# maumee river



## TPfisher

just wondering if anybody can tell me when the walleye run starts up there?


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## flwboy2010

TPfisher said:


> just wondering if anybody can tell me when the walleye run starts up there?


mid april it starts getting real hot but it is ok in end of march


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## TPfisher

i'm gonna make my first trip up there this spring


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## fishingwithjohnnyjohnson

Is it only fishable by wading or can the river be fished with a kayak to get away from everyone?


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## Redhunter1012

I'd strongly suggest gong the wading route. Atleast wade around up there until you see what it is about.


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## fishingwithjohnnyjohnson

Thanks. Are there places to get away from the shoulder to shoulder fishing? And how's the fishing etiquette there?


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## swantucky

fishingwithjohnnyjohnson said:


> Thanks. Are there places to get away from the shoulder to shoulder fishing? And how's the fishing etiquette there?


You can sometimes get away from the shoulder to shoulder, but not very often. There is a reason all of the guys are packed into certian spots.

For the most part etiquette is o.k. But like anytime you get a large group of people together you are going to get some a-holes.


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## bkr43050

The best way to avoid the shoulder to shoulder fishing would be to avoid the weekends.


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## olderfer

fishingwithjohnnyjohnson said:


> Is it only fishable by wading or can the river be fished with a kayak to get away from everyone?


I've canoed and kayaked the Maumee for many years. I'm 70 now, and no longer do it during the run. The problem is too many people. If you are in productive water you are ALWAYS upstream of boaters or waders or both. That plus powerful current spells trouble.

Jim


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## Bassthumb

I've lived 2 miles away nearly my entire life. My advice is stay away. If I had to drive any distance to fish the run I would never do it. My new years resolution is to not fish the run this year. IMO it is the most boring fishing I have ever done. Standing shoulder to shoulder in the productive spots is very annoying, fishing elswhere is unproductive, and the weather usually sucks. I fished it out of my Yak this year and it was preferable to wading imo. Dont take kids under 18. There are inevitably quite a few yahoo's down there that are completely classless. Thank goodness I am moving to Cleveland this week; will be switching up to the rocky and the grand going for steel. Enjoy the circus! Also didnt matter if you were there on a Wednesday this past year, it was still a swathe of people. The most I have ever seen. I dont think this year will be any better.

Bassthumb


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## BFG

> Thank goodness I am moving to Cleveland this week; will be switching up to the rocky and the grand going for steel.


Don't let the door hit ya' where the good Lord split ya'....

I would suggest not fishing the run either. All of you...please...don't fish the run this year.


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## swantucky

bfg said:


> don't let the door hit ya' where the good lord split ya'....
> 
> i would suggest not fishing the run either. All of you...please...don't fish the run this year.
> 
> :d


good advice!!!


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## ERIE REBEL

BFG said:


> Don't let the door hit ya' where the good Lord split ya'....
> 
> I would suggest not fishing the run either. All of you...please...don't fish the run this year.


Listen to what BFG says.EVERYBODY should STAY AWAY from the Maumee.


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## normd

I live a stones throw from the river. I stopped fishing the run many years ago, because of the idiots. What people don't realize is the number of nice resident walleye in the river year round. Have fun at the during the run. But help us all out and pickup after yourself.


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## swantucky

normd said:


> I live a stones throw from the river. I stopped fishing the run many years ago, because of the idiots. What people don't realize is the number of nice resident walleye in the river year round. Have fun at the during the run. But help us all out and pickup after yourself.


If people picked up after themselves how much fun would I have filling up a grocery bag an afternoon with all of their crap?? I might have to walk more than three steps to fill my bag I like picking up worm containers the best. I always wonder WTF is fishing with crawlers during the run

Honestly I have almost given up. I used to try and fill a bag a day but most days I just want to get my fish before I kill someone. I agree with another poster that it does not seem to matter what day you fish, the crowds are pretty much the same

If I had to describe the run on a sunny spring day I would have to say it is like going to 3 fairs on free day, 2 WWE events, and the welfare check/foodstamp line all rolled into one I for one frigging love it No place I would rather be!!


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## See Oh

swantucky said:


> If I had to describe the run on a sunny spring day I would have to say it is like going to 3 fairs on free day, 2 WWE events, and the welfare check/foodstamp line all rolled into one I for one frigging love it No place I would rather be!!


Yeah, that. &#8593;


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## Redhunter1012

Bassthumb said:


> I've lived 2 miles away nearly my entire life. My advice is stay away. If I had to drive any distance to fish the run I would never do it. My new years resolution is to not fish the run this year. IMO it is the most boring fishing I have ever done. Standing shoulder to shoulder in the productive spots is very annoying, fishing elswhere is unproductive, and the weather usually sucks. I fished it out of my Yak this year and it was preferable to wading imo. Dont take kids under 18. There are inevitably quite a few yahoo's down there that are completely classless. Thank goodness I am moving to Cleveland this week; will be switching up to the rocky and the grand going for steel. Enjoy the circus! Also didnt matter if you were there on a Wednesday this past year, it was still a swathe of people. The most I have ever seen. I dont think this year will be any better.
> 
> Bassthumb


Wow, you just nailed it. You should make an Infomercial repeating all this and I will pay for it to be aired on local TV from March 1st through the end of April.


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## BFG

And take a thousand people with you to Cleveland. 

BTW...you won't find the Rocky as quiet as you think! LOL


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## crittergitter

swantucky said:


> Honestly I have almost given up. I used to try and fill a bag a day *but most days I just want to get my fish before I kill someone*. I agree with another poster that it does not seem to matter what day you fish, the crowds are pretty much the same


The end of your quote was colorful and clever, but this part is just brilliant. It's a 1 to 2 day treat for me most years, but if I lived there and fished it many times in a year I am sure I would feel the exact same way! lol


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## J10Shank

I will be fishing the run for the first time this year. Have grown up in Northwest Ohio, but never braved the Maumee. We always just fished Erie in the summer. Looking forward to it this year. Got a pair of waders for Christmas and some gift cards for some gear. Suggestions on gear must haves?


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## tobeast

go buy hundreds of floating jigheads and 5/8 and 3/4 sinkers pink and also green 3 twister tails


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## fshnfreak

also i would get ur flaoters at janns netcraft u can order them online or go to the showroom in maumee. better deal than buying them from maumee bait and tackle and or the guys selling them at the river. as for the twister tails i always have pink, chartreuse,yellow,white,and orange on hand but again its your preference. as for the sinkers depending on the river level a wide variety of 1/4- 3/4 oz egg sinkers obviously the higher the water level the heavier the weight. also when tying ur carolina rigs i like to tie up about 10 or so ahead of time. i prefer 16-24" leaders i let the fish decide what they want on any given day. i usually start long and shorten it as needed. i also use just cheap barrel swivels from wally world not the snap swivels just the plain old barrel swivel will work fine. the leader off the swivel is always smaller lb test than my main line. i usually use 10lb test main line with an 8 lb test leader. i also carry a small spool of leader mono with me in case u run out of ur pretied rigs. dont forget the plain old lead heads i cant count the number of times when they have produced for me when the floaters didnt. good luck out there and be safe this spring. i thnk im gonna try my luck on the reefs this year instaed of the river if i make it to a river it will be the sandusky i hate hand to hand combat fishing.


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## Lazy Eye

Fished with Lefercor last season, first time out for the year in the river 10 minutes into it an old asian guy fished 10 feet behind me and everyone else, his first cast snagged my waders and put a hole in em. Was pretty ticked off but what the heck ya gonna do??? He was like 75 years old. We yelled at him to move. He replied but no comprende. Oh well with so many people u just have to take ur chances or stay on the couch.

Mike


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## midoh39

On janns netcrafts website how do you choose the size floaters you want. Sorry for the stupid question but I just don't want to order the complete wrong size.


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## BFG

I'll use #2's when the water is dirty...#4's when it clears up.


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## J10Shank

Thanks guys. Should be interesting. Looking forward to it. Gonna try to get up there as much as I can...


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## Bucket Mouth

I'm not a fan of the run for some of the reasons stated here. If you have a kayak, I would say use it to get to the opposite side of the river from where the public access points are. Beach the 'yak and wade where you don't have to worry about the guy next to you hucking a 1 oz sinker on 40 lb braid that you snag his line every 3rd cast because 1/4 oz sinker is all that is needed. It's like snagging fish in a barrel down there. I'd rather hit the crappies and pike rather deal with the circus.

If you actually are trying to fish from a 'yak......Don't. The Maumee has some pretty fast water, ESPECIALLY when the water is over 580, which it usually is in the spring. Paddling upstream will give you a workout, and I would not tempt fate because if you dumped a yak or canoe in that cold water, you could be in serious trouble. The Maumee is a river that demands respect.


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## olderfer

If you actually are trying to fish from a 'yak......Don't. The Maumee has some pretty fast water, ESPECIALLY when the water is over 580, which it usually is in the spring. Paddling upstream will give you a workout, and I would not tempt fate because if you dumped a yak or canoe in that cold water, you could be in serious trouble. The Maumee is a river that demands respect.[/QUOTE]






Could not agree more.

The last time I kayaked during the run, I launched at Orleans and rounded the little bend just upstream to head up river. Paddled furiously for five minutes (it seemed much longer) without moving the boat an inch. Turned around and went home.

When the river is up, there are few eddies or other safe "holding" areas that are so handy to kayakers during the summer. And all that fast, cold water is nothing to fool with.

Jim


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## luv fishing

i got a question guys, would you give advice to someone at the river if they asked you and you seen them strugglin? im asking because lat year was my first year up there and some guys up there that i didnt know was watching me then they started givng me advice because they seen me having a rough time and i was trien to be carefull not to mess up everybodys fishing by staying out of the way


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## swantucky

luv fishing said:


> i got a question guys, would you give advice to someone at the river if they asked you and you seen them strugglin? im asking because lat year was my first year up there and some guys up there that i didnt know was watching me then they started givng me advice because they seen me having a rough time and i was trien to be carefull not to mess up everybodys fishing by staying out of the way


I always try and help if someone asks, I know my buddies and I have gone as far as giving someone enough tackle to get going if they did not have the right stuff. I'll admit I am not the best teacher but I try. Best advice I could give someone is to try and fish the first couple times with someone who has done it a bit. You can learn more in a couple hours from someone showing you than you will learn in 5 trips on your own. I know we have hosted hunting buddies from out of town and generally have them catching fish in less than an hour.


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## haleybrock

swantucky said:


> I always try and help if someone asks, I know my buddies and I have gone as far as giving someone enough tackle to get going if they did not have the right stuff. I'll admit I am not the best teacher but I try. Best advice I could give someone is to try and fish the first couple times with someone who has done it a bit. You can learn more in a couple hours from someone showing you than you will learn in 5 trips on your own. I know we have hosted hunting buddies from out of town and generally have them catching fish in less than an hour.




How do you catch these walleyes you guys talk about??


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## swantucky

haleybrock said:


> How do you catch these walleyes you guys talk about??


Ask Mr. Moony


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## See Oh

swantucky said:


> Ask Mr. Moony


Yeah that. &#8593;


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## roger23

She is open now get ready,,,


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## slaughtereyez

i heard there will be nets set in place so they cannot make the run so far up this year, creating a better spawn...can anyone confirm this?...everyone should line up along the river downtown and bring your 2 oz. weights


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## BFG

> How do you catch these walleyes you guys talk about??



BWAHAHAHAAAAAA....yeah right Haleybrock....LMAO!


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## BFG

> i heard there will be nets set in place so they cannot make the run so far up this year, creating a better spawn...can anyone confirm this?...everyone should line up along the river downtown and bring your 2 oz. weights


I was also told that the Army Corps of Engineers yet again did some work between Schroeder's and Buttonwood opening up a once boulder clogged avenue for our walleye friends to travel.

That's Bigtime information right there...let me tell ya' what...

BFG


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## walleyecraig

slaughtereyez said:


> i heard there will be nets set in place so they cannot make the run so far up this year, creating a better spawn...can anyone confirm this?...everyone should line up along the river downtown and bring your 2 oz. weights


does anybody have any details about this? or know if this would be in affect for this year?


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## stex1220

swantucky said:


> It was touched on briefly in the state of the union speech last night.


 Thats funny


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## misfit

once again,some have proven that a simple question about the walleye run,is all it takes to invite political commentary

just what part of "no politics" don't you people understand?


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## BFG

Man...I coulda sworn that Swanny and I both posted some funny (and SATIRICAL) stuff right here....


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## misfit

and i could have sworn you both know the rules here too


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## swantucky

slaughtereyez said:


> i heard there will be nets set in place so they cannot make the run so far up this year, creating a better spawn...can anyone confirm this?...everyone should line up along the river downtown and bring your 2 oz. weights


Guys I made a smart azzed post regarding this that was removed. What can I say, its too early to even think about fishing the river and the ice on Erie has not happened yet. I claim cabin fever

There are no plans that I have heard of to put up any nets. I am sure there would be some sort of press release if this was going to happen. How would stopping the fish from moving upriver improve the spawn??


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## swantucky

misfit said:


> and i could have sworn you both know the rules here too


You mean you just can't make stuff up and post it?? You have to admit it was pretty funny Can we just make stuff up if it does not concern politics?? Sorry just giving you a hard time misfit. We need the weather to break or some ice to form on Erie!


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## misfit

LOL.hell,most of the stuff posted is made up anyway
i understand better than most,the affects of cabin fever,which is why i don't take y'all out behind the woodshed for every slip
now if you fall off the wagon,that's another story


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## BFG

> LOL.hell,most of the stuff posted is made up anyway


EXACTLY! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But yeah....if anyone copied my post...please PM it to me...I know where I can post it and not break the rules.


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## misfit

BFG.........check your pm's.


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## ufaquaoiler

us fishermen make stuff up??? NEVER!!! especially from those of us that double as hunters


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## saugeyesam

We fished the run from mid March through the first of May last year and went mostly during the week, and we never really had too large of a crowd to contend with. I seen someone mention an older Asian man, we encountered a similar incident at buttonwood last year every time someone hooked a fish he would cast over their line and real till his jig was tangle with the other guys. causing several people to lose fish. Not sure what he was trying to do but he didn't stay long before he moved down to annoy the next group of guys. Apparently the only English he knew was the Warreye... So why would the Corp of Engineers be removing rocks and boulders from the river? That doesn't make any sense, wouldn't that be destroying habitat?


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## roger23

ufaquaoiler said:


> us fishermen make stuff up??? NEVER!!! especially from those of us that double as hunters


All Fishermen are Liars except you and me and some thimes I am not sure about you ....

I got this when I was a kid in the 1950's,, its hell to get old,,but just remember these will be the good old days soon


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## Rod&Reel-Bow&Arrow

Man there are alot of gullible people on here


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## killingtime

they are unloading bulldozers and excavators at buttonwood as of an hour ago.


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## luv fishing

killingtime are you joking around?


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## killingtime

i was wondering how long it was going to take someone to ask. i just wanted to give them guys that had cabin fever something to do. i wonder if anybody already went to buttonwood to check. yes i am joking.


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## BFG

> So why would the Corp of Engineers be removing rocks and boulders from the river? That doesn't make any sense, wouldn't that be destroying habitat?


No...it would be restoring habitat back to it's normal state. Those boulders wouldn't have moved down there had not the flood-stage waters of the past few years come roaring down from the Maumee River basin. The basin drains FAST...as every field is from here to Ft. Wayne is tiled. Hell, we can go from 587' to 583' in about 48 hours. First...no way should it get that high as often as it does, and second...no way should the river be raging like it does. 

Don't think for a MINUTE that the speed at which the basin drains hasn't changed the ecosystem and water quality in the river. Such things drastically affect the spawn as well, not to mention put all that silt out into the lake, suffocating eggs that are laid on the reefs. 

Everyone keeps looking for a problem in the lake on which to blame the poor hatches of the last two decades (save 2003). Why doesn't someone look at the satellite images and then think again....

If 85% of the walleyes that spawn in lake erie do so on the Western basin reefs...how successful are those 85% going to be when the reefs are 100% covered in mud for the majority of April?


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## roger23

it would be restoring habitat back to it's normal state.What is the normal state?????? I learned how to swim in the Maumee In the late 40'S My Moms brother drowned when he fell off the interurban railroad bridge,,I think they would have to start at least at Jerome Road and go to the Cherry street bridge,,,,,the depth of the river has changed a lot over the years and I only go back to the late 40's,,I grew up 6 blocks from white st assess,,and a friend lived on the curve on river road needless to say I spent a lot of time on the river


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## paintED

hey if anybody is interested here's a picture of the jig mold I had made to make my own floaters for the Maumee. works awesome. costs 75 bucks. A buddy of mine makes them when he gets ten orders in. You buy the polystryrene off of ebay for about 15 bucks and you get enough to make about 2000 jigs. You have to buy hooks too but they are inexpensive as well. I guess its all in what type of hook you buy,I buy the less expensive sickle hooks ,they straighten out easier during a snag and I leave less lead in the river and keep more hardware. Anyway here are some pics. there are more on the tackle making forum.


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## Lake Erie

Eye catching post (putting nets up in the river to prevent spawning walleye from going too far upriver) that started a minor mishap with OGF posting rules. Does bring up something worth mentioning; the ecological history of the lower Maumee River.

The current condition of the river, namely the high runoff flow and high sediment load, has been around for over a hundred years. The watershed reached a high in tilled (farmed) acres probably sometime in the 60s or early 70s (guess), so the flow rates have been roughly the same for at least four decades. The rivers current ecology is no worse than it was 40 years ago; actually its quite better due to wastewater treatment plant upgrades and other environmental improvements. However, it is nothing like it was in pre-settlement days, even though spring fishing has been going on since the soldiers at Fort Meigs fished for White Bass in 1813.


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## TPfisher

is anybody actually going to post anything helpful and unsarcastic?


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## BFG

Nope. I no catch warreye.

BFG


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## killingtime

tpfisher alot of it depends when the water temperature starts getting right. you will start seeing reports in march sometime. alot of people say the peak is around easter give or take a week. but then again alot of it depends on the weather. keep an eye on ogf for the reports. go to last years reports starting about march 15 thru april 20 and you will get alot of information on the bite.


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## Mr. Moony

swantucky said:


> ask mr. Moony


to busy snaggin warreyes below the dams on the big o, so i dont have time for warreye 101


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## Redhunter1012

Mr. Moony said:


> to busy snaggin warreyes below the dams on the big o, so i dont have time for warreye 101


You still using them Husky Jerks to do that?


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## ufaquaoiler

drove over the 475 bridge yesterday and all along bluegrass island is locked up with ice. there was just a little open water near the bridge, so as for maumee river cabin fever is forecasted for at least another 3-4 weeks. looking at my fish pictures from years past ive usually started to catch 1-2 fish around march 7-9 and 3-4 starting at march 20-23 or so. all depends on weather though...once the water hits high 30s is when i start having some luck, but mid 40s is when i start doing a lot better.


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## westtoledofisherman

i have company from Texas that are giving up on some bass fishing for about a week to come out and try our walleye run. He's coming down from march 6 through march 15; is the walleye run during this time? sorry, im from Texas and have no clue about the walleye run dates.


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## killingtime

that is usually the time the males will start running but alot of it depends on how warm it will get that early. if you can plan around easter it would be better but then again you never know. the big females will be in sometime in april.


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## Mr. Moony

Redhunter1012 said:


> You still using them Husky Jerks to do that?


o yea that baby got 9 hooks


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## ufaquaoiler

if theyre out all day every day then they will probably catch at least something, but this isn't going to be peak time by any means. late march through late april works great, but i fill my stringer fastest in late april when the crowds are down compared to early april but still plenty of fish in the river. although they can be caught any time, i find that i have best luck getting a big female earlier in the run before they lay their eggs if they want a wall hanger. females will not hit while spawning and leave the river right after, so long as it warms up enough for the females to come in when your company comes, they have a pretty decent shot at a 26"+ fish.


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## freakofnature13

march 6th is kinda early not sayin u wont catch any but if you seriously wanna get there and catch some fish anything after the 20th of march and through april..im done with the river every yr by late april as soon as the white bass show up.. i always wanted to go may 1st for 6 but heck with it im fishin inland by then..if i had a pic the first week of april is always hott.. try goin during the week to beat the weekend crowd you'll be able to fish some holes that may be too packed and if your a beginner you'll be able to learn a lil easier..by trial an error.. not to promote any other website or anything im a firm believer in ogf.. but Maumeetackle.net is a very useful site as well when it comes to the river run.. hope this helps i check that that daily to check water levels and where the bite is..


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## BFG

I'm going out on a limb here and saying that walleyes will not be caught in the Maumee by March 6th this year. 

Look at the long term forecast. I'll take a day or two above freezing please...


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## fishingfoolBG

Warning to all wareye fisherman: 
Watch your pictures on OGF of the wareyes you post, they may be photo chopped by KennyG and posted on Youtube, hahaha D-bag! 

P.S. Let me know if any of guys see him out in his port-a-boat!
FFBG


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## chet

edit


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## roger23

pike are in the creeks now ,,,have only saw some small ones but they are there,,,also some carp


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## Kujo

thanks roger, I was going to head down there to check things out. I will be fishing Thursday for sure now!


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## FishinDawg

I've heard from a DNR officer that more attention is going to be on people who litter( I say people becuase thier not real fisherman if they liter) but anway there gonna be aggresive on writting tickets, State of Ohio DNR has alot of bills to pay, so if you cant pick up after yourself, expect to write the a nice check.


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## Redhunter1012

Kujo said:


> thanks roger, I was going to head down there to check things out. I will be fishing Thursday for sure now!


Hopefully I'l be there with you. Damn Insurance company


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## eyepod.barnes

I seen a ranger at Milton give 98$ ticket for snagging and a 389$ ticket for littering 2 beer cans. I can see why they would rather catch you littering.


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## crittergitter

As the air warms it will begin to melt this snow and ice on the ground. That is very cold water entering the creeks and rivers. A nice warm up AFTER all this snow is gone would be ideal. 

Besides everyone knows the run doesn't get good until about May 20th or so anyway.


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## ufaquaoiler

i was in the area yesterday and the river by the conant street bridge is open. however, the slack water at orleans was still iced over and the river at the 75 bridge is COMPLETELY iced over. my guess is another 2 weeks until reasonable fishing starts since we have all the snow to melt off that will keep the water cold. after that i cant wait til the first warm rain!!!


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## swantucky

FishinDawg said:


> I've heard from a DNR officer that more attention is going to be on people who litter( I say people becuase thier not real fisherman if they liter) but anway there gonna be aggresive on writting tickets, State of Ohio DNR has alot of bills to pay, so if you cant pick up after yourself, expect to write the a nice check.


About time!! I get tired of cleaning up a bunch of junk only to return the next day and there is new garbage.


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## Kujo

FishinDawg said:


> I've heard from a DNR officer that more attention is going to be on people who litter( I say people becuase thier not real fisherman if they liter) but anway there gonna be aggresive on writting tickets, State of Ohio DNR has alot of bills to pay, so if you cant pick up after yourself, expect to write the a nice check.


Does that mean they can write you a ticket if your line breaks, or you lose a bag of tails? I don't want to sound stupid but I new to the river.


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## HOCKEY

I have to disagree on the females won't bite while they are spawning, if you switch your color of twister to purple or black,
you will get alot of legal females,if thats what your after, as far
as the start of the run, I have been fishing the run since
1967, I always start two weeks after the ice breaks, and allways
get females and males, you have to fish the quite, backwaters,
were theres a mud bottom, area warms quicker, small tails,
lighter weights 3/16, 1/4 or 5/16 oz., double tails work great, yellow, white, and orange to start the season


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## westtoledofisherman

well im planning on wading into the river this coming saturday so hopefully i can get some of those walleye!


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