Walleye opener

[reeleyz]

“Skinny eyes” is not a hoax. This winter it was clear that the eyes were getting thinner.

According to Cornell the young of the year fall perch recruitment has been bad because the eyes are hammering on the perch fry. This goes along with lower shad numbers.

Seems like the majority of people struggle to catch 3 keepers anyway so I can’t see people hammering out 5 fish consistently. Well other than Fred! 

[Old Timer]

Not enough perch fry so they increase the eye limit. If its that bad they should have also dropped the perch limit. 

[Badbrad2186]

Not enough perch fry so they increase the eye limit. If its that bad they should have also dropped the perch limit.

Oh that's coming I hear talk of if dropping state wide to 25 and Jefferson county will also be the same. Just what I heard at the bait shop. But wouldn't surprise me one bit

[filetandrelease]

 I spend a great deal of time fall fishing eyes and I’ve noticed the lack of shad along shore during late fall which most definitely is a huge factor contributing to the eyes being thinner , and yet the eyes seem to still prefer to eat perch over gobies which are plentiful , the perch think gobies are tasty
 Opening the eyes up early most certainly will increase the walleye take along with the 5 fish limit , 3 eyes are plenty for my house
    Now in Jefferson county there are still 3 commercial netting licenses out there , I believe at 1 time there was around 7 or more , hurting the perch population of Lake Ontario that’s a laugh , and those perch supply a lot of dinners here and in other states
 I’m 65 and that has been going on long before I was born
 Just my .02 for what it’s worth
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 

[Badbrad2186]

I spend a great deal of time fall fishing eyes and I’ve noticed the lack of shad along shore during late fall which most definitely is a huge factor contributing to the eyes being thinner , and yet the eyes seem to still prefer to eat perch over gobies which are plentiful , the perch think gobies are tasty
 Opening the eyes up early most certainly will increase the walleye take along with the 5 fish limit , 3 eyes are plenty for my house
    Now in Jefferson county there are still 3 commercial netting licenses out there , I believe at 1 time there was around 7 or more , hurting the perch population of Lake Ontario that’s a laugh , and those perch supply a lot of dinners here and in other states
 I’m 65 and that has been going on long before I was born
 Just my .02 for what it’s worth

 
   
 
 
 
 
 

I can't disagree with ya just what I heard from the bait shop and he said he heard it from Dec officer a week prior. I'm 36 and I don't see if changing just the rumor I heard

[trapper2000]

i was  very happy  with the perch  fishing on oneida this year the  numbers were  good and they were mighty healthy looking perch

[pimplepounder]

Lots of the Eyez I cleaned on Sunday we stuffed full of leaves and shrimp u can tell they have been sucking up the bottom also lots of small blue gills in the guts and the livewell

[fishinjohn]

Lots of the Eyez I cleaned on Sunday we stuffed full of leaves and shrimp u can tell they have been sucking up the bottom also lots of small blue gills in the guts and the livewell

Baby blue gill to eyes are like surf and turf to us

[TomFish]

Oh that's coming I hear talk of if dropping state wide to 25 and Jefferson county will also be the same. Just what I heard at the bait shop. But wouldn't surprise me one bit

whoa whoa whoa!  Lets not do anything crazy here! Make all the changes you want down there on Onieda and LG, but you leave Jefferson county out of that funny business!


(Edit) BadBrad, i know YOU weren't proposing that change, just reporting what you heard. But even entertaining the idea may give it more credibility in the eyes of the state.

[TomFish]

  Now in Jefferson county there are still 3 commercial netting licenses out there , I believe at 1 time there was around 7 or more , hurting the perch population of Lake Ontario that’s a laugh , and those perch supply a lot of dinners here and in other states

Ive seen the hundreds of pounds of perch guys have been pulling out of Ontario and St Lawrence, not even counting the commercial nets.
People (on the internet) are always griping that someone ice fishing taking home two pails is "hurting" the perch population. They have no idea the volume of fish that come in off the big lake every year.


If that population were to drop considerably, i would support imposing some type of limit. But 25 or even 50 fish is too restrictive for the fishery.

[trapper2000]

tom they already have  started  jefferson county is  now  a  25  fish limit on  bluegills

[filetandrelease]

tom they already have  started  jefferson county is  now  a  25  fish limit on  bluegills

State wide is 25, except a chosen few And another in Jefferson is 15 gills but I think in a couple years they will see the error of their ways

[TomFish]

State wide is 25, except a chosen few And another in Jefferson is 15 gills but I think in a couple years they will see the error of their ways

I am only seeing a daily limit of 15 for sunfish on Red Lake and Sixtown pond, not county wide.

[filetandrelease]

I am only seeing a daily limit of 15 for sunfish on Red Lake and Sixtown pond, not county wide.

It’s not county wide ,  a chosen few in Jefferson
 State wide is 25
 Caz lake in Madison county is 15
 
 
 

[Flukeman]

If Sundays boat numbers are what we are going to see for openers, the walleyes are safe on Oneida. Least number of boats I've seen in a long time for an opener.