The face of Michigan walleye fishing is changing. The reason and results are complicated. The once prolific Lake Erie walleye fishery has taken a hit in recent years and major changes are on the horizon. Saginaw Bay’s fishery is booming. Multiple years of outstanding natural reproduction has The Bay overflowing with walleyes and the bounty is fueling fisheries as far away as Alpena’s Thunder Bay and beyond. West Michigan’s drowned river mouths are becoming increasingly consistent trophy fisheries and are benefiting from plants being made in the lakes. Inland lakes are suffering. Most are becoming increasingly sterile, less productive and more dependent on inconsistent years of natural reproduction.

But all is not gloom and doom. Even though Lake Erie’s walleye numbers are way down, there are still more than 15 million walleyes in the lake. If you’re willing to travel to Saginaw Bay, you won’t find a better walleye fishery in the country. Many inland lakes, while not brimming with walleyes, still can provide consistent fishing and many Great Lakes destinations provide the opportunity to catch a real trophy.

LAKE ERIE
“Walleye numbers on Lake Erie are the lowest they’ve been in a while,” said Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment fisheries biologist Gary Towns. “Basically, we had a population of 60 million 13-inch-plus walleyes in the lake in 2005. That number has declined to about 15.5 million walleyes in 2011. That’s a 75 percent decline. The reason can be traced to a failure of year-classes. Only one good year-class every three years can sustain a fishery, but we haven’t had that. The last good year-class on Lake Erie was in 2003. Since then, we’ve had total failures or minor year-classes and the fishery has suffered.”

Towns pointed out that timing is critical with regard to walleye reproduction on Lake Erie because a good portion of the fish use offshore reefs for spawning.

“When these offshore reefs are subjected to wind, rain and storms in April when the fish are spawning, it doesn’t make for successful spawning conditions,” claimed Towns.

Towns said the muddy, riled waters also don’t bode well for fry coming down the Maumee River, where 80 percent of the walleyes in Lake Erie originate. “The lion’s share of the walleyes in Lake Erie come out of the Maumee River,” he said. “The Sandusky River is a lesser contributor because of dams that block upstream movement, but planned removal of those dams may help contributions from natural reproduction in the future.”

Lake Erie’s Western Basin walleye harvest is regulated via a quota system between the bordering states and Ontario. Based on surface area, Michigan is allotted 6 percent of the total allowable harvest.

Even with the depressed number of walleyes in the lake, Lake Erie can be expected to produce some good fishing for Michigan anglers. “There appears to have been a least an average hatch in Ohio and Ontario waters in 2007, which might help this year,” said Towns. “Those fish were 16 to 18 inches last year and should be 18 to 22 inches this year, and there will be a fair number of 26-inch-plus fish from the 2003 year-class.”

Fishing in the Michigan waters of Lake Erie gets hot in April and early May and remains good as long as the walleyes stay in Michigan waters, which is usually until early July. The walleyes migrate east to deeper, cooler waters in Ohio then. During a typical year, anglers harvest about 100,000 walleyes between Lake Erie and the Detroit River.

According to Lake Erie Charter Skipper Ron Levitan, the best fishing on Lake Erie occurs when there’s a south or west wind. “When you get strong north winds it blows a lot of weeds from the Detroit River down into the lake,” Levitan said, “Then you have no choice but to head east.”

Early in the season, stickbaits are the preferred bait for trolling on Lake Erie when the fish are in 12 to 18 feet of water. Junior ThunderSticks, Reef Runners and Rapala’s Tail Dancer 30-Plus are good choices then. Traditional Lake Erie lures, like Hot-N-Tots and Wiggle Warts, produce too. Some time in late May or early June, the fish start showing a definite preference for spoons. Levitan said that spoons are easier to fish, they really don’t need to be tuned, and it’s easier to keep them deep. Favorites include Wolverine Tackle’s Junior Streak and Warrior’s walleye spoons in a myriad of gaudy and metallic colors designed to catch fish.

Anglers who trailer their own boats will find good launch facilities in LaPlaisance Bay at Luna Pier, Otter Creek and Bolles Harbor. In Brest Bay, you can launch at the Raisin River in Monroe, Sterling State Park and Detroit Beach. Contact the Monroe County Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-252-3011; or go online at www.thebureau@monroe.com for information on amenities and accommodations in the area. To book a charter with Captain Ron Levitan, contact him at (248) 684-4237; or online at www.passintime.com.

DETROIT RIVER
While the majority of Lake Erie’s walleyes spawn on the lake’s reefs or in the Maumee River, a good percentage spawn in the Detroit River. When Lake Erie’s walleye population was 60 million, it was estimated that as many as 10 million of those fish spawned in the Detroit River. Now that Lake Erie’s population is down to 15 million, it’s logical to think that the number entering the Detroit is probably reduced to 2.5 million or so. The peak harvest of 100,000 is probably closer to 25,000 fish now. Still, the chance to catch a limit of walleyes and a potential trophy is very real in the Detroit River.

“The Detroit River produces a lot of viable walleye eggs,” claimed Gary Towns. “The question is how much do they contribute to the overall reproductive scheme of things.” In the past, it was thought that the walleyes in the Detroit River were strictly from Lake Erie, but studies have shown that walleyes from Lake St. Clair and even Saginaw Bay can be found in the river, and it has its own increasing population of resident walleyes.

The Detroit River is a major waterway and fishing success can vary within the system. Last year was a perfect example. “I talked to several old timers who said it was the best fishing in 50 years in the middle portion of the river,” claimed friend Jim Balzer. “Fishing in the Wyandotte area last spring was just incredible. Not only did we catch lots of walleyes, but the size also was very good. I personally released more than 20 fish over 8 pounds and caught two over 10 pounds.”

Balzer said that conditions were very consistent, the weather was pe
rfect and he caught a limit nearly every trip. Fishing was not as good last spring in the lower part of the river in the popular Trenton Channel.

Migratory walleyes typically begin entering the Detroit River in late March and their numbers peak in April and May. The critical temperature that triggers the run is 40 to 42 degrees. It’s then that the walleyes begin spawning in earnest. The big females are the first to enter the river followed by aggressive males. 40- to 50-fish days were not uncommon just a few years ago, but fishing is much tougher now, although catching a limit is still not too difficult.

Anglers use bow-mounted trolling motors to slip the current to keep their lines vertical. Bites can be very subtle and hard to detect. A sensitive rod and superline is almost an essential. Leadhead jigs in a rainbow of colors ranging from 1/4 ounce to 3/8 ounce are the preferred bait adorned with plastic, minnows or both.

Two boat-launch facilities are available on the lower river at the city-run Elizabeth Park in Trenton and Erie Metro Park in Rockwood. Farther upstream, anglers will find good facilities at the mouth of the Ecorse River in Wyandotte and at Ballenger Park near the Ambassador Bridge. For more information, call the Metropolitan Detroit Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-DETROIT, or go online to www.visitdetroit.com.