“When does the run start?” was a familiar post showing up on various groups’ feeds on social media.
Seems like the fever for the annual walleye spawn run is really amping up lately despite the weather and Maumee River and other rivers and creeks not cooperating at all.
For sure, it is fast approaching and many people are trying to plan trips and outings over when the best time is to be in town and on one of area’s rivers.
There are many how-tos and what-to-look-fors on the social media sites I follow.
Of course, as I have previously mentioned, Mario Campos of Maumee Tackle — Fishing, Kayaking & Shooting Outfitters, has been steadily tracking the Maumee River conditions on a regular basis, even making light of being “skunked” while casting a few lines out earlier this week.
But like he pointed out: “Just testing it out. It’s early. This water is really cold ... get a couple of casts in, we’re having a good time.”
The standard for the best water temperature is when it’s above 40 degrees.
He’s promised to let us know when they start catching fish and sure enough, midweek, someone on his feed showed a walleye being hoisted up along the bank and later another in front of his store.
A key item he noted was how the ice was breaking up upstream at the Grand Rapids dam. The ice floes can jam up the river, so it’s crucial they be gone.
Another video I watched that seemed helpful for a novice to the walleye river run was one by David Lewis on the Maumee River Walleye Run group on Facebook.
He broke it down to the right weights to use to which direction to cast with the current in mind not only for having it bounce along the river bottom correctly but also to not disrupt fellow anglers on each side of you.
He was speaking from his time on the river when it’s “shoulder-to-shoulder” in certain spots, and said by casting properly and reeling in quickly while others are casting over you is ideal “because the less snags and less tangles we have, the better the experience is for everybody who is participating.”
For this columnist-angler here, that just doesn’t appeal to me in the least. But, hey, to each their own. I’m more content to have a little peace of mind and space to move around even if I’m a bit outside of the best action.
Lewis did start it out with an emphasis on safety and to be confident of your steps because the river bottom is always changing and “it creates holes you can’t see.” He recommended coming with another angler who is familiar with the river. But if you’re going out on your own, it is a good idea to bring a walking stick so to feel around on the bottom to help you to stay upright and to get to your fishing spot.
It is for sure highly dangerous if your waders fill up with water, causing you to lose buoyancy in a heartbeat and possibly drown.
I know last year I found myself out a ways from the bank in waders with the water at waist level, fighting a pretty stiff current and a nasty snag when suddenly the thought came to mind, I should back it up some. A sunken, immovable 60-cent jig is not worth dying over no way. And I’m not the tallest angler in the drink by a long shot.
One expert who may have a bead on when the best time is hit is ODNR Division of Wildlife Fisheries Biologist Matt Faust. He has been part of Lake Erie walleye studies for 10 years, but even he admitted there needs to be more, longer data to really nail it down.
“We do not have the kind of data to do that in Lake Erie [or anywhere, really] for walleye, so we are left making educated guessing and arguing on social media,” he said in an email to me this week. “It is likely tied to obvious environmental cues like water temperature, but also river discharge and photoperiod [day length]. ... photoperiod likely tells fish to start moving back west and get close to where they are going to spawn, and the temperature plus discharge combination is what brings them into rivers or to initiate actual spawning. That is my working hypothesis, anyway.
“Given the extended forecast, I would not be surprised if folks start catching fish soon. Males always show up earlier than females, so I’d expect males to show up on stringers soon.”
So there you go.
Only way to know for sure is by getting out on the river! And trust me, you’ll know if it’s the right time.
■ This is a reminder that at the start of this month, spring rules are now in effect for our area rivers. Mainly they are as follows, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ fishing regulations booklet: Fishing lines may not have a hook larger than ½ inch from shank to point, or lure having more than a single hook larger than ½ inch from shank to point. No double and treble hooks are allowed. Also, fishing is allowed only from sunrise to sunset. The booklets are available online at wildohio.gov or at retailers selling licenses.
First Published March 8, 2025, 2:30 p.m.
