Pennsylvania’s limit for Lake Erie yellow perch will remain at 30 per day and the creel limit for walleye will still be six per day, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said today.

The allowable catch for walleye and yellow perch in Lake Erie has been set at lower totals than in 2012.

The Lake Erie Committee announced the total allowable catch after its meeting Thursday in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The committee includes fishery managers from Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Michigan and Ontario.

The recommended total allowable catch is 3.356 million walleye and 12.237 million pounds of yellow perch. Fishery managers said they decreased the TAC to “reflect fish hatches in recent years that have been weak.”

Total allowable catch represents the number or weight of fish recommended to be caught by sport and commercial fishers without putting the fisheries at risk.

The 2012 total allowable catch for walley was 3.487 million.

Ohio will be entitled to 1.715 million fish, Ontario to 1.445 million fish and Michigan 0.196 million fish. Limits in Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario are set separately by those jurisdictions because the majority of the walleye harvest occurs in western Lake Erie.

“Due to a series of poor year classes, the population in 2014 is expected to decliine, potentially leading to lower TACs in future years as the fish from the strong year classes age and the total size of the walleye stock decreases,” the Lake Erie Committee said in a news release. “The decreased TAC recommendation for 2013 reflects the committee’s goal to manage the lakewide fish stocks sustainably, recognizing stakeholder input.”

The yellow perch TAC is a 10 percent decrease from the 13.637 allocated in 2012. The committee said it believes “harvestable stocks are lower than last year; the TAC for 2013 reflects the committee’s consideration of the importance of relative stability of harvest.”

Pennsylvania will receive .949 million pounds of the allocation. Ontario will receive 5.969 million pounds, Ohio 4.896 million pounds, Michigan 0.164 million pounds and New York 0.259 million pounds.

The Lake Erie Committee works with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, a Canadian and U.S. agency.

If you love to fish for walleye on Lake Erie, you’ll love this video. If you’ve never fished for walleye on Lake Erie, you’ll love this video. Erie plays prominently. And did I mention walleye?

Cody Ahlbrandt, 11, caught a 32-inch citation walleye while fishing with his father for the first time on Lake Erie. The walleye weighed 11 pounds 2 ounces and had a girth of 17 1/2 inches. It was caught out of Elk Creek in about 50 feet of water.

NWPA Outdoors reader Jim Macie recently asked outdoors writer Mike Bleech for his opinion on getting extra distance when he casts Rapalas from shore walleye:

“I use a 9.5-foot Okuma Guide Series rod with eight poun- mono line. What reel and line would you use to optimize your cast distance with this rod?”

Mike’s response: I have been using Trilene XL for many years and have seen no reason to change. The theories on long-distance casting include using fairly stiff line that springs off the spool. I also have had very good results using Sufix line. I suggest that you go to the Pure Fishing web site and get into the pages on line, then see if they rate any as best for distance casting.

About 25 years ago reel makers came out with narrower spools that tapered slightly toward the front. Supposedly that was to make them cast farther. More recently a newer reel manufacturer, or marketer, came out with wider-spooled spinning reels, which also were for long-distance casting. I have one of these, the U.S.  Reel 230 Pro. It’s just fine, but I’ve never measured casts.

You have taken the most important step in distance casting with the rod. An extra-fast action rod, all other things being equal, casts farthest. That is why the designations of slow, moderate, fast and extra-fast are used with rods, the speeds they generate. If your rod is a moderate action, changing to fast or extra-fast is the most important thing to do.

Dropping down to 6 pound-test line also will help.

Then, be sure your casting mechanics are good. One thing few anglers do well is load the rod during the cast. Cast with one motion so the rod bends on the back cast and strengthens as you bring the rod forward.

Whether you’re crazy for crappie or whacko for walleye, the Pymatuning Lake Association has a fishing tournament for you this year.

The crappie tournament is scheduled for May 5 and separate walleye tournaments are scheduled for May 19 and June 2.

An 80-team field will mean $1,000 for the winners. Teams are constituted of one or two anglers.

All three tournament are based out the Pymatuning Lake Association Pavilion, located on the southeast side of the causeway at the Espyville Boat Launch, Route 285 and South Lake Road, Espyville.

Tournament fishing starts at 6 a.m. and closes at 2:30 p.m., and anglers must be in the weigh-in line by 3:30 p.m.

Preregister at the Linesville Marina, 3293 W. Erie Street Ext.; in Espyville at Poff’s Place Bait & Tackle, 10672 Perry Drive, Lil’ Bit Restaurant, 1255 Route 285, or Espyville Outdoors, 1545 Route 285; at Richter’s Grocery/Chris’ Tackle Box, 2936 Williamsfield Road, Jamestown; and, in Andover, Ohio, at Gateway Bait & Tackle, 6517 Route 85, and Duck ‘n’ Drake, 7038 Pymatuning Lake Road.

Registration forms are also available in the Association’s magazine “Pymatuning Region Visitor’s Guide 2012” or can be downloaded at www.PymatuningLake.com. Preregistered anglers do not have to check-in at the pavilion before fishing.

Tournament-day registration will take place at the pavilion from 6-8 a.m. and will be subject to a late entry fee.

For information, e-mail PymaLakeAssoc@windstream.net or call (724) 927-9493.

Kevin Ferrie of Erie caught the biggest walleye and won $300 Saturday at VanTassel’s Timberland Bait’s annual ice-fishing contest on Canadohta Lake.

Ferrie’s walleye was 19 3⁄4 inches and weighed 2 pounds 13 ounces.

The prize of the day was a 291⁄2-inch, 6-pound 3-ounce northern pike. Meadville’s Chris Chiesa pocketed $400 for catching the largest pike.

Chris Chiesa, of Meadville, with his prize-winning northern pike. Photo by Darl Black.

P.J. Brenot, of Cochranton, caught an 11-inch yellow perch and won $50, and Dan Palmer, of Parker, won $50 for his 121⁄4-inch crappie.

Bailey Kozalla, 12, of Saegertown, was the kids winners with a 20-inch, 2-pound 8-ounce walleye. She won $20.

No legal-sized musky were caught.

Timberland Bait’s scheduled tournament Saturday on Conneaut Lake has been canceled because of lack of ice.

This week’s Erie-area fishing report from Randy Leighton, deputy waterways conservation officer for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission:

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This week’s Erie-area fishing report from Randy Leighton, deputy waterways conservation officer for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission:

Read the rest of this entry »

This week’s Erie-area fishing report from Randy Leighton, deputy waterways conservation officer for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission:

Read the rest of this entry »