GREAT OUTDOORS: River walleye runs about to begin

In March, the Maumee and Sandusky rivers start providing wading and shoreline anglers opportunities to catch invading schools of walleyes. Both rivers support resident fish that can be caught all year long in limited numbers, so it is never too early to fish for them. Choosing a river to fish can be a matter of which one is most familiar to each person, but those who are familiar with both keep an eye on water levels and recent catch reports provided by local bait shop websites or Facebook posts. While I was conducting creel surveys several years ago, I frequently spoke to anglers who had fished the opposite river earlier that day but switched after hearing reports of successful catches elsewhere. As a teenager, I made doll flies — a lead jig dressed with nylon, marabou, bear hair or other filaments tied to the head using heavy thread. I earned some spending money by providing a few dozen a week to a neighbor who sold them in his bar that was often frequented by local fishermen. Currently, most anglers instead use floating jigs dressed with a rubber curly-tail worm presented in the manner of a Carolina rig, which uses a 4-foot or so leader behind a double-swiveled trolling weight. Popular twister tail colors on cloudy days or when the water is stained are purple, black or my personal favorite, cherry red. On bright days or during periods when the water is clearer, chartreuse is hard to beat, but Kelly green, white and pink have devoted followers. Smaller and quicker to warm, the Sandusky River normally sees the runs begin a week or so ahead of the Maumee River. Bernie Whitt, of Angler's Supply Fishing Bait & Tackle in Fremont reports that while some walleyes are usually seen in the Sandusky River in late February, migrations begin in earnest during March, with peak numbers occurring in April. With the removal of the Ballville Dam in Fremont in 2018 now allowing fish access to an additional 22 miles of river, there is much more elbow room for anglers to stretch out into sections of this tributary stream formerly inaccessible to migrating fish. Most fishing still occurs in the familiar locations that have been favored by anglers for years between the downtown Fremont bridges and just upstream at the parks. Walleyes have been caught in many locations upriver all the way to the dam in Tiffin, so it may be worth some exploration to find a new hotspot. The Maumee River is the largest tributary in the Great Lakes, supports much greater walleye migratory spawning runs, has more room to spread out, and attracts larger crowds. Mario Campos, owner of Maumee Tackle Fishing Outfitters, agrees with Whitt that the timing of the runs on both rivers is determined by water temperatures and flow volumes. Although fish can migrate to the dam in Grand Rapids, most walleyes and therefore anglers remain concentrated in the stretch of river bordered by access sites in Perrysburg on the south bank and Maumee on the north side well short of this obstacle. Minor river fishing efforts for walleyes also occur down to Rossford in boats and up to Waterville by wading anglers. There is some good fishing over both river bays' shallow sand bars. The current daily limit for walleye is six year-round. However, before fishing, be sure to learn and follow special seasonal fishing regulations that are in place from March 1 through April 30 for specific sections of both rivers, including their bays. These rules are designed to reduce illegal snagging by specifying the maximum hook size, number and type and fishing hours restricted to between sunrise to sunset. Incidentally, these rules also apply to sections of the Portage and Mahoning rivers, where small spawning runs of walleyes occur. All of Ohio's fishing rules and regulations can be read in the current Fishing Regulation Guide, available online at wildohio.gov, their free HuntFish OH mobile app, or wherever fishing licenses are sold.