My
earliest angling memories revolve around Pymatuning Lake. From the
mid 1950's through the 1960's, our family kept a boat at West Bay
Motorboat Club. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year, we
drove to Pymatuning every Sunday after church for a day of
picnicking, swimming, and fishing. Being that Sunday was family
day, crappies were generally the desired species when it came to
fishing. But once school was out for the summer, Dad and I fished
Pymatuning every other Saturday. On these "men only"
fishing days, Dad's focus was walleye.
Then
Dad was a single
technique angler when it came to walleyes: trolling was the only
approach. Although Dad preferred spinning outfits for
still-fishing live bait or casting lures, when it came to
trolling, only traditional baitcasting outfits with braided Dacron
were employed.
A keel chain sinker
was tied to the end of the line, to which was attached a two to
three-foot monofilament leader. As far as Dad was concerned, there
were only three lure choices for walleye trolling: a June-bug
spinner with a nightcrawler, a pearl-blade worm harness with a
natural-looking Creme plastic worm, or a Flatfish with a piece of
nightcrawler trailing off the tail hook.
The majority of our
walleye fishing was done on the west side of the lake between the
Jamestown campground and the causeway. This was well before the
boom in recreational fishing sonar. Without a depthfinder a
trolling path was rather haphazard in terms of following bottom
depth or structure. However, Dad used triangulation of shoreline
objects to roughly duplicate a productive trolling pass.
We didn't catch a lot
of walleyes in those days; actually more channel cats were taken
than 'eye. But thewalleyes caught were very respectable by today's
Pymatuning standards. As I recall, the average size walleye was
around 20 inches; fish in the 24 to 26-inch range were not
uncommon.
Now
In forty years things
have changed. While Pymatuning is still spitting out walleyes at a
phenomenal rate, the average size of a harvested 'eye is barely
the minimum legal length of 15 inches. A walleye of 20 inches is
now regarded as a "trophy" fish by many anglers on this
lake.
Number wise, I enjoy
far greater success with walleyes today than I did as a young lad
back in 1960. Rarely do I fish Pymatuning during mid-summer
anymore, opting instead for spring and fall when I can catch
walleyes with the techniques l prefer to I use. Those techniques
do not include trolling, which I personally consider boring.
Instead, I prefer casting and directly manipulating the lure on
the retrieve. I rely pretty much on the following seasonal
patterns:
For a brief period in
March after ice out, a 1/4 or 3/8-ounce jig-and-minnow combo
dragged on deepwater flats is the number one presentation.
Granted, some walleye may be taken relatively shallow at the
Linesville Spillway during ice out, but it is too crowded with
anglers for me. Besides most 'eye are still offshore. But as soon
as the water warms a tad, increased numbers of walleyes move
shallow.
Through April,
continue to use a jig and minnow during daylight hours. But
lighten up the head weight to 1/8 or 1/16-ounce to probe shallower
water. I prefer a subtle jig such as a Fuzz-E-Grub for tipping
with bait. Work points, midlake humps, and rock-rubble shorelines
in depths from four to 14 feet. At dusk, break out a Rapala or
similar stickbait and retrieve ultra slow along rock-rubble points
and shorelines, as well as around mouths of low-flow and seepage
creeks.
As water continues to
warm in late May and into June, I find shad-like crankbaits to be
very effective. To connect with the larger walleye, cast and
retrieve a Shad Rap in bays or coves with at least six feet of
water. Yes, most anglers are on midlake flats catching small fish,
but slightly bigger walleye still seem to be roaming the shallows.
By the time water temperature climbs above the mid 60s, most
anglers will opt for a piece of nightcrawler on a jig rather than
a minnow. But rather than tipping with live bait, I have greater
confidence in a plain curl-tail or tube jig when the water warms.
If you fish through
the summer, move to deeper midlake flats to troll or drift.
Generally expect walleyes to be suspended rather than on the
bottom. Try trolling a worm harness at a slow speed, or a Storm
Wiggle Wart at a faster speed.
When the cool water of
November rolls around, there is only one lure I fish at Pymatuning
a blade bait such as a Sonar or Cicada. Rather than casting,
vertical jig the lure straight down with sweep/drop rod movements.
Depending on the conditions and position of shad schools, walleyes
may be as deep as 25 feet or as shallow as five feet. This pattern
usually lasts until ice forms.
Future
I have fished all over
Pennsylvania, but have never seen another inland waterway which
gives up the numbers of walleyes like Pymatuning. However, while
other waters do not have the "numbers," the average size
of walleye is much higher.
Although there may be
other minor contributing factors, fisheries biologists believe the
number one reason for "small" walleyes at Pymatuning is
the intense harvest pressure: practically every legal-size walleye
caught by an angler is removed from the fishery.
It certainly pleases
me to see individuals enjoy the "catching" part of
angling. Yet I am troubled when it appears when so many anglers
are "taking" every legal fish they catch.
Even though I fish
Pymatuning often during the spring and fall, I do not keep
walleyes simply because it is possible to catch legal-size ones. I
enjoy an outing just as much by releasing all walleyes. I have
heard anglers say they would love to see a quality walleye fishery
return to Pymatuning where one might expect to regularly catch
walleye over 20 inches. However, given the harvest-minded attitude
of so many Pymatuning anglers at the present time, that future
scenario seems unlikely ----- unless the majority of anglers
practice catch and release for walleye as they do for bass and
trout.
© 1999-2000 Darl
Black
