Fishermen anticipating a more prosperous walleye run for 2020

MAUMEE, Ohio — To go along with the time change, another sure sign that Spring is right around the corner are fishermen flocking the Maumee River to catch walleye.

As temperatures start to warm up on northwest Ohio's second consecutive 60-degree day, so does the number of fishermen wading into the river hoping to catch some walleye.

"The water temperature is just getting right," said Marco Campos, owner of Maumee Tackle. "That magic number is 41, 42 degrees is when heavy numbers of walleye start coming in from Lake Erie."

Currently, fishermen are not doing that well, but that should change quickly.

"Guys are pulling out one or two fish here and there. Nothing's really high yet. Next week we should see a steady increase."

And this year they can catch a couple more walleye than in years past.

"The limit on walleye this year is six fish, increased from four over the previous years."

The other good news this year: With no ice jams, all the typical hot spots are open again.

"The parks department, the city of Perrysburg, the city of Maumee, those guys have done a great job to get everything repaired. Everything is open this year, all your public access sites."

Being new to the area, I wanted to know what is so unique about the walleye run.

"I get the thrill of being out and being peaceful and, you know, going out and being out with my friends." fisherman Richard Cook described.

Once Cook caught his first walleye, he fell in love with the walleye run.

"The first time I ever did it in 2000, I caught a 28-inch on my first cast ever on a 10-pound test line and ever since then I was hooked."

Fishing reports are updated regularly on the walleye run website.