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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ORCUS DEMENS" data-source="post: 253780" data-attributes="member: 1779"><p>In the Spring the majority of walleye in Lake Erie and some from Lake Huron are on the reef comlexes of western Lake Erie and the Maumee River. If you think this is ridiculous look at the average winning weight for the Walleye tourneys there in the spring.  As Wags mentioned these walleye go through cyclical population changes. When conditions are right (no spring storms) you can have an amazing year class of fish. If the storms kick up, the water becomes "stained" meaning sediment is stirred up in the water column. When it settles out it covers all those eggs on the shallow reefs and the future walleye suffocate resulting in a poor year class. If I remember correctly, 2013 was a phenominal year class and those fish would be in the 24" + range now and would make up a fair percentage of the total population.Trip mentioned monitoring of the population, Lake Erie is one of the most studied of the great lakes. Quoatas are set every year based on survey trawls as well as creel surveys. Allotments are agreed on by the following states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan and the province of Ontario.  NodakBuckeye mentioned Wild Wings, I have fished there many times in the spring. You can practically walk to the reefs on all the boats there. Lastly Camp Chef mentioned not keeping, eating large fish because of mercury levels. He is correct about that concern. North Dakota has low population and resultingly few coal fired power plants and heavy industry.  The Great lakes has a long history of being a dumping ground for all sorts of materials. Check the Ohio Department of Natural Resources web page about fish consumption advisories and your eyes will pop. In North Dakota you have been fortunate to have fairly clean ecosystems because the primary industry has been Agriculture. I wager the tone on here would be different if many here faced the same ecological challenges faced along the Great Lakes.  Be thankful for the fisheries and natural resources you enjoy here. This from one who has seen how truly bad it can get. I remember when the Cuyahoga river caught fire and made the national news. It wasn't the first nor worst time that and many other rivers in the  area caught fire. Ok long winded  post over. I am ready to be burned in effigy. Have a great rest of the weekend.</p></blockquote><p></p>

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