Great info. Although Chautauqua is typically my home port, and would love the same study on that lake, I did fish Erie and the St. Lawrence this year. The river fish are a bit more challenging to find and catch, but they fight right to the boat. That doesn’t happen as frequently on the lakes and I attribute that to the constant current of the river. Another observation is that what techniques and lures are working on Erie, many times do not work on Chautauqua. Keep the info coming Jim!
Do you have a photo ? We've seen a couple on the Canadian side (mostly Central Basin), and quite a few hybrids -white spot on tail and an aquamarine blue coloring on their cheeks that is in the flesh, not 'wipeable' like fish from northern lakes. I'm collecting pics on behalf of a Prof. at a University here that has a keen interest in this phenomena
@odochartaighofodonegal9815 I’ll ask Jason if he has another one. There is a pix of a blue tinted one next to a yellow at the 6:54 mark. Thanks for the feedback.
They did over 1,100 genetics tests and they are/were the SAME fish, just different features, same as humans ( skin color, eye color, height..). The distinguishing feature of the blue pike/walleye were it's over-sized eyes that sat slighter higher up on the side of their heads and were closer to the tip of their 'nose'. They also reached maybe 4 lb and 22/23" long. Have been in contact with a Professor here in Ontario to whom photos of the 'blues' and many more 'hybrids' were sent- he has an 'interest' in the matter. Erie could be undergoing spectacular change in this regard as we speak.
Very informative. Thanks for doing the interview. Buy what another Steelhead population? We’ve been having great runs of fish coming into the tribs on Lake Erie.
Thanks. Really appreciate that. He did say that the steelies we catch in NY mostly come from the stocking PA does. He did say that they are going to be cutting it in half in 26. Hopefully NY will pick up the slack. Appreciate you watching.
Thank you for the video! Curious to yours and Jason’s thoughts on the seasonal patterns of the walleye in Lake Erie. You hear comments like they are cool water fish and like 60-65 degree water but then other people say they like warm water and that’s why you can still find them relatively shallow in the summer months but they aren’t fished much because everyone is going deep. So curious to thoughts on this and through the seasons (spring is spawn around 45-50 degree water temps through summer (do they want that cooler water and why you find them so deep) through the fall (at what temp do they say okay it’s time to move back in shallow and those bigger walleyes start to move back west if not resident)
My theory for why, in the last decade, we started seeing lakewide recruitment lies with the zebra mussels. My theory is the mussels have encrusted shallow waters and created a suitable substrate for the local walleye populations to use. I believe over time, areas in the shallows outside traditional spawning areas have become encrusted in zebra mussels and the walleye have adapted and started spawning in these zebra mussel colonies. Further, I believe the reproduction process for the mussels contributes to the phytoplankton layer at just the right time with their zygotes being in the water column at an opportunistic time to be food for the young of the year walleye. I'm no biologist, but it's a fact that good recruitment requires a suitable substrate to spawn on followed by abundant food source which for walleye is phytoplankton. One of both of those required resources has received some sort of boost in recent years it seems. The Ohio DNR believes it might be higher water levels. When I was a kid, the grown-ups complained that the beaches on the lake were gone due to rising water and the 80's when this was taking place also had huge walleye populations, so maybe it's as simple as that! The recent walleye population started exploding on my third year fishing for walleye as an adult, so I know how tough it was prior to this population explosion. I love it!
Wow. That’s some impressive thinking. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least and makes perfect sense. The infestation of both zebras and goby’s was originally thought to be the end of the Great Lakes as we know them but good ole Mother Nature took over and fooled us once again. Thanks for the great head up and feedback.
Hey. Thats a great question that I don’t have an answer for. I live near Buffalo so Cleveland is about 175 miles west of here. If I were you, I’d join some of the facebook walleye groups and pose that question on them. There are several groups that are for Ohio walleye anglers. Thanks for watching.
It’s been a incredible 6 years now I been trolling for walleye now since 91 i just caught 4 the other night casting gold and black Raplias in 6 foot of water of shore as soon as as sun goes down my biggest walleye was 15 pounds with a 14 pounder and many 11 pounder caught
@@JimHanleyfishing that 15 pound walleye broke the net in half the only reason I was able to to get her in the net was it was a calmer day on Lake Erie 2 footer s during my drinking days and playing poker half the night me and my partner that day accidentally ran close to a 330 feet of wire line that must of just been closed to the bottom and I also remember we were close to the end of are night crawlers so I only had a small piece left on my worm harness when the net broke the holes on my net got caught on the trolling Bar that has a 2 inch nipple to be able to adjust the length a few times now I have caught other people s rod and reel s as a fact I am still using one to this day it still had the sticker on the rod it was a Great Lakes reel with a 9.9 Dawai rod o still remember it big Dipsey set at 1.5 setting with a junior thunder stick it was a very slow calm day I only had 3 in the box and they were smaller walleye 18 maybe 20 inches and that walleye was also that size how does that happen ? And another time this fish was a monster I was ready to shut down the motor and then I felt I lost it as I was bringing the line in I still felt something there and what happened was the person who lost his rod. And reel was running 2 lines s off a jet diver and the line with the huge fish and rod broke off lol it felt like like 20 lb plus I can almost tell you that I have had 15 pound plus walleye that simply were to smart and to strong to bring in while fishing at night and mostly in the fall I got a spot in which it’s a water discharge that draws in the bait fish you can only imagine how many walleye I can catch offshore on. The fall if you ever want to get together let me know but lips have to be tight are we would never get to be comfortable again I was going to mention this going back to that 15 pound walleye after fishing for so many years I am really about breaking records for example my biggest Rainbow trout was a solid 17 pounds walleye 15 and small mouth bass 8 lbs you know the thought had cross my mind that day I could of easily stuffed a 3 pound walleye down the throat of that 15 pounder and no one would of ever knew what I did but after a few minutes of that thought I said to my self it would be a lie and to take away that gentleman s record of 16.9 caught on a perch rig was just incredible stuff of skill and luck 😋and to just recently see those jerks stuffing weights inside the fish was just so crazy here is what gets me I been doing this so long I rarely used a scale to know how big a fish is and the rule of a ten pound fish no matter what with a few exceptions is almost always going to be 30 inches sorry for the very long and maybe not perfect grammar at work lol
would love to hear about crappie in Lake Erie, and would love to hear about any partnerships with the Canadian side where I am. I am afraid that our fisheries people are ineffective or not putting anglers' interests to the forefront.
Great question. I do know that the crappie population is healthy in the Niagara River tributary’s, coves and marinas. We held a crappie tournament here a while back and the average size was huge. I believe they go unmolested for the most part. I’ll reach out to Jason and see what he has to say about working with Canadian fisheries department. He did talk to me about the commercial fishing that Canada does and that it’s the only one of that’s active on Lake Erie. Thanks again for watching
Hey. Thanks for the great question. I have not checked on any research on the maumee as I’m not far from buffalo and the river is about 200 miles west of here. If possible, l’ll try and set up an interview with sea grant or the Ohio DNR and see what they have to say about the walleye activity in the maumee!
Better add Alewives to your walleye diet chart. IYKYK, of the over 1000 fish I cleaned this year 80% were full of Alewives. The smelt are pretty much gone, gobies are a shallow water food source. Alewives are what the fish are eating, spoons are producing just as many walleyes as cranks and mountains of big steelhead. Alewive populations have exploded exponentially in the last 8 months. People don’t have a clue.
That’s a great question. Looks like they have different creel limits for different licenses. I’ll check and see what else I can find out. www.ontario.ca/page/fishing-limits-size-restrictions-and-catch-and-release
I think they should be protecting to spawn on the maumee a little bit more im not saying it should be cut off completely . Mainly because that is alot of guys only chance to get out and catch a trophy walleye . But it should be limited . for about 2 months straight the river is lined shoulder to shoulder and the single hook and no night fishing just dosnet cut it
I asked that question and Jason’s response is from some natural reproduction as no one is stocking them any more. As far as the steelhead population, he said that it comes mostly from stocking in PA waters but a reduction will be occurring in the next couple of years. Hopefully one of the other Lake Erie states will pick up it from there.
I was a home health professional that was the mother of the gentleman that kept the only Blue walleye in his freezer when she told me this it was hard to believe and to find out it was always true I been fishing LakeErie since I was. Six my late grandfather told me of the days of the blue pike incredible I thought maybe I was cheated out but now just recently found out they had the same DNA .
That’s a great story. In fact we talked about that fish on the original video but had to cut it out due to time constraints. I was told it was tested and proved it was a walleye and not a different species. Appreciate the amazing feedback.
Great information, Jim. Thanks for doing this.
Glad it was helpful! Appreciate you watching. Hopefully more like this will be showing up soon.
Thank you my American brother for stocking lake Erie, many hours of joy and relaxation.
Thanks. Really appreciate the kind words. More information videos on the way.
I have fished walleye for 60+ years and love it. In Erie, Mi.
It’s an amazing body of water. What was your best walleye day on Erie?
Outstanding information on resident fish
Thanks. That was a huge surprise! Jason is a wealth of information
Great info. Although Chautauqua is typically my home port, and would love the same study on that lake, I did fish Erie and the St. Lawrence this year. The river fish are a bit more challenging to find and catch, but they fight right to the boat. That doesn’t happen as frequently on the lakes and I attribute that to the constant current of the river. Another observation is that what techniques and lures are working on Erie, many times do not work on Chautauqua. Keep the info coming Jim!
Thanks for the great feedback Dave. Really appreciate it.
That was entertaining..... Would've loved to have heard some Intel on the Steelhead population in the lake
Really appreciate that. That interview will be coming up on this channel as soon as we can set it up. Thanks for watching
Wow, amazing video. Thanks so much for this.
Most welcome. Truly appreciate the great support and feedback!
what an awesome video Captain JIm. its so detailed. thanks for putting it on youtube.
Glad you liked it. Hope to do another soon.
@@JimHanleyfishing i hope so. what will you be doing it on?
A lot of people are asking about steelhead, bass and even crappie. I’ll check with Jason from the DEC and see what he thinks.
@@JimHanleyfishing that sounds great. i look forward to watching it.
Thanks again for watching
Excellent info, thanks captain!
Thanks brother. Appreciate that
Good information James
Thanks marine!
Great question on blue pike … just caught a beauty blue in front of Dunkirk couple weeks ago!
Thanks. Appreciate the feedback.
Do you have a photo ? We've seen a couple on the Canadian side (mostly Central Basin), and quite a few hybrids -white spot on tail and an aquamarine blue coloring on their cheeks that is in the flesh, not 'wipeable' like fish from northern lakes. I'm collecting pics on behalf of a Prof. at a University here that has a keen interest in this phenomena
@odochartaighofodonegal9815 I’ll ask Jason if he has another one. There is a pix of a blue tinted one next to a yellow at the 6:54 mark. Thanks for the feedback.
Great Information !! Thank You !!
Thanks for the great feedback. Appreciate it
Love you daddio!
Love you Zeke baby.
They did over 1,100 genetics tests and they are/were the SAME fish, just different features, same as humans ( skin color, eye color, height..). The distinguishing feature of the blue pike/walleye were it's over-sized eyes that sat slighter higher up on the side of their heads and were closer to the tip of their 'nose'. They also reached maybe 4 lb and 22/23" long. Have been in contact with a Professor here in Ontario to whom photos of the 'blues' and many more 'hybrids' were sent- he has an 'interest' in the matter. Erie could be undergoing spectacular change in this regard as we speak.
Awesome information. Thanks for sharing and watching.
Great info!
Thanks Rob!
Very informative. Thanks for doing the interview. Buy what another Steelhead population? We’ve been having great runs of fish coming into the tribs on Lake Erie.
Thanks. Really appreciate that. He did say that the steelies we catch in NY mostly come from the stocking PA does. He did say that they are going to be cutting it in half in 26. Hopefully NY will pick up the slack. Appreciate you watching.
Thank you for the video! Curious to yours and Jason’s thoughts on the seasonal patterns of the walleye in Lake Erie. You hear comments like they are cool water fish and like 60-65 degree water but then other people say they like warm water and that’s why you can still find them relatively shallow in the summer months but they aren’t fished much because everyone is going deep. So curious to thoughts on this and through the seasons (spring is spawn around 45-50 degree water temps through summer (do they want that cooler water and why you find them so deep) through the fall (at what temp do they say okay it’s time to move back in shallow and those bigger walleyes start to move back west if not resident)
Those are great questions and I’ll pass them along to Jason for his response. I’ll respond with my thoughts asap. Appreciate you watching.
My theory for why, in the last decade, we started seeing lakewide recruitment lies with the zebra mussels. My theory is the mussels have encrusted shallow waters and created a suitable substrate for the local walleye populations to use. I believe over time, areas in the shallows outside traditional spawning areas have become encrusted in zebra mussels and the walleye have adapted and started spawning in these zebra mussel colonies. Further, I believe the reproduction process for the mussels contributes to the phytoplankton layer at just the right time with their zygotes being in the water column at an opportunistic time to be food for the young of the year walleye. I'm no biologist, but it's a fact that good recruitment requires a suitable substrate to spawn on followed by abundant food source which for walleye is phytoplankton. One of both of those required resources has received some sort of boost in recent years it seems. The Ohio DNR believes it might be higher water levels. When I was a kid, the grown-ups complained that the beaches on the lake were gone due to rising water and the 80's when this was taking place also had huge walleye populations, so maybe it's as simple as that! The recent walleye population started exploding on my third year fishing for walleye as an adult, so I know how tough it was prior to this population explosion. I love it!
Wow. That’s some impressive thinking. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least and makes perfect sense. The infestation of both zebras and goby’s was originally thought to be the end of the Great Lakes as we know them but good ole Mother Nature took over and fooled us once again. Thanks for the great head up and feedback.
Great video! Thank you
You are welcome! Thanks for the feedback.
My deepest walleye come off a rigger this year on bottom in 140 feet of water.
Wow. Thats super deep. Thanks for the info.
One day, i will make erie. It's hard to do with saginaw bay in my backyard.
I’ve been there and agree it’s a great plaice to catch walleye. Appreciate the feedback.
What is the best way to catch walleye from land and Cleveland Ohio. During the fall season.
I LOVE SEEING HOW FISHING HAS CHANGED FOR THE BETTER.
Hey. Thats a great question that I don’t have an answer for. I live near Buffalo so Cleveland is about 175 miles west of here. If I were you, I’d join some of the facebook walleye groups and pose that question on them. There are several groups that are for Ohio walleye anglers. Thanks for watching.
@NyrusThomas 💯. Thanks for watching
It’s been a incredible 6 years now I been trolling for walleye now since 91 i just caught 4 the other night casting gold and black Raplias in 6 foot of water of shore as soon as as sun goes down my biggest walleye was 15 pounds with a 14 pounder and many 11 pounder caught
Wow. That’s amazing. Big fish like that are rare so you must be amazing at fishing. Thanks for watching.
@@JimHanleyfishing that 15 pound walleye broke the net in half the only reason I was able to to get her in the net was it was a calmer day on Lake Erie 2 footer s during my drinking days and playing poker half the night me and my partner that day accidentally ran close to a 330 feet of wire line that must of just been closed to the bottom and I also remember we were close to the end of are night crawlers so I only had a small piece left on my worm harness when the net broke the holes on my net got caught on the trolling Bar that has a 2 inch nipple to be able to adjust the length a few times now I have caught other people s rod and reel s as a fact I am still using one to this day it still had the sticker on the rod it was a Great Lakes reel with a 9.9 Dawai rod o still remember it big Dipsey set at 1.5 setting with a junior thunder stick it was a very slow calm day I only had 3 in the box and they were smaller walleye 18 maybe 20 inches and that walleye was also that size how does that happen ? And another time this fish was a monster I was ready to shut down the motor and then I felt I lost it as I was bringing the line in I still felt something there and what happened was the person who lost his rod. And reel was running 2 lines s off a jet diver and the line with the huge fish and rod broke off lol it felt like like 20 lb plus I can almost tell you that I have had 15 pound plus walleye that simply were to smart and to strong to bring in while fishing at night and mostly in the fall I got a spot in which it’s a water discharge that draws in the bait fish you can only imagine how many walleye I can catch offshore on. The fall if you ever want to get together let me know but lips have to be tight are we would never get to be comfortable again I was going to mention this going back to that 15 pound walleye after fishing for so many years I am really about breaking records for example my biggest Rainbow trout was a solid 17 pounds walleye 15 and small mouth bass 8 lbs you know the thought had cross my mind that day I could of easily stuffed a 3 pound walleye down the throat of that 15 pounder and no one would of ever knew what I did but after a few minutes of that thought I said to my self it would be a lie and to take away that gentleman s record of 16.9 caught on a perch rig was just incredible stuff of skill and luck 😋and to just recently see those jerks stuffing weights inside the fish was just so crazy here is what gets me I been doing this so long I rarely used a scale to know how big a fish is and the rule of a ten pound fish no matter what with a few exceptions is almost always going to be 30 inches sorry for the very long and maybe not perfect grammar at work lol
@ChrissyEis wow! That’s a great recovery in putting that big fish in the net. Thanks
Damn. Bullshits deep.
would love to hear about crappie in Lake Erie, and would love to hear about any partnerships with the Canadian side where I am. I am afraid that our fisheries people are ineffective or not putting anglers' interests to the forefront.
Great question. I do know that the crappie population is healthy in the Niagara River tributary’s, coves and marinas. We held a crappie tournament here a while back and the average size was huge. I believe they go unmolested for the most part. I’ll reach out to Jason and see what he has to say about working with Canadian fisheries department. He did talk to me about the commercial fishing that Canada does and that it’s the only one of that’s active on Lake Erie. Thanks again for watching
@@JimHanleyfishing thanks so much for the response! Great channel!
@theastuteangler appreciate that so much!
Barcelona Harbor is by far the most productive harbor in NY water. Round Gobies are the number one forage in fish under 30 feet of water.
It’s a good one!
Have you ever looked into the walleye in the Maumee River Ohio?
Hey. Thanks for the great question. I have not checked on any research on the maumee as I’m not far from buffalo and the river is about 200 miles west of here. If possible, l’ll try and set up an interview with sea grant or the Ohio DNR and see what they have to say about the walleye activity in the maumee!
Better add Alewives to your walleye diet chart. IYKYK, of the over 1000 fish I cleaned this year 80% were full of Alewives. The smelt are pretty much gone, gobies are a shallow water food source.
Alewives are what the fish are eating, spoons are producing just as many walleyes as cranks and mountains of big steelhead.
Alewive populations have exploded exponentially in the last 8 months. People don’t have a clue.
That’s great info. I’ll pass that along to the DEC. Thanks
What is the SIZE/ SEASON and BAG LIMIT in Canadian Waters??
That’s a great question. Looks like they have different creel limits for different licenses. I’ll check and see what else I can find out. www.ontario.ca/page/fishing-limits-size-restrictions-and-catch-and-release
From my Canadian friend. 6 with a sport fishing licence and two rods per person on Ontario waters on Lake Erie and 2 with a conservation license.
How many fish are tagged that are trackable. I have been asked many times and I have said I have no idea.
Great question. I’ll ask Jason and get back to you asap.
I think they should be protecting to spawn on the maumee a little bit more im not saying it should be cut off completely . Mainly because that is alot of guys only chance to get out and catch a trophy walleye . But it should be limited . for about 2 months straight the river is lined shoulder to shoulder and the single hook and no night fishing just dosnet cut it
I’ll pass your comments along to Jason and get his reaction. Appreciate your feedback.
I hate the lake map with no landmarks decent info thanks .
Thanks for watching. Appreciate it.
The real question, where are the king salmon coming from that are being caught in Lake Erie? How about the massive influx of 10-18 pound steelhead.
I asked that question and Jason’s response is from some natural reproduction as no one is stocking them any more. As far as the steelhead population, he said that it comes mostly from stocking in PA waters but a reduction will be occurring in the next couple of years. Hopefully one of the other Lake Erie states will pick up it from there.
Just as good in lake Huron all the way to the bridge
Thanks for the feedback. Was not aware of that
Blue and gold walleyes are the same fish, just like blue and gold lobsters.
Yes they are. Many will argue so that’s why it was part of the discussion. Back in the 50s and 60s it was thought to be a different species
Gobies are producing the biggest fish by far. Not even comparable.
I agree
I was a home health professional that was the mother of the gentleman that kept the only Blue walleye in his freezer when she told me this it was hard to believe and to find out it was always true I been fishing LakeErie since I was. Six my late grandfather told me of the days of the blue pike incredible I thought maybe I was cheated out but now just recently found out they had the same DNA .
That’s a great story. In fact we talked about that fish on the original video but had to cut it out due to time constraints. I was told it was tested and proved it was a walleye and not a different species. Appreciate the amazing feedback.