Turner said that anglers can expect to average about one fish per hour, with the possibility of four or more when conditions are favorable.

"There are some 9-pound-plus fish out there," Turner noted.

Most smallmouths caught on Lake Erie will continue to range in size from 2 to 4 pounds with 5-pound fish being fairly common.

Most fisheries biologists agree that if anglers adhere to the no-keep springtime regulations, more smallmouths will grow into the 6- to 9-pound class.

WALLEYES
"This year, expect a lot of eating- size walleyes," Turner said. "Lake Erie's 2006 walleye fishing will be dominated by the 2003 year hatch, and there are a lot of them." Last year's rapidly rising water temperatures put a chill on Lake Erie walleye fishing.

"Despite last year's heat wave, angler success rates have stayed pretty consistent at 0.3 fish per hour," Turner noted. "Barring a repeat of record high temperatures this spring, anglers can expect an abundant walleye harvest. The 2003 hatch was a near record. Most of those fish reached legal size (15 inches) by fall and should be keepers this year."

Turner added that anglers will have good numbers of fish to catch from the year-classes of 2001 (19 to 23 inches) and 1999 (21 to 26 inches), but most will be from the 2003 year-class.

Trophy fish will come from earlier hatchings, providing fish up to 28 inches and over. The ODOW considers walleye 28 inches or more to be trophy fish, and anglers lucky enough to catch one will receive a Fish Ohio certificate from them. You will find the forms and information online at www.dnr.ohio.us wildlife.

Turner also noted that Lake Erie's hatching successes seem to come in two-year cycles: "Every other year we have a good hatch," he said. "Though 2003 was a great hatch, 2004 was average and 2005 was nothing special.

"Wind direction is one of the biggest factors affecting walleye hatching success," Turner added. "A lot of strong northeastern winds can really hurt the hatch."

Anglers wishing to chase walleyes this spring should concentrate on the western basin early in the season, moving east as temperatures rise and the walleyes migrate back toward the central basin.

Early-season walleye anglers can also do well from or near the shorelines because spring-run walleyes tend to congregate in the warmer, shallower waters. The Toledo shipping channel, Maumee Bay, and many of the islands in the western basin continue to be major travel routes for walleye in spring.

The most productive methods of pursuing walleyes on Lake Erie are drift-fishing crawler harnesses and weight-forward spinners, or trolling with spoons and crawler harnesses using diving planers or in-line weights. On calm days with no drift, casting harnesses and weight-forward lures can also put you into some great action.