown trout were caught on spawn just before first light. Steelhead are staging near the car ferry landing before they start their run up the Betsie River.

Portage Lake: Still had ice however it is quickly deteriorating.

Lake Missaukee: Still has ice with fair to good bluegill action.

Lake Cadillac: Ice fishing was still going strong for crappie in the early morning or late evening.

Lake Mitchell: Is also producing some crappie.

Manistee: Two docks are in at the First Street Launch. Boat anglers have caught some brown trout and steelhead when trolling the shoreline with small spoons or jointed body baits. Pier anglers caught fish when using fresh spawn.

Manistee River: The recent rain and snow melt should help push more fish into the river. This could be the weekend that anglers have been waiting for.

Ludington: Has one dock in on Loomis Street. Those trolling the shoreline have caught steelhead and brown trout. Try body baits in natural colors. Pier fishing has been slow.

Pere Marquette River: Fishing was slow and water levels were low. Rain in the forecast should help. Anglers are drifting flies on the gravel from Rainbow Rapids to the Lower Branch Bridge.

Pentwater: Catch rates off the piers were hit-or-miss.

Pentwater River: Steelhead anglers had better luck as fish have already moved up into the river.

Upper Peninsula

Lake Gogebic: Perch could be found just off the bottom in 25 to 27 feet of water. Still-fishing with wigglers worked best. Ice conditions are changing daily so use caution. Stay away from areas with moving water.

Keweenaw Bay: The bite was good but tapered off. Chinook and coho were caught out from the Falls River and Perch Corner however ice conditions have deteriorated off L’Anse and Baraga.

Marquette: Warm temperatures improved catch rates with limits of coho and a few chinook caught just before daybreak. Coho were 15 to 17 inches and were hitting on jigs with spinner combos or twister tails and cut bait.

Carp River: Steelhead could be found upstream.

Menominee River: Had slow catch rates. Anglers were casting rapalas from the Cat Walk, deck and the stairs near the Hattie Street Dam for steelhead, brown trout and walleye. Those wading near Stephenson Island caught few fish. Boat anglers jigging with minnows have caught walleye in the deeper holes. The only boat launch open at this time is the Stephenson Island launch. The bay is still iced over.

Little Bay De Noc: The ice is melting slowly as temperatures rise. A couple anglers ventured out near Kipling however anglers are encouraged to stay off the ice. Be patient, it could save your life! Some of the river ice has just started breaking up.

Big Bay De Noc: Ice conditions are pretty much the same as Little Bay. The Ogontz area is mostly open water. Boat anglers could be launching soon.

Au Train: Anglers caught coho when jigging spawn straight out from the mouth of the river however ice conditions are deteriorating everyday so use extreme caution.

Munising: Catch rates have started to increase as more anglers head out. Warmer temperatures mixed with rain are deteriorating the ice. Shoreline ice around Sand Point and the Grand Island dock have begun to break up and areas with soft ice can be seen along the shoreline especially near the mouth of the Anna River. The heavily fished areas are getting harder to reach. Catch rates for coho picked up with some limits reported. Try jigging rapalas or Swedish pimples with cut bait 10 to 30 feet down in 40 to 60 feet of water. A few smelt were caught by those jigging for coho. Look for whitefish in shallow waters when bouncing a single egg just off the bottom. Perch and splake fishing were slow. Herring can be seen under the ice but those spearing did not have much luck.

Indian Lake: Anglers are targeting yellow perch in 5 to 7 feet of water in Lange’s Bay. Most are putting in a lot of time to walk away with 6 to 12 keepers.

Manistique River: Some are trolling spoons near the mouth for steelhead while others are casting spoons and rapalas while wading near the first dam.

St. Mary’s River: Anglers are doing well for perch in Maxton Bay when using minnows in 6 feet of water off Kempenians Resort. There is still ice in most of the bays but stay off any ice that reaches out to the swift current.

Munuscong Bay: Had a few anglers fishing near Grassy Island and Fowlers Bay. Look for perch between Dan’s Resort and Bois Blanc Point.

DeTour: Anglers are steelhead fishing just west of the river near the Albany Creek rock pile. A couple nice fish were caught on spawn bags or stickbaits. Green and silver were good colors. At DeTour Village, the docks were still iced in.

Cedarville and Hessel: Reported excellent perch fishing around Cedarville and in Musky Bay in 10 to 12 feet of water. Use caution.

Nunn’s Creek: The mouth has open water but no word on smelt yet.

Carp River: Both shorelines have open water but no reports yet.

St. Ignace: Had no activity to report. The city launches and the Pine River were still iced in.

The post Weekly Fishing Report – April 7, 2011 appeared first on Out In Michigan.

Over the winter Lake Erie’s walleye had been on a lot of angler’s minds. A sub-par icefishing season in Ohio and Michigan has made things tenuous among anglers and charter captains. We have been waiting and speculating, if the limit is going to be cut, or a closure of some type will be put in place for the 2011 season. Everyone seemed to have a source of knowledge of what may be going to happen, but we wouldn’t be able to claim a prognosticator of the year until all data had been counted.

This year the MiDNR is joining Ohio in setting it’s walleye limits and starting the season on the same day. The season info was announced via a press release a few days ago.And what a shocker it was the limit went up! There was all kinds of talk about 3 fish limits and the lake was getting very close to the crisis level.

How did we get to this stage were Lake Eire the Walleye Capitol of the world, was being talked about as having a level so low in walleyes that we thought it was nearing the crisis zone? Who would be to blame for this and how do we stop it from happening again?

Spawning

Before we can even start pointing a finger at any one group we have too understand the breeding population within the lake. The majority of spawning happens in a few areas; the Maumee River, Sandusky River, Detroit River, and the reefs out in the lake in Ohio and Ontario waters. Smaller river systems in the western basin also see smaller runs of walleye in the spring. Through a few different study methods, fishery managers feel that the bulk of the population spawn on the reefs. Some people feel that number is as high or higher then 75%.

Photo Courtesy of the Ohio DNR

At first glance many people may think that Lake Erie’s breeding population stays and lives in Lake Erie all its life. Normally that thought process works, but that isn’t how it is on Erie. Biologists from Michigan, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, and New York have been doing tagging studies for some time now on Erie Walleye. In 2005 thru 2007, an expanded tagging program had taken place. The Walleye Task Group(WTG) which is made up of multiple states and Ontario, started using Passive Integrated Transponders(PIT) as an alternative to using jaw tags to estimate walleye population and travels. PIT tags, which are in bedded in the fish, has helped them collect even more data on the walleye movement vs the jaw tags. In fact it has doubled the amount of data they have been able to get. In 2005 to 2007 more than 31,000 walleye were PIT tagged in the study. What has been found is quite incredible, the bulk of the breeding walleye in Lake Eire are very migratory. Fish that have been tagged in Lake Huron have been recovered all the way down and around the spawning reefs in Ohio.The tagging and tracking of walleye is taking another step towards gaining further understanding of how these walleye move around. See my blog “Walleye worth $100”

Harvest

A Group called the Lake Erie Walleye Task Group(WTG), is charged with collecting data on the lake’s walleye population. The WTG uses that data to run population models. Those models are just one of the many factors that the Lake Erie Committee (LEC) uses to determine what a safe level of harvest is for that year. The LEC sets the lake-wide Total Allowable Catch (TAC). The LEC is made up of one Lake Erie administrator from each state and Ontario, each having a seat within the committee. It is also worthy to note that the TAC is not just a majority vote within the 5 LEC members, it is a consensus that each member of the LEC must agree to before it is accepted. That quota set by the LEC is then split up among each unit in the lake. The units are basically state and international borders for the most part.

How the group determines how much of the quota a unit gets is pretty straight forward. What they do is calculate the percentage of walleye habitat within that unit. Those numbers come out to 5.83% for Michigan, 51.11% for Ohio, and 43.06% for Ontario. New York and Pennsylvania are not assigned quotas, but they do watch their annual total harvest. Out of all the parties involved Ontario is the only one that has a commercial fishery for walleye.

For the past 5 years sport fishing and commercial fishing has taken under its quota granted to them by the LEC (TAC units). See the chart below.

Weather

This is one of the biggest factors for the Lake Erie walleye population. Walleye are what is called broadcast spawners. They do not build nest like bass and panfish do. They deposit eggs over an area of favorable bottom. How the weather affects it, is that if we have too much wind the eggs can become covered in sediment, which chokes out the eggs and limits the hatch for that year. Wind also affects them again, once they hatch. When the fry hatch and swim up, they depend on currents to carry them into warm, productive nursery areas near shore. If the prevailing currents take them to cooler, less productive areas then their chances of survival decline. Weather conditions, lake conditions, and the timing of weather events all come together to determine each year’s hatch.

Take 2003 for example, we saw just and unreal spawning success. Nearly 59 million walleye survived to age 2. Generally a walleye has reached or is close to reaching legal size by that age. But in 2004, 2005 , 2006 we had only 6.3 million reach that, combined. Those years we had winds that covered the eggs or pushed the fry to colder waters. In 2007 we had more favorable winds and almost 27 million fish entered into the system.

Summary and Opinion

I hope I was able to give you a basic understanding of this whole process. I also hope, I have been able to give you the info, so that you can form you own opinion and views on this topic. The LEC does a great job in trying to find a balance between what we as anglers want,and what our resource needs. It is a tough job, and they will never make everyone happy but they really do take everything into consideration and make the tough decisions.

But who is to blame? The commercial fishing, the biologist, or is it you, the angler?Right now I feel strongly that a slot limit needs to placed on the commercial fishermen and maybe even on us sport anglers. To protect the prime breeding fish in the system. I am currently research this topic and learning more about it. But what I really feel has  happened here of late is almost a perfect storm of factors. This whole debate we had this winter should really give us pause when it comes to our fisheries and our natural resources general. Too many fishermen fall victim to what I call “Fisherman Greed.” I talked a little about this in my stunted fisheries article.

So what ever happens in the  years to come with the walleye limit, we should remember to try and understand what is going on out there, and that the fish we grow here travel and affects other bodies of water not just Lake Erie.

2011 Walleye Regs

I would like to thanks Travis Hartman Fisheries Biologist with Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of  Wildlife for his help with this article and taking the time to talk with me on the phone.Also if you would like to read the report I sited click here for it.

The post Lake Erie Walleye in Crisis? Understanding the Lakes Walleye Population appeared first on Out In Michigan.

Because of these views, we, as fisherman feel the need to pick sides on where we stand. Some make this choice based on peer pressure, others from misguided advice, and a select few, keep an open mind and learn and evolve their views as information presented. No matter which category you find yourself in, we will always have one thing in common, the ambition to catch large fish. So how do we as fisherman cure the problem of stunted fisheries.

Sure, it is easy for us to point a finger at management and pass the buck. *It’s all the DNR’s fault they are to blame for all of these 4 inch bluegills I catch every time I go out fishing.* Its the guys who keeps too many fish every time they go out.* To tell you the truth I could fill volumes with reasons and who to point the finger at. Doing that will not solve a darn thing. What we need to start doing is talking about how we has a group and can fix this. That includes the DNR, USFW, Outdoor Industry, and even the poorest of poor fishermen.

But before we can start to fix the problem we all have to understand the reasons why we have stunted fisheries. Most stunted fisheries today are not caused by natural phenomenons, they’re being caused by the human phenomenons. When you remove to many of a certain class of fish you are setting the lake up for stunting.
Let me explain this idea further for you.

In any given body of water you have a certain amount of fish it can support, this is commonly referred to as biomass in the lake. The total biomass should setup in the shape of a pyramid, where every level is just large enough to support the next level up the pyramid (this is mass not numbers of fish). At the bottom of the pyramid you have baseline food sources, such as Benthos. Benthos encompasses your micro organisms, mussels, aquatic insects, etc. On the next level we have food fish, which are minnows and young of the year. On the next level you have low-level predators these will feed on everything in the lower two levels the benthos and small fishes. Above that you have mid level predators which feed on the two levels below it. By now I am sure you get the point. This is a basic concept that even grade school children will understand. The primary factor in stunted fish is “food sources” at different stages in life and growth.

Reproduction is next in line. In a given body of water there is a very limited amount of spawning habitat. That habitat can only support so many spawning fish. Now, that number is solely dependent on the size of fish that is within a given system. Those larger spawning fish will command more spawning room and spread out further in the prime spawning grounds. This is nature’s way of controlling how many fish can successfully breed in a given system. This in turn will keep year classes in check and level most years. There will be some years where a body of water will have a bummer year class, it happens.

So what happens when you remove one of those breeders out of the system? If you remember above I mentioned something called biomass. If you take, say a 10 inch blue gill, out of a lake, something is going to take its place. That will generally be a few smaller fish equal to that fishes biomass. Within each fish species in a body of water you have a range of sizes. The best way to think of the different sizes is like a diamond. In a healthy system, at either end of the diamond, you will have both extremes of size related to one an other.. Now, if you were to remove the fish that are in the top of that diamond you begin to see the diamond widen. You will start to see more and more fish in the mid size classed breeding successfully. These mid size class fish require less room to spawn cause of their size. Which in turn gives you more successful breeding every year.

When this happens too many years in a row you have an over abundance of smaller fish in the system and they begin to over browse food sources. This begins to directly affect the fish during their early key growth stages. Which results in smaller fish. Now, if that body of water can not reproduce and recover at a high enough level every year, you could begin to see the biomass capacity  begin to decline. Which means it will support less fish.

At this point I haven’t yet to touch on genetics. I feel genetics are directly related to the top of the diamond within each fish species population. At the top of that diamond you have the biggest, fastest and strongest in the gene pool. If you hunt whitetails you may understand this. This plays a big part in growing larger specimens within a population. The best genes are found in the largest fish in the system. Remove enough of them on a constant basis and you will help produce fish that can not grow to larger sizes.

How can we can manage our fisheries? Selective harvest! Again, this is something you whitetail hunters might understand. We have to limit what we take and the size we take them at. This is where things get very complicated with fish. All species have different year classes that are their prime spawners. It is not always the largest fish. Take walleye for example, even though a large 10 lb plus female may have more eggs in her. She has a lower percent of viable eggs. As she has aged she has lost the ability to produce quality eggs so we come back to the fact that she is so large she commands a larger area to spawn.

Knowing all of this, how do we go about selectively harvesting our catch?In a prefect world each lake would be studied yearly. Bag and size limits would be set based on those studies. This could even mean a restriction on how much fishing pressure a giving lake can have. But unfortunately we do not live in a perfect world.

What is a fisherman to do? I personally believe, after studying this topic, I will continue doing mostly catch and release fishing. I do keep fish sometimes but that is usually to supply my father with a few fish dinners. He is getting up there in age and is getting harder and harder for him to go fishing and keep up. So what am I going to do is limit my catch when I do keep fish. This comes down to knowing the lake I am fishing.
Larger systems can generally handle a few more fish going home, and I do not have to be as selective with fish I keep. Now on smaller bodies of water, maybe I would limit the amount of a certain size fish I can keep within in my limit. Or maybe I will just cut my limit. Say, instead of keeping those 25 crappies I will only keep 15 or fewer fish.

Me doing that alone is just a drop in the bucket, and in the grand scale of things may not do much good. But if a group of fisherman start to follow the same self-governing rules. That will begin to have a greater impact. Then they will spread that to other fisherman outside their group. Think of it as the 100 monkey theory. In that theory, you teach a small group of monkeys something, soon one by one more and more monkey will learn to do that. Monkey see monkey do! When you reach the “100th ” monkey, you have the entire population suddenly doing the same thing.

What I hope you all get out of this is if you want better fishing, get involved and educated. It’s time we all begin to learn the lesson of real outdoors stewardship. We have lost sight of that in this rat-race, greed hungry world.

Coming soon!

Part two Fixing fisheries that are stunted.

I want to hear from you! Share with me your thoughts on this, do you agree or disagree with me and why.This is a very important topic currently throughout the country. Leave your comment below or e-mail me.

Also thanks to my friend Fish Chaser for lending me a few pics.

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