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General Information: Each year the Division of Wildlife stocks over 20 million walleye fry and 2.5 million walleye fingerlings in 15-20 reservoirs to maintain high-quality fishing. Although walleye can naturally reproduce in Ohio reservoirs, natural reproduction is rarely sufficient to maintain a fishery; therefore, walleye produced naturally are typically considered a “bonus” in these waters. Natural reproduction of walleye does, however, sustain fisheries in the eastern portion of the Ohio River. Although walleye are not as common as sauger in Ohio River tailwaters, they are not uncommon and are typically caught using the same methods in those locations.
State Record: 16.19 pounds, 33 inches, Lake Erie
Tom Haberman, Brunswick, Ohio
November 23, 1999
Fish Ohio Length: 28 inches
Tips:
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Fish slow on the bottom in spring before the gizzard shad hatch starts in about mid-May. When selecting crankbaits, try suspending models this time of year.
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Starting about late May, many walleye will suspend to feed on gizzard shad, so try trolling small gizzard shad imitating crankbaits, (like Wee Warts & small Shad Raps) near the surface.
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Spring is the best time to target walleye if you don’t have access to a boat. Fish the tailwaters, face of dams and any available causeway openings from shore at walleye lakes, especially at first and last light.
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See the sauger section for tips on catching walleye in the Ohio River. Successful methods for catching walleye in the Ohio River are identical to those used for sauger.
Tackle: Medium spinning tackle with 6-10 pound test line for fishing jigs and baitcasting tackle with 10-12 pound test line for fishing crankbaits. Minimize use of terminal tackle.
Regulations:
Reservoirs: 6 fish daily limit with 15-inch minimum length limits in Berlin Lake, C.J. Brown Reservoir, Lake Milton, and the Mahoning River connecting Berlin Lake and Lake Milton.
Ohio River: The Ohio River is divided into an eastern and western zone, and harvest regulations differ between the two zones. In the western zone (Ohio-Kentucky border) anglers can keep 10 walleye per day (singly or in combination with sauger and saugeye), with no minimum length limit. In the eastern zone (Ohio-West Virginia border) anglers fishing the Ohio shoreline can keep 6 fish per day (singly or in combination with sauger and saugeye), with no minimum length limit.
Where to go:
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Central
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Northwest
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Northeast
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Southwest
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Southeast
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C J Brown Reservoir |
Ohio River at the New Cumberland,
Pike Island, Hannibal, and
Willow Island tailwaters
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Seasonal Fishing Approaches:
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Summer
(June - mid-September)
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Fall
(mid-September - November)
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Winter
(December - February)
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Peak Activity
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Good |
Excellent |
Fair |
Good |
Variable |
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Presentation
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Jigs tipped with twister tails & minnows. |
Troll crawler harnesses or “mayfly rigs” tipped with a piece of nitecrawler, troll or cast small shad imitating crankbaits (1”- 3”) & casting jigs tipped with worms; in late May try jigging “blade” baits off the end of bars. |
Troll or cast larger crankbaits (3”-6”) and use crawler harnesses and jigs tipped with worms.
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Cast Rat-L-Trap style lures, diving crankbaits, and jigs with minnows, vertical jig blade bits off the tips of bars. |
Ice fish with jigs or jigging spoons tipped with minnows. In open water cast suspending minnow crankbaits at night in waters less than ten-feet deep.
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Location
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Below dams in tailwaters, off the face of dams in stocked lakes, in causeway openings with water current present and large main-lake bars or points, especially ones with gravel or rip-rap present on their tops. |
Troll or drift large points and bars, sunken roadbeds, railroad tracks or rises along old stream channels. Large bays or shelves with aquatic vegetation or stumpfields can be productive also. |
Fish most of the same types of fish holding structures as pre-summer but concentrate on the ones closer to the dam and be sure they are situated above the thermocline if present. Now is also the time of year to try trolling for suspended walleye in the open water of the lake above the thermocline.
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Fish will begin to move back into shallower water as it cools into the 60-degree range and use many of the same areas as the pre-summer peak. In late Fall, however, walleye start to congregate deeper off the ends of main lake points. |
Below dams and on shallow bars (points & reefs) at twilight in reservoirs w/o ice or in nearby deep water especially off the ends of bars during the day. Narrow openings with current like the ones in causeway should also be checked if the water is open. |
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