Surveys indicate good news for anglers

0

Preliminary results from surveys in the western basin of Lake Erie indicate more great news for Ohio anglers, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The 2020 walleye and yellow perch hatches are both above average and continue an exceptional era of fish production in the western basin of Lake Erie.

“Each August, Ohio contributes to lake-wide efforts to survey the hatches of walleye and yellow perch,” said Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker. “Our fisheries biologists survey nearly 40 locations between Toledo and Huron. The information collected is compared to the results from previous years to gauge the success of the walleye and yellow perch hatches.”

The 2020 August walleye hatch index was 48 per hectare, a standard measure of catch per area. This is the eighth-highest value on record for Ohio’s waters of the western basin and well above the rapidly increasing prior 20-year index average of 32 per hectare.

“This year’s hatch combined with the exceptional 2015, 2018, and 2019 year-classes ensures an abundance of young walleye will complement the older and larger fish that make up the current Lake Erie walleye population, which is projected to hit a historic high in 2021,” said Travis Hartman, the Division of Wildlife’s Lake Erie fisheries program administrator.

The 2019 hatch also impressed with 47 walleye per hectare. This was the highest catch of 1-year-old walleye ever observed in Ohio’s 2020 August western basin trawl survey, nearly double the previous high from 2015. Walleye from the 1-year-old 2019 class currently range from 7-12 inches and most will hit the harvestable size of 15 inches in 2021.

The August survey found the 2020 yellow perch hatch index to be very good at 536 per hectare. This is well above Ohio’s west basin prior 20-year average of 326 per hectare and ranks sixth in the 34-year survey. This above-average yellow perch hatch will help bolster the population in 2022, along with the strong 2014 and 2018 hatches that are supporting recently improved yellow perch angling success in the western basin.

During the upcoming months, Ohio’s results will be combined with Ontario’s to characterize the basin-wide abundance of young-of-year walleye and yellow perch. This information allows biologists to calculate an initial projection of how many young fish will enter the catchable population two years later, which is one component to determine safe harvest levels in the future.

For more information on the Division of Wildlife’s Lake Erie research and management programs and to find fishing reports, maps, and more fishing resources, visit wildohio.gov. Download the HuntFish OH mobile app for fishing information on the go.

• Ohioans are reminded that Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease typically affects some white-tailed deer in the late summer, according to the ODNR Division of Wildlife. This is not unusual, as EHD is the most common ailment affecting deer in the eastern U.S., and the disease occurs annually in the late summer and fall in deer herds across North America. Ohio has documented some cases of EHD this summer, mostly in northwest Ohio.

The EHD virus is not infectious to people and is not spread from animal to animal. It is transmitted by the bite of small insects called midges, so EHD-associated deaths in deer can occur until the first frost of the year causes a decline in midge activity. Once infected, deer show symptoms within five to 10 days, and many deer die within 36 hours of the onset of symptoms. There is little that can be done to protect wild deer from the virus. Outbreaks of EHD can result in high deer mortality in some areas but populations typically increase within a few years.

White-tailed deer, along with mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn antelope are susceptible to the disease. Deer infected with this virus may show symptoms including lethargy, head hung down, loss of fear of humans, swelling of the tongue and head and neck, difficulty breathing, and excess salivation. Affected deer are often found in or near bodies of water, likely because of fever and dehydration.

People should always avoid touching or handling sick or dead wild animals. Sightings of sick or dead deer should be reported at wildohio.gov, your local Ohio wildlife officer, or wildlife district office. For more information about EHD visit wildohio.gov.

• Mother Nature provided some timely fall-like cold fronts to cause a migration of the mourning doves and blue-winged teal just in time for the early fall hunting seasons. Many hunters of both doves and teal had tremendous success over the past few weeks as the weather turned more like fall instead of summer.

As the Lake Erie water has started to cool, the perch bite has heated back up. The problem is finding a day where the wind is cooperating. I don’t remember a fishing season that has had this many north and northeast winds as we have had this summer. Any kind of northeast wind on Lake Erie can make her an angry body of water especially for the western basin and can create an uncomfortable if not unsafe boat ride.

The fishing should continue to improve as the water temperature continues to drop and hopefully we will get some more weekends where the wind is more favorable for the fishermen.

Until next time, Good Hunting and Good Fishing!

https://www.galioninquirer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2020/09/web1_Ken-Parrott-color-1.jpg

Water and Wings by Ken Parrott

Ken Parrott is an Agricultural Science teacher with Northmor High School.

No posts to display