WALLEYE OPENING WEEKEND

[trapper2000]

http://scribol.com/environment/lakes-and-rivers/lake-erie-the-once-dead-lake-now-struggling-to-survive/

[gotagetm]

Hmm, isn't there a canal system that is in onieda , Ontario and Erie that all flows together ? That was a nice study from 1972 and 1980
As far as taste I take what you like with a grain of salt , you like trout, and mud guzzlers ,( bullheads and probably cats) like I said just my opinion, I used to volunteer for a Cornell co-op ext called S.A R.E.P ( sportfishing aquatic resource educational program) don't think its around anymore, did tests out of shackelton point along with Ontario and believe it or not onieda was higher in contaminated levels , just telling what tests revieled the leader of group was Bruce Mathews a guy from that area ,some of you may have known him

[trapper2000]

Water from over 800,000 acres in five counties flows into Oneida Lake. We call this area the lake's "watershed." The drainage basin north of the lake (encompassing much of the Tug Hill Plateau region) contributes 67% of Oneida's water, but only 20% of the nutrients needed to sustain the algae and plants at the base of the Oneida food web. The bulk of this water comes from Fish and Scriba Creeks during spring's snow melt period. Canaseraga, Chittenango, and Oneida Creeks, all south shore tributaries that flow through rich farm country and wetlands, carry most of the lake's nutrients.

http://oneidalakeassociation.org/about-oneida-lake.htm

but hey i'm glad  you  came  up  for  opening day  and  spend the first 2  days of the season  catching   Oneida lake  walleyes

[fishinjohn]

no way onieda walleyes taste better, i eat alot of them and so do my friends and family, and as far as less chemicals ,nope ,thats your opinion , lake front propertys with lawns and farm fields along onieda have pestisides ,fertilizers and weed killers spread on them and where does that stuff go when it rains? understand erie may have contaminents but washes through much much faster,this is my opinion ,there is no better tasting walleye in this state than erie"s

I have a buddy who lives right close to onieda and fishes it every weekend.. Him and his wife both like Erie eyes better than onieda...
I actually like em all the same

[filetandrelease]

Taste is up to the individual, , I have  fished and eaten eyes from Oneida and Erie , Ontario and Canadian waters the  ones I prefer the most come from black lake ,my bud likes the eyes out of Chautauqua lake

[Pequod1]

Got a chuckle out of this conversation. You guys should look up what happens to your taste buds after age 40. If you really want to have fun, look up what happens to them after age 60.  Not getting into how old I am, but let’s say that road kill buck tastes the same as a young doe to me right now😊

[trapper2000]

pequod  you have a  point I have noticed bullheads   do taste  better .... i'm not a  big walleye eater anyways  I  don't like  softy  flesh fish .... and I  don't  keep  big walleyes they are mushy ..... now  why  do I think walleyes  taste  better out on Oneida .... I don't like  mercury and  pcbs in my fish ...that's  just me

[dukhnter8]

Oneida turns over nutrients faster than erie, due to less water. That's why erie cleaned up so fast it's the smallest great lake. Erie just has more water volume so can sustain more pollution.
I also firmly believe how you treat the fish affects taste, I bleed them out and try to get them on ice as soon as I can. I have noticed a different taste when not bled out and also when I don't get them on ice or cold as fast.

[trapper2000]

I  toss walleyes  that are  over  24 inches  back....that's  just me

[jimski2]

"Our deer are not fattened up enough till the strawberries are ripe".

[fishinjohn]

It's funny how quickly a thread can get hijacked and taking off course!!!!! Lmao
I saw a guy caught the big money tagged fish on onieda this weekend!!!! Not a bad weekend.. Go fishing and come home with dinner AND $5k extra

[zadvorney]

I went out last night on the river.  Casting from shore.  I saw a bunch caught.  I don't have the hang of how to fish it yet.  The water is crazy fast and I have the patience of a gnat... Still fun though.

[reeleyz]

I have eaten eyes out of Oneida, Ontario, and the SLR. They all tasted good to me. I definitely think it has a lot to do with what they are eating that time of year.

The last time I heard a report from Cornell on harmful chemicals in Oneida eyes the results were very good. Occasionally they will get 1 fish with high numbers and they assume that fish made it's way from Onondaga Lake.

[bluegoose]

Nice to see that the walleye are active in the river and in Lake Erie this early. There were a lot caught out in the lake while perch fishing. This is a nice bonus catch. Got 4 yesterday out perch fishing. They are perfect eating size. Can someone tell me how old, roughly a 16 - 17 inch walleye is?? This year class is strong in the lake now.

[reeleyz]

In Oneida it takes them 4 years to get to 15”. It depends on the amount of food available. I have never fished Erie but it seems liken there is no shortage of bait? They could be 4 years old.