COLUMBUS — Excellent walleye fishing is expected at Lake Erie now through October, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
Walleye catches are typically best during June, followed closely by July and August.
The 2019 season is anticipated to produce walleye fishing results that could surpass last year’s record level.
In 2018, walleye were harvested at the highest rates recorded in nearly 40 years. More than 40% of walleye trips produced a limit for anglers.
On average, anglers caught and kept a walleye for every 75 minutes of fishing.
The 2019 walleye population is estimated to be 45 million fish ages 2 and older, with a projection exceeding 120 million fish for 2020.
Walleye anglers are catching 4- to 5-year-old fish that average 19 to 21 inches and are as large as 26 inches.
Fish from the 2017 and 2018 hatches are showing up in anglers’ catches ranging from 9 to 14 inches.
Anglers should release these sublegal fish with as little handling as possible so they can contribute to the fishery in the future.
The daily walleye limit is six fish with a 15-inch minimum length limit.
Updated Lake Erie fishing reports are available at wildohio.gov or by calling 888-466-5347.
Division of Wildlife staff are available to answer questions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at the Fairport Harbor station at 440-352-4199 for the central basin and at the Sandusky station at 419-625-8062 for the western basin.
