Page 8 - Mid America Boating - September/October 2024 issue

Rally around the walleye from page 7 first of many dozen walleye we caught for the string of high water levels on Lake Erie
cameras over the next three hours, a surprise seemed to provoke excellent spawning
to one and all. seasons, pushing the Lake Erie walleye
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024 [ MID-AMERICA BOATING ] 8
The Minnesota boys knew the spring fishing to unheard of success. Non-resident
spawning season was hard to beat when licenses soared as anglers from 37 states
casting small jigs, and fabled walleye made the Lake Erie scene. As the schools
anglers Winkelman and Gary Roach brought of walleye reached record levels, the walleye
that tactic to Lake Erie to kick off the prime expanded their spawning range from the
spring fishing. Western Basin to all along the Central Basin
Helping the walleye recovery was the of the Ohio shoreline.
foresight of Gov. James A. Rhodes, who “Walleye live a long time, up to 15 to 20
established Fish Ohio Day. Rhodes parlayed a years, and that resulted in Ohio’s favorite
mercury contamination scare in walleye into fish establishing spawning areas all along
the closure of the commercial walleye fishing the Ohio coastline, not just the Western
in Ohio waters that remains in place today. Basin reefs or the Maumee and Sandusky
Walleye responded with good spawning rivers,” said Hartman. “You only need a few
seasons not only in the Sandusky and successful years to get spawning off and
Maumee rivers, but also on the shallow reefs running in new areas.”
around Western Lake Erie. Putting the national spotlight on Lake
How poor had the walleye fishing been Erie’s impressive walleye fishing has been a
on Lake Erie? In 1969, Fofrich and his sons, steady parade of walleye tournaments, from
Jim Jr. and Steve, had an epic day of fishing In-Fisherman’s Professional Walleye Trail
off Junk Yard Point on the southwest corner events in Western Lake Erie more than 30
of North Bass Island with Hellion weight- years ago to last spring’s Bass Pro Shops
forward spinners and nightcrawlers, the & Cabela’s National Walleye Trail in Port
standard at the time. Clinton. Despite windy weather, John Hoyer
The trio caught 18 walleye that day, of Keosauqua, Iowa, weighed a two-day limit
generating fishing stories from Toledo to of 10 walleye weighing 64 pounds, 10 ounces.
Cleveland that piqued angling interest Hoyer took home $116,926 in cash and prizes,
along the south shore. including a new Ranger fishing boat.
Charter boats began to slowly appear in With one of the warmest winers on record,
subsequent years, and by 1988, more than many charter boats were not put in dry
1,200 professional guides were licensed by dock for the winter, as usual, but continued
the Ohio Division of Wildlife. to productively fish the chilly waters. Night
A roller coaster of good and bad spawning anglers have also found success in recent
seasons followed, and fishing charters years casting from piers and break walls with
slumped as changes in federal taxation diving plugs after dark.
Erie County Wildlife Officer Michele Butler, left, and Director Mary Mertz of the disallowed entertainment deductions for It has all added up to a fantastic fishery, and
Ohio Department of Natural Resources have a walleye for the cooler at a recent fishing charters and hunting clubs. plenty of reasons the walleye should finally be
Governor’s Fish Ohio Day outing on Lake Erie. Photo by D’Arcy Patrick Egan Over the past 10 years, an unprecedented voted to become the Ohio State Fish. MAB

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