RE: Pygmy Walleye? (Full Version)

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Storm Warning 2 -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/18/2008 12:53:05 PM)

Lots of open water at PA bridge on the causeway, the OH bridge has some open water as well.  There is a MASSIVE amount of open water from the spillway west out towards the islands. 

Brought home a mixed bag of 6 nice crappies and 3 decent perch last night off Tuttle.  Shore ice getting a little iffy, but main lake ice is still 4.5 to 7" and not in too bad condition.  Tuttle ice fishing is done.  Gate was closed at 5:30am this morning. 

BTW if anybody has any info on who shot out the window of the guard station going into Tuttle Camp, please call the state park.  They got license plates and questioned all of us over the last couple days and it was not us.




STEALYS4ME -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/18/2008 2:05:50 PM)

Is the launchs open over there



The Ref -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/18/2008 3:14:54 PM)

Hey rap11 from reading your posts you seem to talk alot about the past at pymy. when I was a kid my dad took me to a place fished by some old timers on linesville crick. ever been there?

Tim



rapala11 -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/19/2008 12:06:53 AM)

no, but i have heard some really good stories about it.  heard it was awesome during the spawn. i have a couple of buddies who deer hunt a farm over there that abuts the creek and they have seen fish there in the fall. as for me, i fish mcmichael creek at times.  when the population was stronger, the fish were thick in there.  seems as though any creek or trickle that brings water to the lake attracts walleye.  myself, i like the "gravel" bars.  i start casting to six feet of water and as it gets darker, cast significantly shallower. i have to admit, i have been fishing the lake since the early 70s, but treefrog and storm warning probably have better knowledge of the lake than i do. 



Storm Warning 2 -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/19/2008 11:45:36 AM)

Launch across from the 'Lil Bit isn't open quite yet, but will be soon.  The Espyville facility is still packed in with ice.  The majority of open water is PA bridge south.

Out again last night on a last minute whim.  A dozen decent white crappies from 10 to 13" and two 9" perch.  The hard water doesn't appear to be going anywhere soon in a couple locations.








eyechaser -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/19/2008 12:20:38 PM)

Storm, hows the weather up there? thinkin about making the trip up to ice fish friday, do you think you could post conditions thursday night or pm me?
Thanks in advance.



spoonchucker -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/19/2008 12:26:10 PM)

Wear a life jacket, or a boat.



STEALYS4ME -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/19/2008 1:30:11 PM)

Maybe wait another week weather looks good for the long range.



Storm Warning 2 -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/19/2008 1:40:44 PM)

If you fish the north end of the lake I wouldn't definitely opt for coming off the east shore.  The west side shore ice is in bad shape from recent warm up and afternoon sun.  There is plenty of ice in a lot of locations north of the causeway.  I am planning on fishing friday and maybe saturday.  Just watch the shore ice and old holes that may have opened a bit.




STEALYS4ME -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/19/2008 2:04:14 PM)

Im looking to bring the boat up but called a bait shop in andover and they told me the launchs are still frozen.



Porktown -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/19/2008 4:45:25 PM)

Does anybody else's computer say "Pygmy Walleye" on this topic in some views, but "Pymy Walleye" in others?  Strange...  Although, from what I've read about the walleye size being down in the lake, Pygmy could explain a lot of things...



spoonchucker -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/19/2008 5:35:11 PM)

Actually Pork, size is up, NUMBERS are down.



Porktown -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/19/2008 10:47:00 PM)

Can't say my reading is from official reports.  My comment was mainly about the die off of the biggins a few years ago, per reports on here and a buddy that has a camp there.  Hopefully they return in numbers and size.  That place has a pretty good reputation to keep up. 



rapala11 -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/20/2008 12:39:45 AM)

i was wading for smallmouth during that fish-kill a few summers ago.  in one 1/4 mile stretch, i saw 18 eyes dead, the smallest had to be 19 inches.  some really nice fish rolling along the shore.  i had fished up there for decades and never saw anything like that before.  

the lake still turns out some hogs, but the 14-16 inch fish are hard to find.  treefrog here and lenny szuba (lead core lenny, duck and drake tackle) still seem to know how to find them.  sure hope the lake turns around again. 



chauncy -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/20/2008 7:49:05 AM)

Not to start an argument here. Close the season during the spawn for a few years and see if that helps. I know there's no great reproduction in that lake but taking the number of fish from the spillway every spring cant be helping the lake. Close it from March 15 to May 3 like the rest of the state does. Some guys get away with taking too many per day thruout the whole weekend. Some guys get caught. Leave it as it is and we'll never know if the closed season would have helped.



D.T.FISH -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/20/2008 8:53:06 AM)

Good idea, its only fair.[:D]



treefrog20045 -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/20/2008 10:27:26 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: chauncy

Not to start an argument here. Close the season during the spawn for a few years and see if that helps. I know there's no great reproduction in that lake but taking the number of fish from the spillway every spring cant be helping the lake. Close it from March 15 to May 3 like the rest of the state does. Some guys get away with taking too many per day thruout the whole weekend. Some guys get caught. Leave it as it is and we'll never know if the closed season would have helped.



I dont ever think there  will be a closed season.Maybe if we got enough people together we could get the limit lowered during that time frame.I dont think it would be a hard job,as Ohio has the lowered limit during the spawn and PA has the closed season.I have never fished the spillway but have sat and watch a few times.And that area should be shut down during the spawn.But how?move the wire,no fishing past a certain island?I am open for suggestions.



Storm Warning 2 -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/20/2008 10:37:36 AM)

Closing the spillway during the spawn was discussed in earnest last year, but I don't think anything came of it.  Imagine that...

I wonder what the prospects of true Striper survival or hybrid survival would be in Pymy.  An additional fishery and a challenge to the dreaded Alewife.




Bull Lifter -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/20/2008 11:03:30 AM)

I really dont think that would help...if the reproduction in the lake was even normal you'd be catching quite a bit of numbers of smaller walleyes...i dont think i've caught a smaller eye then 15 out of that lake in a few years, and if i did it was one. Instead of saying lets close it down...why dont we just say have ohio and pa stalk the crap outta the fish again and keep up with it for a few years. sucks that it does lay on two states and ohio has to be difficult. well not to say pa isnt either... I mean look at us trying to figure out whats right for the lake.



rapala11 -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/20/2008 11:35:33 AM)

stormy, would the stocking of stripers create a new problem for walleye fry and fingerlings.

bull, the states have dumped tens of millions of fry into the lake, only to have them disappear.  this year pa. is introducing .5 million fingerlings in hopes that their increased size will give them a better chance at survival.

not far from pymatuning is mosquito res (oh).  similar to pymy in that it is a basin type lake, noted for walleye and crappie and relying heavilly on stocking due to limited natural reproduction.  what i can't understand is why this lake has such a great survival rate and catch rate.  the biologist i talked to from the fish commish. told me that alewifes weren't the problem at pymy (bunk).  mosquito has no alewifes and a great survival rate.  i'm with stormy here, chinooks.



Storm Warning 2 -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/20/2008 4:53:13 PM)

I'd love to see the Chinnys, but they wouldn't last long in that shallow, warm water environ.  At least in Oahe in the Dakotas, it has significantly cooler depths and average surface temp is much lower as well.  Chinny's preferred temp range is 39 to 55 F.

I'm hoping the fingerlings won't be predated to the extent that the fry are.  Rumor has it that this is a last gasp attempt at restoring the population.  If it doesn't work, it will end up being a bluegill/crappie lake.



Bull Lifter -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/20/2008 8:19:14 PM)

yeah like 21 millions of fry to get eaten by the BILLIONS of shad that ohio introduced



rapala11 -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/21/2008 12:04:34 AM)

bull, actually the shad may have occurred naturally.  pa was the one who stocked the alewifes.  but i will agree with you, ohio lacks when it comes to the lake.  the block attempts by pa to improve the area, but don't really seem interested in it, with mosquito and erie being so close.  you guys have a great division of natural resources, even though some of there ideas backfire.



STEALYS4ME -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/21/2008 1:12:39 AM)

Next week heat wave 40s and maybe 50 woo hoo,



carpin05 -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/21/2008 12:58:36 PM)

Yah put the Chinnys, then in July and august you can catch them already poached!!!!


[sm=bash.gif][sm=banghead.gif][sm=bash2.gif][sm=rofl.gif]



STEALYS4ME -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (3/21/2008 7:15:38 PM)

next week give it a try



BillyLittler -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (4/16/2008 12:55:03 PM)

What's changed over the years at Pymie?

Increased crappie, perch, and bass population.  Shad and Alewives.  Increased silt.  More fisherman.

When we fished back in the 80s, I remember being the only waders on the lake with only a few boats, even on the weekends.  Nowadays, you are lucky to even find a spot to fish.

It started to go south when more and more fisherman were up there.  That, along with the increased population of panfish and bass, I think most of the fingerlings are fish food.

What is worse is seeing how many "big" walleye are getting removed from the lake.  If anything naturally reproduces, it's those lunkers.  I remember at one time, to every legal walleye you caught, you also caught 3 or 4 small ones.

I think they should look into make Pymie a trophy lake for walleye.  Decrease the creel limit and increase the size to 18"-20".

It won't be a quick fix, but in time it will help.  Once the lake recovers, cycle the limits.  Make the limit 15" and 5 fish for 3 years and 18" and 3 fish for 3 years.

Keep the panfish creel unlimited to slim them out some.  I also think growing out the fingerlings will also help increase the population again.

The combination of the increased fishing pressure, increased population of other fish feeding on the fingerlings, and all the fisherman keeping anything 14.75" to 25" is killing this lake.



MuskyMastr -> RE: Pygmy Walleye? (4/16/2008 1:55:46 PM)

Until you replace the zooplankon it will not recover, they need to find out what is happening at that level so that the fry that don't get eaten can actually feed on something.



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