The Fishing Line - August 20th Edition

Freshwater Fishing, Fisheries Management, and Boating News

In This Issue:

• Proposed Regulation Change for Oneida Lake Walleye
• Major Milestone for Lake Erie Lake Trout
• Lake Erie - July Angling Update
• New Access in Southern Tier - Nanticoke Creek
• Salmon River Fish Hatchery Improvements

Proposed Regulation Change for Oneida Lake Walleye

DEC has proposed regulations to increase the daily possession limit of walleye in Oneida Lake from 3 fish/day, to the statewide daily possession limit of 5 fish/day.

This proposal stems from annual monitoring efforts that have shown a steadily increasing population. In 2020, an estimated 1,200,000 walleye were present in the lake. Although the numbers have rebounded tremendously since the 1990s, there is concern that too many walleye in the lake has the potential to impact the forage base - most particularly, yellow perch.

The proposed moderate increase in walleye harvest is warranted not only for the health of both the walleye and yellow perch fisheries but also desired by a majority of anglers based on a recent survey (Angler Opinion Survey on the Oneida Lake Walleye Daily Limit). (Note: This file may load slowly. Thank you for being patient.)

The regulatory proposal is available on the DEC website for review and public comment. Comments on the proposal should be submitted via e-mail to regulations.fish@dec.ny.gov or via mail to the Inland Fisheries Section, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4753; subject line "Oneida Lake Walleye Regulations." Comments will be accepted through Oct. 17, 2021.

Major Milestone for Lake Erie Lake Trout

For the first time in over 60 years, natural lake trout reproduction has been documented in Lake Erie. The recent discovery is the result of an acoustic telemetry study conducted by DEC staff and partners which identified potential lake trout spawning areas in eastern Lake Erie. On May 14, 2021, DEC’s Lake Erie Fisheries Research Unit staff collected multiple, recently hatched fry in fry traps on a rock reef about five miles west of Barcelona Harbor in Chautauqua County. In July, Dr. Chris Wilson at Trent University positively identified the fry as lake trout through genetic bar-coding.

Overfishing, habitat degradation, and sea lamprey predation were the key contributors to the population collapse of lake trout in Lake Erie by 1965, and rehabilitation efforts to restore the species began in the early 1980s. While this finding is just the first step, it validates that these fish are capable of successfully reproducing and surviving to hatch and that restoring a wild lake trout population in Lake Erie is attainable.

Lake Erie contains some of the largest lake trout available to anglers in New York. New York State’s state record lake trout (41 pounds, 8 ounces) was caught in Lake Erie in 2003. Fish exceeding 10 pounds are common and lunkers over 20 pounds are caught every year.

DEC will continue to work to evaluate spawning habitats to identify the potential for habitat restoration.

Lake Erie - July 2021 Open Lake Angler Survey Update

Total angler effort in July 2021 on Lake Erie was down by about 20,000 angler hours compared to last July and was well below the 20-year average. Ninety-three percent of July anglers focused on walleye or smallmouth bass.

Walleye
Daytime walleye angling effort in July (54,300 angler hours) was slightly below the 20-year average of 59,500 angler hours. Half (52%) of the walleye angling effort in July was based out of Buffalo. Anglers targeting walleye harvested 2.8 walleye per boat trip on average with a catch rate of 0.31 fish per angler hour, which is the 6th highest in the last 20 years for the month of July. About 3.4% of daytime walleye anglers achieved a 6 fish limit this July with an average length of 20.6 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass fishing effort in July (7,200 angler hours) was slightly higher than the past two years and was about half of the 20-year average (14,500 angler hours). The bulk of the smallmouth angler effort (75%) was based out of Buffalo. The July bass fishing quality was slightly above average in 2021 for the New York waters of Lake Erie, with anglers targeting bass catching an average of 7 bass per boat trip with a catch rate of 0.68 fish per angler hour (July average = 0.63 fish per hour).

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing effort was very low in July 2021, with only 4 perch angler interviews for the entire month.

New Fishing Access Site in Southern Tier - Nanticoke Creek

The Region 7 DEC Operations crew in Kirkwood, with assistance from Fisheries and Real Property staff, recently completed a new Fishing Access Site on Nanticoke Creek south of the Village of Maine just off NYS Route 26 in Broome County. The new parking area can accommodate four cars and facilitates easy access to the adjoining 0.3 mile Public Fishing Rights Easement that was purchased at the same time as the lot. Nanticoke Creek gets stocked annually with 2,900 brown trout and has 1.3 miles of Public Fishing Rights easements.

Salmon River Fish Hatchery Improvements

The Salmon River Hatchery's new fish ladder is almost ready. Construction crews have worked tirelessly since last summer to modify the main hatchery drainage plumbing and remove the old fish ladder that was in need of replacement. The new ladder is now in place and expected to be fully operational in time for the upcoming fall salmon spawning runs.