The Fishing Line - April 27th Edition

This Week's Topics:

• May 1 Starts Opening Day for New York's Coolwater Species
• Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guides Now Available
• Walleye Fishing - Not Just for Experts
• Virtual Outreach - Fisheries Videos
• Successful Egg Collections - Walleye & Steelhead
• Stopping Sea Lampreys in Orwell Brook
• Fun Facts About Walleye

Mark Your Calendars for May 1st

May 1st marks the opening day for New York's coolwater species - walleye, northern pike, chain pickerel and tiger muskellunge. (Just a reminder, muskellunge season opens the last Saturday in May.) For additional fishing regulations consult the 2021 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide (PDF).

Visit the following links for helpful advice on where to fish for these species:

Walleye Fishing Opportunities
Musky, Pike, Tiger Musky and Pickerel Fishing Opportunities

Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guides Now Available

The 2021 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guides are now available wherever you purchase your fishing license. Pick up your copy today, or visit DEC's website for a downloadable PDF version. You can email feedback on the new format of the guide to: fwfish@dec.ny.gov.

Walleye Fishing - Not Just for Experts

With the opening of walleye season around the corner, it's time to start prepping your gear. If you've never fished for this top gamefish, you'll want to add it to your bucket list. They're found just about all around the state, are incredibly tasty, and eager to strike (with the right setup) this time of year.

For tips on how to get started in targeting walleye, visit our Fishing for Walleye webpage.

Virtual Outreach Efforts - Fisheries Videos

With the traditional April 1 trout season opener and the recently adopted inland trout stream regulations, the Bureau of Fisheries recently delivered a virtual outreach campaign on YouTube and Facebook, providing key messages for New York's anglers.

Click the links below to watch, and stay tuned for more instructional videos in the near future.

Facebook Live
Oatka Creek Habitat Improvement Project with DEC Fisheries and Trout Unlimited
Trout Fishing Techniques with Fisheries staff
Spring Trout Stocking with Catskill Fish Hatchery staff

YouTube
Inland Trout Stream Management Plan overview
Inland Trout Stream Regulations
DECinfo Locator Trout Fishing Map tutorial

Opening Day Promotional Video featuring selfie video contributions from a handful of anglers around the state.

Successful Annual Egg Collections - Walleye & Steelhead

The annual egg take at the NYS Oneida Hatchery began on March 31st this year. Despite staffing limitations due to COVID-19 restrictions, seven nets were set and a total of 12,424 walleye were collected. Staff processed 5,190 females to obtain this year's 270 million egg quota in a mere eight days! Eggs are currently hatching, and stocking across the state is underway.

To watch what happens during the egg take in the hatchery, be sure to check out a Facebook Live we did on Saturday, April 3.

Salmon River Hatchery staff completed the steelhead egg take on April 1st, resulting in over 1.5 million eggs collected from 445 Washington strain steelhead. Fish hatched from these eggs will be raised in the hatchery for approximately one year and stocked as spring yearlings in 2022. Steelhead are stocked every spring in tributaries to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie where they contribute to both tributary and open lake fisheries. Current Lake Ontario steelhead stocking includes 497,700 yearlings and Lake Erie stocking includes 127,500 yearlings.

Stopping Sea Lampreys in Orwell Brook

DEC staff commissioned the Orwell Brook sea lamprey barrier on March 16, 2021. The barrier is a temporary structure that is installed each March, during the sea lamprey spawning run, and then removed a couple months later when spawning sea lamprey are no longer present. Sea lamprey are a parasitic invasive species that prey on sportfish by latching onto a host and sucking their blood and other bodily fluids. This seasonally-operated barrier blocks sea lamprey from reaching spawning habitat in Orwell Brook and greatly reduces the amount of chemical treatment needed to keep the population under control. More information about the sea lamprey control program in the Great Lakes can be found on the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission website. 

Fun Facts About Walleye

1. They're members of the perch family.
2. They have a reflective membrane in their eye called the tapetum lucidum that allows them to see better at night when they primarily feed.
3. The New York State Record walleye was caught in 2018 by Brian Hartman from the St. Lawrence River. It weighed 18 lbs. 2 oz.!