Maumee River and Lake Erie Update Febuary 11- The New Fishing Licenses Are Available February 22-Regulations Listed Below

Maumee River Report:

LEVEL-583

TEMP- Ice free  37.5 degrees

Barometer: 29.83 inHg. rising

The Maumee is ice free at this time . A few early anglers have ventured out to test the waters but we have no reports of any fish caught.

The new 2017-18 Ohio fishing licenses will be available February 22 .

Maumee, Portage, & Sandusky Rivers

The following regulations are in effect from March 1 to April 30, 2017.

No fishing with more than a single hook. The line may not have a hook larger than 1/2 inch from shank to point, or lure having more than a single hook larger than 1/2 inch from shank to point. Double and treble hooks are prohibited. These regulations apply to the following areas:

• The Maumee River from Grand Rapids Providence dam to a line in the Maumee Bay from Little Cedar Point to Turtle Island;
• The Sandusky River from where the Toledo Edison power line crosses the river at the southeast corner of Rodger Young Park in Fremont to a line running 1/4 mile east and parallel to the full length of the Norfolk Southern railroad bridge in Sandusky Bay;
• The Portage River from State Route 19 to the dam at Elmore;

Fishing is allowed only from sunrise to sunset in the following areas:

• The Maumee River from the Ohio Turnpike bridge to the Old Waterville interurban bridge at the end of Forst Road in Wood County, and from the State Route 295 bridge to the Grand Rapids Providence dam;
• The Sandusky River from where the Toledo Edison power line crosses the river at the southeast corner of Rodger Young Park in Fremont to the northern tip of Brady’s Island;
• The Portage River from State Route 19 to the dam at Elmore;
• The Mahoning River from the dam at Berlin Reservoir to Lake Milton.

Walleye Run Information:

Whenever Lake Erie walleye enter rivers, they become river fish, behaving like river fish for the short duration of their visit .When in the river , current rules. Walleyes moving upstream follow current edges, ducking out of the flow whenever possible to minimize effort. At harbor mouths, fish tuck behind bridge pilings, and tight along riprap and pier edges, slipping upstream through small pockets and areas of reduced flow. At river bends, they drop down into the basins of holes where current becomes moderate , resting awhile until moving upstream again, dodging from boulder to log to eddy on their journey to spawning sites. Likely spawning areas feature broken rock swept by current, be they natural spots like rocky shorelines or shallow mid- river shoals; or man made areas like riprapped shorelines, bridge foundations or pier faces. During the peak of the spawning run, walleyes relating to shoal-pool combinations lie in the basins of pools during the day, moving shallow at night to spawn.

Lake Erie Report:

Surface Temp: 36 degrees inshore waters.  34 degrees deep-water.

Lake Erie Anglers fishing from boats need to be cautious of floating debris. Wind and current can move floating objects quickly and potentially block access to ramps that were open earlier in the day.

Have fun, be safe and good luck fishing!