Chautauqua walleyes

Since there isn't a section for where I live I'll just post here where its busy.  I stop in at the store and buy stuff pretty regularly and thought I'd post what I have been getting in the last few weeks.  Too bad the lake froze so early or I'd still be gettin them.

A stringer like that this time of year should make you a lot of new friends around here!
 
Nice job and welcome to the forum!

Nice stringer,Now a couple questions---what did you catch them on, shore fishing or boat and how thick is the ice?------------pub----this isn't your 1st stringer like that is it?

Thanks all.  Pretty sure the walleye program had nothing to do with those walleyes since walleyes this size are probably 12-14 yrs old.   We are getting more small walleyes at or around 20 inches and even a few smaller, and those are probably program fish.  There was a time between 5 and about 12 yrs ago when during this time of year fishing like this we rarely got fish below 26 inches, and some nights they were all 27-30's.  That time is over.  We still get nice fish like the ones you see here, but the walleye population is nothing like it was.  We are lucky to get 50 nice ones all fall now when we used to be able to get 50 or more a night.  It was really quite extraordinary, and we were spoiled for a few years, but now we realize how unusual that was.  Chautauqua is badly mismanaged now.  Its a shame.

No, I have caught hundreds of walleyes from Chautauqua between 7 and 10 lbs in the fall/early winter, actually probably over 1000.  I released the vast majority of those fish.  I only keep about 50 lbs of fillets a year and with 7-10lb'rs that doesn't take too many fish.  All the fishing I do in that time frame is from shore with mainly thundersticks.  I wake them or retrieve them just barely below the surface just fast enough to give the lure action.  A lot of surface hits.  Its really a blast.

The lake is iced over now.   Grry.  I'm not a fan of ice fishing especially since the walleye bite keeps going into the winter as long as the lake doesn't freeze.

Walleyecicles.

what a great pic. and welcome aboard.  hey, if you married my evil, nasty sister in law, we would be related and could fish all the time.  okay, i wouldn't do that to you.  still, phenomenol pics.

Nice eyes I fish the lake year round for them. I am going to figure you had a friend with as you are only allowed to take 3 per day now and your right the fishing is not as good as it was 15 -20 years ago.

Yeah, Chautauqua like Pymy, was once a great walleye fishery.  Word got around and all the pressure put a hurtin. on both lakes!  Mainly due to the fact that there aren't many "catch & release" walleye fishermen out there.  Congrats on some awesome fish, but this announcement certainly won't do wonders for Chautauqua walleye fishing. 

I enjoy the fall run of walleyes, but if they disappeared and the crappies came back like they used to be on Chautauqua I would be ecstatic.  I'm really a crappie angler, and Chautauqua used to be one of the best crappie lakes in the states.  Besides, I seriously doubt too many angler have the cojones to fish in the conditions we get those walleyes in.  Thats something I forgot to mention.  The best bites are in the foulest weather, and I mean nasty.  My friends and I joke when we are out there fishing that we are the only one fishing within 200 miles because we are the only ones stupid enough to be out in this weather at 1am.  Here is a pic of the one 10'r I got this year.  It was about 18 degrees out with a stiff breeze and tons of snow.  We got about a foot of snow that night.  4 inches on our heads just while we were fishing.

ORIGINAL: ShutUpNFish

Yeah, Chautauqua like Pymy, was once a great walleye fishery.  Word got around and all the pressure put a hurtin. on both lakes!  Mainly due to the fact that there aren't many "catch & release" walleye fishermen out there.  Congrats on some awesome fish, but this announcement certainly won't do wonders for Chautauqua walleye fishing. 

I'm with ya on that one.  Its tough to be a mainly catch and release angler.  So many people can't imagine releasing fish even when some lakes are being decimated.  If I kept all the fish I catch I could feed 10 families.  I believe in selective catch and release.  In bodies of water where some populations are declining, the large breeders should be released.  If you catch a trophy, handle it carefully take some good pictures, measure and weigh it properly and release it.  In my book a good picture of a healthy live fish is better than a mount anyways, and if you really want a mount get a replica.  They are better anyways.

Here is one of the best examples of replica fiberglass mounts.  These guys are just amazing.  http://www.artisticanglers.com/    -   http://www.artisticanglers.com/Multiples.htm

ORIGINAL: *commander*

ORIGINAL: ShutUpNFish

Yeah, Chautauqua like Pymy, was once a great walleye fishery.  Word got around and all the pressure put a hurtin. on both lakes!  Mainly due to the fact that there aren't many "catch & release" walleye fishermen out there.  Congrats on some awesome fish, but this announcement certainly won't do wonders for Chautauqua walleye fishing. 

what a concept. catch and release???!!! lower limits???!!! there must be a mistake. many will tell us that catch and release stunts the growth of the fish, doesnt work for most lakes, fisheries biologists ALWAYS know best, etc....