# walleye in the portage river?



## pig

can anyone explain y there is such a small run of walleye that runs up the river if any at all once you get past oak harbor there is a lot of sand bars and gravel it looks like a very good place to fish


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## ErieGoldSportfishing

I am guessing the reason is lack of quality spawing habitat. What little there might be is mostly above in the Elmore dam.


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman

A very small run, more like non existant. I tried all last year just looking for one walleye! couldn't find any at all biggest waste ever lol  It really does have a great looking area and I'm surprised even the white bass run isn't bigger but it is also small... I guess something just isn't right down there. Plus if you don't know people private property makes it hard to fish every hole you want...


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## Weekender#1

Fish right below the dam. The dams are what make the run so small, if they would tear them out then the walleye would come back. As we are about to see once they get the Ballville Dam down in Fremont.


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## flytyer

Weekender#1 said:


> Fish right below the dam. The dams are what make the run so small, if they would tear them out then the walleye would come back. As we are about to see once they get the Ballville Dam down in Fremont.


Weekender#1 aren't they suppose to start tearing out the Ballville dam sometime this year?


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## sploosh56

You'd be wasting your time on the Portage for eyes. I've put in my fair share of hours down there, zero fish to show for it. 

Once the dam comes out on the Sandusky, I sure hope it's an incredible surprise as to the volume of walleyes that are able to be produced from the river. Hopefully it'll offer more incentive to continue taking out the dams that block our streams.


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## Steel Cranium

I believe that it has more with the genes in the fish than the habitat or river location. I recall reading a study done with tracking fish where most fish in a river system consistently come from a different part of the lake (or another lake) due to slight differences in their strain. The Maumee sees most fish from Michigan, from the Detroit river and above. Many Ohio strains use the reefs while others use the Sandusky while a river of similar size and location (Huron) sees very few walleyes. There are even a few that consistently run east (Grand). Unlike the stocked steelhead, the walleyes seem to be better at returning to the home waters with less strays hitting other rivers, like the Portage.

Lots of detailed info here:

http://www.fws.gov/midwest/fisherie...Stock_discrimination_of_Lake_Erie_walleye.pdf


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## creekcrawler

From what I read, all Erie tribs had a run of resident walleye way back when. Dams and pollution took there toll.
Refuse pits from Native Americans along the Cuyahoga even had walleye bones in them.


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## AvianHunter

I've been fishing the Portage for over 20 years and on several occasions tried specifically targeting walleye in prime areas. I have to date never caught, nor seen one caught for that matter. The only people that have ever seen them in there are old timers. I did however hit the smallmouth in an epic manner one day...I've never been able to to hit the smallouth like that ever since but it was a day in late march that I will NEVER forget. I literally caught smallies in white bass numbers...don't understand it for the life of me to this day...


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## pig

i have also cleaned up on the smallmouth there as well also got into some nice pike while i was fishing for some white bass but never an walleye i just dont under stand it that river has evey thing but walleye


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## Slogdog

sploosh56 said:


> You'd be wasting your time on the Portage for eyes. I've put in my fair share of hours down there, zero fish to show for it.
> 
> Once the dam comes out on the Sandusky, I sure hope it's an incredible surprise as to the volume of walleyes that are able to be produced from the river. Hopefully it'll offer more incentive to continue taking out the dams that block our streams.


I'm curious to see what happens once the dam comes out of Sandusky. Is there any real access above? That "logjam" is what makes the white bass run "decent" at times (although not last year).


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## pig

is there any talk about the dam in the portage


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## sploosh56

pig said:


> is there any talk about the dam in the portage


I wish there was. I went on the DNR site that has all of the dams listed. Neither of the two on the portage are on there. I filled out the paper work and sent it in a couple of weeks ago. 

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/water/tabid/3357/Default.aspx

Those dams on the portage are about next to pointless btw. The one is cracked in half.

EDIT: Just looked on the site, I see that they have them posted now.

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/tabid/23296/Default.aspx


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## rutnut245

It wasn't all that long ago,15-20 yrs when we did pretty good on walleyes just below the 590 bridge.I didn't get to fish much last year as I tore off my quad tendon going down at the Maumee,but the year before I caught a couple.It never did have nearly the numbers as the Sandusky but you could catch a few if you hit it just right.If you were hammering smallmouth you just missed it.You also have to consider walleye numbers are now at a historical low.
I've never caught any on floaters there,the hot color was allways clear green sparkle on a 1/8-1/4 oz. jig head.Chatruese rapalas were also very good but now the hook restrictions are in place.They certainly aren't so thick you could foul hook them.Pike like the raps also.
Five or six years ago I was just stepping out when the Ottawa County G.W. stopped me to check my license.I had 2,one being about 28".He couldn't believe I caught them there.
As far as the dam goes,someone removed the boards about 10-12 yrs ago and the concrete between land and the right chute has since collapsed.It"s not much of an impedement for the fish anymore.I liked it better when it was intact.I've caught many steelhead and even a few salmon fishing the bubble line of the chutes.


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## pig

thanks rutnut 245 it nice to see people that still give fish facts on these site i have fished the 590 bridge alot and kill the whitebass and smallmouth there in april and may also get alot of rock bass and large mouth up river never been to the damn but always wanted too


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## rutnut245

As far as removing the Ballville dam goes,that is yet to be seen how that will effect the run.That dam has been there for many years,even during some of the best years of the run.What I believe is responsible for the low numbers of fish in the river is the low number of fish in the lake.Also the flood wall project downtown may have had something to do with it.I'm sure the tolulene spill in the 80's didn't help either.

According to the D.N.R. the majority of fish spawn in the lake and supposedly the fish going up the Maumee come from Michigan and Lake St.Caire.I've been fishing the run for many years,before the flood walls and twister tails,and the number of fish in the Sandusky river is nothing compared to what it used to be.


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## smokeeater1a10

I have a soft spot for the Portage. I used to go up every year but that past few have been a waste of a trip due to high water. I have done pretty fair catching the whites but never was up to try walleye but have always found evidence of walleye fishing in the river (snagged walleye jigs in the river). Didn't know smallies were in there in good numbers so now my interest is sparked. My point of entry was always the bridge by the power plant (cant remember the state route numbers). Private property owners can be a pain to deal with even while wading the river. I have never trespassed or violated anyone's property but there have been a few that try to run me out of the river claiming ownership of the water.


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## guppygill

smokeater, the reason they may have given you trouble is I think that property lines do not stop at the water line. If you floated on the water, it is ok, but they could also own the land under the water, someone correct me if I am wrong. I think I am right on this>

Rich


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## Weekender#1

I believe the Ballville dam on the Sandusky river is to start coming down in 2012. That is subject to change should there be problems building the new Fremont Res on RT 53 just north of the Rt12 & Rt 53 intersection.


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## pig

i think you are right the land in the river is not public it is owned that is y you should ask before you go there the people are nice and it shouldnt be hard to get permison


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## Cubfan Mike

As a former land owner on the Portage, and a fisherman, my understanding is that the river is a public place, while the land bordering it is privately held. I believe this is true because when I had my property surveyed for purposed of sale, the description did not go to the middle of the river. I am not 100% sure, but that is what my experience is.


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## robert44ht5

My understanding is that anything that is a natural river bottom is not owned by the private sector. Free to wade but do not step up on the bank.


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