Page 7 - Mid America Boating - September/October 2024 issue

Erie submitted in 2023, however, the walleye really didn’t begin until May from the Mille
was easily the star, with 1,073 walleye topping Lacs walleye factory in Minnesota to the wide
the 34-inch mark and submitted for the annual waters of Lake Erie. While Minnesota enforced
award. In a bit of a surprise in last year’s Fish a closed spring season, Ohio fishermen and
Ohio standings. For Lake Erie, freshwater a handful of fishing guides waited until the
drum, or sheepshead, (810, 36 inches) finished spring spawn was well over before they started
second, followed by channel catfish (687, 38 fishing for them, since they were reputedly
inches); yellow perch (324, 15.5 inches); white more interested in spawning than feeding.
bass (247, 19 inches); smallmouth bass (152, And in August, many fishermen subscribed
23.75 inches); steelhead trout (115, 35 inches); to the myth that walleye fishing was tough
and largemouth bass (78, 24.5 inches). because the fish lost their needle sharp teeth
Having written about Lake Erie’s walleye at that time of year.
fishing for more than a half century, I’ve In the early 1980s, television star Babe
chronicled the amazing recovery of Lake Erie’s Winkelman of Minnesota wanted to film a
walleye fishery over the last few decades. show on April 20 — it was my birthday — 7 [ MID-AMERICA BOATING ] SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024
These days, Lake Erie’s walleye population is out of Floro’s Marina on the Toussaint River,
not only outstanding, but rated by the Ohio near the Davis Besse Nuclear Plant and the
Division of Wildlife to be the best in the world. Niagara Reef Complex. It seemed far too early,
Port Clinton has laid claim to being the but for Minnesota fishermen, early season
Walleye Capitol of the World. meant came when the winter ice retreated,
Ohio’s favorite fish deserves the latest and casting lead-head jigs would catch them.
efforts to finally be elected as the Ohio Winkelman wanted to promote the Fuzz E
State Fish. Grubb jig he’d just purchased with his legion
As Lake Erie and its tributaries continue to of TV fans, but none of the Lake Erie charter
become environmentally friendly for fish and boats were in operation yet. Winkelman had
fishermen, and walleye have been extensively talked the legendary guide Jim Fofrich of
protected from commercial harvest in Ohio Toledo into having his son, Jim Jr., skipper his
waters, the walleye hatches over the last 10 Single Spin fishing boat for a short trip to the
years have been consistently exceptional. nearby spawning reefs.
Travis Hartman, the head of Lake Erie We were the only boat at Floro’s docks or
Fisheries Management, said the Great Lakes on Lake Erie on a fine spring day. The Single
Fishery Commission’s annual estimates Spin had yet to be outfitted with sonar, radio
pinpoint the Lake Erie walleye population at or compass, but the reefs were easy to find.
89 million adult fish. That doesn’t include the Not expecting much, I tied a Fuzz E Grubb
millions of youngsters that have yet to reach jig on 6-pound test line and made the first National walleye tournaments on Lake Erie generate a lot of attention because
the legal size limit, which in Ohio is 15 inches, cast as the camera crew set up. A couple of of the excellent fishing and plenty of chances to weigh in trophy walleye. Despite
which could push the walleye numbers to seconds later I saw my fishing line jump, and windy weather, John Hoyer of Keosauqua, Iowa, weighed a two-day limit of 10
more than 100 million. set the hook on a nice walleye. It was the walleye totaling 64 pounds, 10 ounces to win $116,926 in a National Walleye Tour
Long ago, Ohio’s unofficial walleye season See Rally around the walleye on page 8 event last spring. Photo by D’Arcy Patrick Egan

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