Ken Perrotte of Virginia and Mike Joyner of central New York joined forces to fish Lake Erie for summer walleye. They went home very happy with plenty of vacuum-packed filets for future dinner plans. Photo by Forrest Fisher

If you are an angler who lives within access to the thriving fishery of the eastern basin of Lake Erie, you are a lucky fisherman. The lake is monitored and well managed, thanks to the hard work of many qualified professionals who work for the NYSDEC at the Lake Erie Fisheries Research Unit located on Point Gratiot in Dunkirk.

The LEFRU is responsible for research, assessment and management activities for Lake Erie, perhaps NYS’s largest, most diverse freshwater fishery. Annual monitoring programs include on-shore and off-shore sampling, Lake Erie tributary stream surveys, hundreds of boat launch angler interviews, and other survey and analysis work. Together, this work profiles a program designed to help everyone understand the Lake Erie fish community. Each year, the LEFRU summarizes its work to inform others about how the lake is managed and safeguarded as a valuable resource for current and future generations.

The LEFRU and Region 9 Fisheries office of Buffalo provided their annual Lake Erie and Upper Niagara River fishery update at a public meeting at Woodlawn Beach State Park in Blasdell last Wednesday evening. Attendees leave in awe of the presenter’s results of these meetings.

The program moderator was Jason Robinson, the LEFRU leader, who provided an overview of the evening seminar with introductions to Pascal Wilkins, a newly appointed aquatic biologist at LEFRU, and Christopher Driscoll, aquatic biologist for Buffalo Harbor and Niagara River from the NYSDEC office in Buffalo.

The presentation provided assessment news and available handouts regarding the walleye, smallmouth bass, steelhead, lake trout and yellow perch fisheries of Lake Erie, as well as identifying the relative strength and annual trends of multiple forage species. Walleye highlights include Lake Erie’s eastern basin walleye resource, consisting of adult walleye from local spawning stocks and substantial contributions from adult migrants from west basin spawning stocks. Walleye fishing quality in NYS waters has been at record levels for the past seven years, with 2018 representing the highest catch rate in the 36-year survey history. Recent increases in fishing quality are attributable to lake-wide spawning success over the past decade. Juvenile walleye surveys indicate exceptional local year classes in 2016 and 2017 and potentially unprecedented west basin spawning success in 2018 and 2019. The conclusion is that the adult walleye abundance and fishing quality in New York waters will remain high for the near future. The walleye fishery is very healthy.

Many anglers who fish the lake regularly find that the forage fish biomass charts highlight fishing lure sizes and colors that might work better from year to year. For example, in 2023, the smelt and alewife populations were dominant, while the emerald shiner and round goby numbers were minimal. Post-harvest studies showed that smelt dominated the walleye and lake trout diets in 2023. When the actual fish-cleaning data and trawl findings agree, this proves that our local fisheries scientists are doing an accurate job — hats off.

With smallmouth bass, the eastern basin of Lake Erie supports one of the finest fisheries in the country. Bass fishing quality in 2023 was above average for the 36-year survey, with increasing angler preference for catch-and-release. This preference has drastically reduced take-home harvest to only 1% of the overall catch. The result has been frequent encounters with trophy-sized bass for anglers.

Lake Erie yellow perch populations have experienced wide oscillations in abundance over the last 30 years. We can all remember the gloom and doom perch days of extreme lows in the mid-1990s to an extended recovery that has lasted almost two remarkable fishing decades. Perch fishing quality was above average in 2023, with the average length of yellow perch harvested in 2023 at 11.0 inches, the 10th highest in the 36-year survey. The above-average yellow perch year class in 2021 should begin contributing to the fishery in 2024. Several strong-year classes between ages 3-6 should result in above-average fishing in 2024.

NYS stocks approximately 142,500 steelhead and 50,000 domestic rainbow trout annually into the Lake Erie tributaries to provide angling opportunities. The combined steelhead and domestic rainbow stocking were below targets in 2023, with fewer fish going into Cattaraugus Creek. Stocking targets for steelhead were lowered in 2020 to accommodate alternative rearing techniques at the Salmon River Hatchery to improve stocked steelhead size. Significant increases in both size and weight were achieved, resulting in a more consistent stocking product. An angler survey conducted in 2021-22 found high catch rates (0.43 fish/hr.) that exceeded the Lake Erie Steelhead Management Plan goal of 0.33 fish/hr.

With lake trout, re-establishing a self-sustaining lake trout population in Lake Erie continues to be the primary goal of the LEFRU. Lake trout have been stocked since 1978, and the abundance of adult lake trout in New York waters has been relatively stable for the past seven years. Adult lake trout (age 5+) abundance remains high, with older fish (age 10+) comprising over 50% of the adult population. Wild lake trout fry was detected for the first time in 2021 and again in 2022 and 2023, and analysis of unmarked fish indicated a low level of wild fish in the adult population. Stocking and sea lamprey control efforts must be continued to build and maintain the adult population necessary to support natural reproduction. A new lake trout rehabilitation plan completed in 2021 focuses on detecting early life stages, the extent of spawning success, and habitat preferences.

Many more fishery details are available in the LEFRU 2024 report, now available online; visit https://dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/lkerieannreport.pdf. Robinson and his hard-working team accredit the contributions of seasonal staff essential to completing the ambitious field schedule each year. In 2023, these individuals included Fish and Wildlife technicians Adam Fridman, Jacob Crandall, Madison Miller and Brandon Powell. Contributions from the DEC Region 9 Fishery Office, Buffalo State College Great Lakes Center, Cornell University, SUNY Fredonia, the USGS Great Lakes Science Center and the USFWS Northeast Fisheries Center supported the annual LEFRU work program. Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration provides strong support for the annual report. The report is a resource document for other member agencies of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Lake Erie Committee, with many initiatives reported in support of long-term monitoring efforts that are updated each year.

CALENDAR

April 29: Chautauqua County Federation of Sportsmen annual banquet. Lakewood Rod and Gun, doors open at 5 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. Contact Zen Olow for info: 716-640-2776.

April 30: WNY Trout Unlimited, monthly meeting, fly tying 5 p.m., general meeting 6 p.m., Orvis Buffalo, 4545 Transit Road, Amherst. Seminar: trophy brook trout fishing

May 1-31: NYS spring turkey season

May 1: NYS fishing season opens for walleye, northern pike, pickerel and tiger musky (inland). Visit: https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations/statewide-season-sizes-catch-limits.

NOTE: Submit calendar items to forrestfisher35@yahoo.com.