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Jan
26
Written by:
ODNR Division of Wildlife
1/26/2009
Lake Surveys in Northeast Ohio: A Look Back and A Look Ahead
Surveys may lead to additional as well as more improved opportunities for anglers
AKRON, OH- From the shores of Lake Erie to the banks of the Ohio River, Division of Wildlife’s District Three sprawls across19 counties in northeast Ohio.
The landscape is dotted with numerous lakes of all shapes and sizes, but how can anglers tell what is in them? Well, thanks to fish management crews from the Division of Wildlife District Three Office, anglers today know what is available at their favorite honey holes. “Over the past six years, we have sampled about 43,000 acres of water, which is about the size of Youngstown, Canton, and Massillon combined, “says Matt Wolfe, fisheries biologist for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, who oversees this project. “These surveys are done using standardized procedures too, so we can make these comparisons across the state to see, for example, where anglers can go to have a great day on the water,” adds Wolfe.
In total, close to 52,000 fish were captured, identified, and cataloged by crews, all of which was later entered into a central database for analysis. This wide-ranging survey of northeast Ohio lakes provided fish managers with the ability to identify some of the better fish populations that are available to anglers. Here’s a brief summary of what they found: 
Bass- Some of the Buckeye State’s best bass fishing waters are located in District Three. For largemouth bass, the Portage Lakes (Summit County) and LaDue Reservoir (Geauga County) have been the most consistent producers of both numbers and sizes of fish caught during surveys. However, the results on some lakes surprised crews, especially the size of largemouth in Guilford Lake (Columbiana County) and the number of bass in Mogadore Reservoir (Portage County). District Three bass anglers can also go for the “tri-fecta” by catching a trophy largemouth, smallmouth, and white bass from Berlin Lake (Mahoning, Portage, and Stark counties), Lake Milton (Mahoning County), or Pymatuning Lake (Ashtabula County). “That’s a rarity for an inland lake to have such good largemouth, smallmouth, and white bass fishing.” explains Wolfe.
 Panfish- Good crappie and sunfish are all across District Three, so anglers have the luxury of choosing where they want to go. Berlin Lake and Mosquito Lake (Trumbull County) produce trophy sized crappie annually, but anglers shouldn’t overlook Dale Walborn Reservoir (Stark County) or Guilford Lake if one wants to catch plenty of fish for a fish fry. Sunfish anglers in the District know that East Reservoir and Turkeyfoot Lake of the Portage Lakes are perennial favorites for producing large redear sunfish, but other opportunities do exist. Wolfe remarks, “Punderson Lake (Geauga County) has a pretty good bluegill fishery, and at Highlandtown Lake (Columbiana County), we have handled some very large pumpkinseed sunfish.”
Saugeye/Walleye- District Three is home to some to some of Ohio’s best walleye and saugeye fishing. Pymatuning Lake still provides an excellent opportunity for anglers to catch a true “wall-hanger” walleye. Mosquito Lake anglers will be satisfied knowing that a large 2007 year class of walleye will provide excellent opportunities for years to come. As far as saugeye, most of the stocked lakes in northeast Ohio provide excellent opportunities. “In all of our saugeye lakes (Tappan Lake—Harrison County, Atwood Lake—Carroll and Tuscarawas counties, Leesville Lake—Carroll County, and Clendening Lake—Harrison County), we regularly see large numbers of fish and individual fish up to 28 or 29 inches. That’s an angler’s dream scenario,” Wolfe adds.
Data collected during these surveys is published annually in the Fishing Prospects for Northeast Ohio, which is available online at www.wildohio.com.
Ultimately though, this information will be invaluable when fisheries managers evaluate and potentially change current fishing regulations and also develop the next six-year schedule of lake sampling. “Division of Wildlife fish managers have learned a lot in the past six years, but we always have to keep our eyes open to the future. We have a wealth of information to use and we definitely intend to make fishing better for anyone who wets a line in District Three,” concludes Wolfe.
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