Many anglers possess a eager curiosity, not solely about their favourite lakes and rivers, but in addition concerning the fish they like to catch and the habitats the place they dwell.
Curiosity is an efficient factor. Inquiring anglers, in any case, are those who succeed. They maintain their eyes and ears open for priceless new data that may pay large dividends out on the water.
Contemporary suggestions and new methods are good for fast fixes when anglers are slumping. A easy advice about making an attempt a sure lure at a sure depth can reverse an angler’s fortunes and put fish within the ice chest.
However educated anglers know they will by no means personal an excessive amount of details about fish, fishing and the most effective hotspots, although it isn’t simple to sift by means of data assets to realize information. The most effective sources are printed supplies and the expertise of scientists and knowledgeable anglers. I believed I knew quite a bit about walleye however I found my information was solely the tip of the iceberg. Throughout conversations lately with Ohio Division of Wildlife fisheries biologists, I realized some very attention-grabbing info about walleyes. These talks prompted me to do some digging for attention-grabbing data.
Walleye are widespread all through North America, with a spread nearly as expansive as one other widespread species, the largemouth bass. From northern Canada to the mid-south U.S., walleyes are the popular species of tens of millions of anglers.
Walleyes are particularly widespread amongst Ohio anglers. They’re so widespread that our state’s fisheries managers function a classy course of that harvests eggs and milt from Mosquito Lake walleyes and ends in annual bumper crops of child walleyes to inventory all through Ohio.
Dan Wright, the Ohio Division of Wildlife fish administration technician who heads the walleye netting and egg fertilization operation every spring at Mosquito, famous the Trumbull County reservoir itself is the chief beneficiary of the walleye stocking program.
Ohio shares walleyes in lakes all through the state, however Mosquito is stocked at a price roughly double the others.
Mosquito receives 7.2 million walleye fry yearly, in addition to 1.44 million fingerlings for a complete of greater than 8.5 million child walleyes. That breaks all the way down to 1,000 fry per acre and 200 fingerlings per acre.
As talked about earlier, walleyes are marquee fish all through Ohio, thanks in no small half to Lake Erie. Walleye are king on the massive lake and have earned our nice lake the highest spot on lots of the high walleye lakes lists. Subject & Stream journal’s listing has Erie on the high, adopted by Satan’s Lake and Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota, Lake McConaughy in Nebraska, Bay of Quinte in Ontario, the Higher Mississippi River and Lake of the Woods in Minnesota, Bay de Noc and Saginaw Bay in Michigan, and the Columbia River within the Pacific Northwest.
With Erie only a lengthy forged away, it might appear Ohioans may additionally have the lead within the quantity of people that eat walleye. Not so. Based on In-Fisherman journal, Minnesota is residence to essentially the most walleye eaters.
The largest walleye caught from Lake Erie is a 16.19-pounder boated in 1999. I’ve no data on the colour of the lure that tricked that fish, however In-Fisherman reported that walleyes see pink, orange and yellow finest, with inexperienced additionally being acknowledged. All of this data might or might not have elevated your walleye I.Q., however maintain it useful in case you might be ever invited to a walleye trivia recreation. You received’t be the know-it-all, after all, as we’ve solely scratched the floor within the data to be realized.
Curious anglers will discover piles and piles of information to soak in by studying and speaking with the consultants.
Jack Wollitz’s e-book, “The Frequent Angler,” dives into the highs and lows that mix to make fishing a ardour for thus many individuals. He likes emails from readers. Ship a notice to jackbbaass@gmail.com.
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