Lake Erie anglers fishing in Pennsylvania waters will be allowed 30 yellow perch and six walleye per day for 2012. On April 20, 2012, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) released its 2012 Lake Erie yellow perch creel limits.

Earlier in 2012, PFBC adopted new regulations establishing adaptive creel limits for walleye and yellow perch based on the annual quotas established by the Lake Erie Committee, which consists of fisheries managers from Pa., Ohio, N.Y., Mich., and Ontario, Canada.

A recent assessment showed that both yellow perch and walleye populations remain stable. Based on this, the creel limits are being held at the 2011 limits.

source:  PFBC

Management of Lake Erie's walleye and yellow perch fisheries has undergone several important changes in recent years. The Lake Erie Percid Management Advisory Group (LEPMAG) was established by the Lake Erie Committee in 2010.

The group facilitates discussions among state and provincial management agencies on Lake Erie and stakeholders and provides input to the Lake Erie Committee concerning management of the region's walleye and yellow perch stocks.

LEPMAG participants include Lake Erie Committee members, biologists, recreational and commercial fishers, and personnel from the Quantitative Fisheries Center at Michigan State University.

Each year, the Lake Erie Committee recommends a total allowable catch for walleye and yellow perch. Total allowable catch represents the number or weight of fish that can be caught by sport and commercial fishers without putting the stocks and fisheries at risk. The individual agencies implement the recommended total allowable catch.

The Lake Erie Committee comprises fishery managers from Michigan, New York, Ohio, Ontario and Pennsylvania. The committee’s work is facilitated by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, a Canadian and U.S. agency on the Great Lakes.

For more information, visit the Lake Erie Committee online at www.glfc.org/lec

source: Lake Erie Committee

In 2011, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency established a walleye stocking program in Watts Bar Reservoir, releasing over 220,000 fingerlings in the lake.

According to the agency, the decision to replace the sauger stocking program with walleye is based on reoccurring issues with the sauger's low natural reproduction, challenging hatchery propagation, and the management of the sauger as a sportfish.

A TRWA official explained that: "Walleye, on average, live longer than sauger. They obtain a larger size, more conducive to year around fishing. The brood fish are less of a challenge to obtain, and walleye require fewer man hours to produce in TWRA hatcheries."

Walleye and sauger have several parallel characteristics and are closely related. Both migrate up rivers to spawn, share similar feeding patterns, and are good night feeders because of they have a light reflective coating located behind the eye. Both fish are highly sought after as table fare by anglers.

source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Types of Walleye Live Bait Rigs

Anglers employ a variety of worm rigs and other and live bait rigs for catching walleye. Most worm rigs are variations of the basic carolina style live bait rig which features a weight above a swivel, followed by a trailing leader armed with one or more hooks.

These same rigs also catch a variety of other species such as sauger, lake trout, pike, musky, black bass, white bass and other freshwater fish.

Leader lengths for walleye worm rigs and other live bait rigs often varies among anglers. Shorter leaders tend to tangle less, while longer leaders are used when fish appear to be shy.

The following list outlines options for the various components used in making rigs for catching walleye.

Weights

slip sinkers
inline sinkers
keel weights (available in fish hologram)

Spinner Blades

metallic
painted - coated
holographic

Spacers

beads
floats
hologram spacers

Hooks

single snelled (live minnows)
double snelled (live nightcrawlers)

Walleye Live Baits

nightcrawlers
live minnows


Artificial Lures

plastic worms
slugs
shad bodies
scented - processed baits


Fishing Techniques

Worm rigs and other live bait rigs are effective when slowly worked along the bottom in areas where walleye are found. Maintaining close contact with the bottom is essential. Although anglers often fish for walleye during the day, many specialists feel that the best fishing occurs during low light periods, with productive fishing often going into the night time hours.