If you have too large of a population of eyes at too big of a size, the forage base will collapse if you try to sustain it at that high a level. I agree with shut on this one, it is a put and take fishery, just like most trout streams. The eyes are there for the taking, within the limits of the current regs. Now, on natural reproduction lakes like Chatauqua, etc., a slot makes more sense. Maybe lower the limit to 5 or 4 per person but keep the min. size where it is at but that might be something to look at in the future (a couple yrs from now). It is a balancing act that the biologists need to maintain and right now, there is a good forage base at Pymy but they must make sure it stays that way.

How long have you been fishing Pymatuning Lake? If you have been fishing it for any amount of time, for walleye that is, you would know that catching walleyes that were 14.5" was always very common. Why is that do you think? I don't need data from a biologist to figure that one out and neither do you. Due to the heavy pressure for eyes on Pymy, and due to most people fishing it keeping their legal limits is why maybe 1 out of every 15 walleyes caught was always legal. And it will be like that once again. I remember days catching 50 or more fish only to catch a few "keepers". If you increase the size limit to 17", you will merely be increasing the size of what can be kept and eventually the majority of the fish you catch will be 16 to 16.5". In recent years, the bigger fish were more common, however numbers of fish caught down...Less fish, less pressure and fish get a chance to grow with less competition for food to boot...Now do you get it?

IMO, there are only a few things that can be done to increase the chances that fish can grow bigger....1 - NO PRESSURE - to make it C&R ONLY for a few years with continued stocking - WHICH WILL NEVER HAPPEN and 2. LESS TAKE - Cut the creel limits in half along with continued stocking. #1 Partly being the reason why you're seeing more bigger eyes being caught in recent years....Way less pressure due to the walleye fishing being off for a few years due to various reasons (fish kill & Fry not taking well). Increasing the size limit, IMO, is not the answer.

I believe Pymy will be what it used to be in regards to walleye fishing. The numbers are coming back up, the Fry brood are taking well and when you can drift in among 20 other boats like the good 'ol days, you'll be slammin' those 14 and 14.5 inchers left and right with a few 15s thrown in the mix and even a rare 18 to 25". Its inevitable, its called a Put-N-Take fishery!

Fully agree Shut.  Prior to the stocking issues of recent years, the norm has been to catch fish 0.5 to 1 inch under the legal size limit.  On only a few occassions do I recall the ratio of legal sized fish to undersized fish being favorable.  The concept of put and take is still not accepted by the masses, but it is what it is. 

Shut...let me get this straight.  You're saying the lake can't sustain the population if they were to be required to be at least 17" to keep, but you're suggesting it be catch and release only for a few years.  Call me crazy but putting everything back in seems like it wouldn't even be possible...according to your own description as to why increasing the minimum size wouldn't work.
 
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I'm glad you mention that what is above is in fact your opinion.  Yes I understand the concept of put and take and just how low the natural reproduction is in that lake, but that doesn't mean that it can't sustain bigger fish.

But I do agree with you when it comes to reducing the daily limit.  Once these smaller fish start reaching minimum size taking home a limit or fish shouldn't be all that challenging to any angler.  Reducing the limit even by 2 fish a person could have a positive affect.

I like the fact that we caught walleye all day long for a few keepers. For me it is better than catching 1 or 2 keepers only in a day which I have seen there before. Catching fish is a lot more fun than than not, even if just under size limit.

ORIGINAL: TastyTrout

Shut...let me get this straight.  You're saying the lake can't sustain the population if they were to be required to be at least 17" to keep, but you're suggesting it be catch and release only for a few years.  Call me crazy but putting everything back in seems like it wouldn't even be possible...according to your own description as to why increasing the minimum size wouldn't work.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I'm glad you mention that what is above is in fact your opinion.  Yes I understand the concept of put and take and just how low the natural reproduction is in that lake, but that doesn't mean that it can't sustain bigger fish.

You're missing the point...I'm not suggesting that C&R ONLY for a few years should be done....just saying that if you want bigger fish, thats one of the few ways more fish are going to have a chance to get bigger. Of course, not a feasible solution because it will never happen. It might happen though if the fish were natural and management was needed to save the species....However, they are NOT natural.

Finally, it can sustain bigger fish. Nobody, said it couldn't....if fish are allowed to get bigger, anywhere they can survive, they will get bigger. No brainer...It won't happen at Pymy though, especially if the fishing is good....that place gets hammered and thats OK...we have two states to manage it, as long as they can get along and continue to stock the crap out of it, the walleye fishing will be good. My point was simply that a 17" increase in limit size isn't going to make much of a difference in catching bigger fish....unless of course you're looking to catch fish that are 2" bigger than 15"...just sayin'

The reason why they are 15" is to keep the population down.  If you increase it to 17", the feed in that lake will decrease and the growth of these things will be slow. 

Can you imagine how many walleye would be in that lake if we had to wait another two years for these fish to see 17"?  You'll have another 2 classes in that lake with a very slow growth rate.  There could be a chance that some of those fish never see 17"!

Those fish are stocked with the intent of getting pulled out of that lake so the next class can grow into their legal limit.  As long as the stocking continues, there will always be walleye to catch.

I think it's fun catching 20-40 walleyes and only seeing 3-5 keepers.  If you want trophies, drive another 45 minutes to Erie.

i like the idea of slot limits... eat the eaters...leaves chances for some trophys if u cant keep em at say 24-30 inches ...idk just a thought    think the last time i kept a lil bigger walleye it was a bit fishy tasting anyways :)P

We had a blast as well. Caught 24 in two and a half hours and probably missed at least a half dozen at the boat on Friday night trolling rapalas. I felt like I was back in the boundary waters. All were 14.5-15.5, but all went back. I'd rather eat the crappies and hope to catch those 15.25 inchers next year when the have a little more meat on their bones. My hope is that with the larger population of alewifes in that lake than the "good old days of pymatuning" the next couple years at least the classes of fish continue to grow quickly till the predator to prey ratio gets back in check. We got stopped four times on Saturday by fish wardens, which I'm fine with. I'd rather see them all day long knowing it reduces some peoples urge to keep the sublegal ones, then not see them ever.