The Buckeye State is well known for its successful saugeye stocking program, but Ohio also boasts several excellent walleye waters in a variety of venues. These various settings accommodate both shore-anglers and boat anglers.

MOSQUITO LAKE
Trumbull County's Mosquito Lake is now considered the top inland walleye lake in Ohio. Heavy stockings of walleye fry by the Ohio Division of Wildlife (over 11 million fry were stocked in the lake in 2003) have taken hold recently, resulting in outstanding fishing. Officials last spring estimated the lake's population of adult walleyes (13 inches and greater) at approximately 140,000 fish.

Covering over 6,000 surface-acres, Mosquito Lake is a significant body of water. It is shallow and turbid, and thus warms quickly after ice-out. Though good walleye fishing is enjoyed into the early-summer months, savvy anglers cash in right after ice- out, which fluctuates from year to year depending on the severity of the winter.

Walleyes will move into the shallows to spawn quickly after ice-out. Generally recognized early-season hotspots include windswept shallow humps, points and flats covered in gravel. These areas provide the necessary habitat for spawning walleyes. Current flows also collect fish. The Route 88 causeway, which bisects the lake, can be a fish magnet, particularly near the bridge opening.

A fishing pier on the causeway is popular among shore-anglers. Pay attention to water temperatures, as gizzard shad, the walleye's primary food source in this lake, gravitate to the warmer shallows this time of year.

Wading is popular at Mosquito during the early spring. Whether you're wading or fishing from a boat, late evening is often when the feeding bonanza begins. Anglers rely heavily on jig-'n'-minnow combinations and minnow baits of the Rapala style to reap the rewards of this witching-hour bite.

Boat anglers often fare well during the day -- prior to the evening action -- by drifting deeper waters adjacent to the shallows, areas where the fish stage. Several boat access areas are located around Mosquito Lake. The ODOW provides a launch south of the causeway on the eastern shore. A private launch is across Route 88 in Mecca. It has excellent loading piers, good parking and can be used for a nominal charge. Another good access can be found in the southern portion of the lake at Mosquito Lake State Park. Several other ramps are scattered around the lake.

Mosquito Lake has no horsepower limits, though cruising speeds are posted near shore.

PYMATUNING LAKE
Pymatuning Lake has evolved into more of a quality-oriented lake. While you shouldn't expect to catch big numbers of walleyes from this massive Ashtabula County lake this spring, the fish you do catch should be good ones.

For years, Pymatuning's reputation was indeed that of a numbers lake, one at which fish in the 15-inch minimum-length range were easily caught, but the past few seasons have witnessed a shift in the dynamics of the walleye population. Poor conditions during the spring have negatively affected fry stockings and natural reproduction. Another factor has been an explosion in the alewife shad population.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission plays a major role in the management of this border water. According to Craig Billingsley, area fisheries manager for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, alewives influence walleye numbers on at least two levels. First, they consume plankton, which, providing much-needed food and cover, plays an essential role in the survival of young walleyes. Second, alewives feed heavily on young-of-the-year walleyes. Billingsley reports that the PFBC stocked 21 million fry last spring.

Alewives' impact on the Pymatuning walleye fishery may persist for some years to come, but anglers willing to change their techniques can enjoy good fishing for quality-sized fish right now. Surveys conducted by the PFBC last spring showed that the lake contained good numbers of fish in the 5-year age-class and older. Last year, fish in the 20- to 23-inch range were reported.

The early-season focus at Pymatuning is on the shallow points and humps that collect spawning fish. Walleyes may still be caught in these areas during the first few weeks after ice-out, though the bite usually runs from twilight into the first few hours of darkness. Successful anglers spend more time fishing deeper areas of the lake, even during the early season. Trolling setups that incorporate leadcore line or inline sinker systems to present crankbaits take good numbers of quality-sized fish.

Excellent launch facilities on the Ohio portion of Pymatuning can be found south of the Route 85 causeway below the swimming beach. There is a 10-hp motor limit on the lake and a six-fish (minimum length: 15 inches) creel limit.