maumee river report- 25 april 2021-Buckshots birthday.

Sunrise/ First Cast:6:40 am

Sunset/Last Cast-8:25pm

Wading to Bluegrass Island is permitted

Walleye are still in there. Yesterday before the storm was good for a awhile then it slowed down. Natural colors are working well. Black head/silver tail, green head/ pumpkinseed tail and old reliable white head /pink tail. The weekend bite was kinda slow as we have had 3 nights in row that got real cold, as you know the sudden drop in temp can significantly slow down fishing causing the fish to hunker down and not bite. I know we are nearing the end of the run but there are still good number of walleye in that river due to the long cold March and April .

Yesterday was tournament day here at the shop. 

7 FISH  PER TEAM

1ST PLACE- SEAN MCNETT/ RAY SMITH- 21.6 LBS

2ND PLACE-NATE PAUL/ RYAN FULLER- 17.0 LBS

3RD PLACE- CHRIS MALCOM/NICK B. – 14. 1 LBS

BIG JACK – 3.7 LBS – SEAN AND RAY 

Today mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 55. ;looks like this is the start of the warm up -calling for close to 80 degrees midweek. That’s when we will start looking for the elusive white bass to show up in numbers. For the last few weeks we have seen one or two here and there but no big numbers yet. The sun will warm the water quickly this week and one of these mornings we will wake up and boom -there they are by the jillions. 

Next Saturday May 1st, the spawning rules in the Maumee are lifted ,the limit of walleye stays at six.  Yellow perch limit is 30 . White Bass has no limit .  Night fishing is permitted . Still no snagging .

White Bass River Spawning

White bass migrates up most of the Western Basin tributaries from Lake Erie each year to spawn. The Sandusky, Maumee, and Portage rivers typically have the most white bass moving up in the spring. White bass may be found in the rivers from mid-April, toward the end of the walleye spawning run, through early June. The peak of the run is usually sometime in mid-May when water temperatures reach around 55 degrees F. The Maumee and Sandusky Rivers usually have the best fishing for white bass, but some years the Portage and Huron rivers also have good runs. In early spring white swim up current, out of Lake Erie and into its rivers, then it’s creeks. Their number is vast, a seemingly endless procession of fish that are silver in shade and streamlined in form.

First come the smaller males, looking for the right combination of depth and current where spawning can take place. Then follow the females, fat-bellied with roe.When the water temperature reaches the high 50’s, the run begins with the males moving up the tributaries first. They are followed in 1-2 weeks by the females. Now, this is a generalization, periodNot all fish spawn at the same time, and fishermen should understand this. Spawning for white bass and other fish may stretch out over a several periods. However, within that time span, there’s usually a distinguishable period when spawning activity peaks, and this is when fishing is best.”

Have fun be safe and good luck fishing