Take Route 24 West to Fallen Timbers Lane and follow it south. The road will make a loop eastward and then north. After the north turn in the road, look for Jerome Road on the right and follow it to West River Road. Turn left into Fallen Timbers State Park. Fishermen need only continue along West River Road to reach Side Cut Metro-Park.

Anglers traveling south may come in along U.S. Route 23 before following the above directions. From the south, traveling north, you can best come in along Interstate Route 75. Take the Route 475 bypass south of Perrysburg to U.S. Route 24.

Boat launches are also available in Perrysburg at the foot of Maple Street, and also at Orleans Park.

Fremont along the Sandusky River is another of Tyson’s picks for spring walleyes. “Downtown Fremont is a great place to catch spawning walleyes,” he said.

From Brady’s Island to the Rodger Young Memorial Park are traditional hotspots for spring walleyes here. The area south of Rodger Young Park to the Ballville Dam is closed to fishing, which makes Rodger Young the southernmost spot along the Sandusky River to fish for spawning walleye.

Anglers can find the Rodger Young Memorial Park from U.S. Route 20. Be sure to stay on the business route (also called West State Street) instead of the bypass route around Fremont. Off U.S. Route 20 (West State Street), anglers should take South Front Street one mile to Rodger Young Park. The park has a variety of amenities as well as restroom facilities.

Anglers can find free boat launch facilities off U.S. Route 20 by using North Front Street.

Take North Front Street to North Street, also called township Highway 525. Turn east onto North Street and take it to Sand Street. Turn right and follow it to the launch.

When you’re fishing these tributaries for walleyes, there are a couple of points to remember:

One, because of the density of fish on the spawning beds, foul-hooking is often not only possible but actually probable. Anglers should be aware that a foul-hooked fish is not legally caught and must be returned, unharmed, to the water as quickly as possible.

Also, anglers should know that from March 1 to May 1, the following regulations are in effect on the Sandusky and Maumee Rivers:

• No fishing with a line with more than a single hook. The line may not have a hook larger than one-half inch from shank to point, or a lure with more than a single hook larger than one-half inch from shank to point

• Treble hooks are prohibited.

Jigs tipped with grubs or Mister Twisters are the preferred springtime lures on both the Sandusky and Maumee rivers. Most anglers lean heavily toward white, green and chartreuse as the best colors.

Last year, I personally saw more Fish Ohio qualifiers and 30-inch fish than I have in the

previous four years combined!

Sizes and weights are determined by line weight and the river’s rate of flow, but a 1/2-ounce jig on 10-pound-test line is usually sufficient.