The first Saturday in May started the opening of walleye season in New York State and we here in Western New York are extremely lucky to have the best walleye lake in the country a little more than an hour’s drive away. Not one of the best … THE BEST.
In 2018, the walleye population was estimated at better than 41 million fish lake wide. The population now is estimated at 45 million fish aged two years and older. Overall, 188,701 walleyes were caught last year. A total of 123,503 were harvested, breaking a record for the second year in a row. This is not counting the large number of walleyes caught and released that were short of the 15-inch minimum size.
“Walleye fishing quality in New York waters has been at record levels for the past two years with 2018 being the highest catch rate in the 31-year creel survey,” said Dr. Jason Robinson, the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Lake Erie Unit Leader. “The walleye catch rate in 2018 was 0.74 fish per angler hour. To put that in perspective, the 31-year average catch rate is 0.2 per hour, so we are talking about a catch rate that is over 3.5 times higher than average.” We here in the eastern basin of the lake, the waters off New York’s shoreline have had some excellent spawning success in 2010, 2012 and 2016. Recent netting surveys show that 2017 could be another great year class. Combine that with western basin explosions in 2015 and 2018, and you can see the possibilities for the future here in the Eastern Basin of Lake Erie are off the charts. “It’s an exciting time to be a walleye angler or biologist on Lake Erie. Walleye fishing is the best we’ve ever seen,” says Robinson.
A couple of years ago I fished out of Safe Boat Harbor with Charter Captain Joe Fonzi of “Thumbs Up Guide Service.” Joe is one of the most experienced guides on the eastern basin of Lake Erie, having chartered clients there for over thirty years. Fonzi fishes Erie close to 200 days each year and I believe knows the eastern end of the lake better than anyone. Joe says, “The best walleye fishing here in the Eastern Basin starts in mid-June. I suggest launching at Safe Boat Harbor in Buffalo and traveling west a short ride until you see the large windmill farm on shore. You will notice other boats fishing there.” He recommends slow trolling heavy two- to three-ounce bottom bouncers with worm harnesses in 30 to 40 feet of water that time of year.
Lake Erie is unique in that it has local walleyes and a migratory population of walleyes. These migrant fish run larger than the locals and swim great distances from the Western Basin of Ohio to New York’s Eastern Basin and then back again throughout the course of the summer following the bait fish. These are for the most part suspended walleyes and hard to catch in any other technique other than trolling to have success.
If you don’t have a boat or just want to learn the lake before you pull your boat there, call Joe Fonzi. You can reach Joe at 716-998-8373 or email at Captjoe fon@aol.com. You will fish out of Joe’s beautiful 2016 Ranger 621FS. Joe will work hard to put you on fish, he had us on the water by 7:30 a.m. and we didn’t come off until 5 p.m. Fonzi also can put you on some huge catches of perch in the spring and fall.
If you decide to give it a try on your own, the first thing you need is a Hot Spots chart. These lake charts are worth their weight in gold. They show all the best shoals, reefs and drop-offs to fish and these maps will also give you the best techniques to use when fishing those spots. Most bait shops have Hot Spot maps available, or you can order them on http://www.fishinghotspots.com/. There is also an Erie Hot line, 716-855-3474, that will give you current fish locations and is updated weekly. The huge boat launch parking lot at Safe Boat Harbor in Buffalo is an easy drive down the Thruway.
Be aware that Lake Erie can often be in a bad mood. The geographical position of Lake Erie sits more to the southwest than Lake Ontario and I’ve seen days when Ontario was calm, and Erie had three-foot waves. So, don’t make the run if the winds are over 10 knots from the west, southwest or northwest unless you have at least a 20-foot boat. There is a great buoy website that will show you current wind directions and wave heights on Erie, https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=45142. Check this buoy web site along with your marine forecast before you make the run and you will be fine. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/zone/gtlakes/bufmz.htm
The “Best Walleye Lake in the Country” is calling you. Go to her and harvest her bounty. If the weather is right and she welcomes you … you will fall in love with her.
It’s great to be an angler in Western New York … especially a walleye angler.
