# Walleye stocking info



## Fishing75 (Mar 3, 2018)

Does anyone have the walleye stocking info for reservoirs in northern Ohio? I tried looking in older threads and could only find saugeye stockings. If someone could put the link here that would be much appreciated, thanks in advance.


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## DeathFromAbove (Oct 21, 2008)

They used to stock walleye in Findlay #1 and #2 , but I think they switched to saugeye. There is no info on their "New and Improved " website, which sucks by the way. There isnt even a section for NW Ohio on there. Southeast, Southwest, Central and Northeast, but NW totally omitted Good Luck with that The only fish stocking data i could find on there was Steelhead in the NE rivers
Theres some stocking data on old threads here, but I couldnt find anything past 2018


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## float4fish (Feb 15, 2017)

They still stock both at Findlay. Call the ODNR office and they will send you any species you request in a state wide data sheet. I have never been successful uploading the file here, or I would gladly attach it.


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## NWAngler (Apr 4, 2015)

I was able to get this info from the ODNR a few years ago by emailing their contact email on their website. I was interested in the numbers in the Findlay area and the program administrator got back to me with in a couple days and sent over all of the stocking info for everything in the Findlay area. Kevin Kayle was the administrator that sent me the info, you can try and contact him but I'm not sure if he is still in that position or not. [email protected]


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## Fishing75 (Mar 3, 2018)

I might contact them, was looking for more info around Clyde area, I fish the Clyde reservoirs quite a bit. And might try Willard sometime, I think there is walleye is both, heard people catching some but never caught any from either place myself


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## float4fish (Feb 15, 2017)

2009-2018 walleye stockings from Ohio State Fish Hatcheries
Let’s give it a shot to make it easier for everyone.


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## float4fish (Feb 15, 2017)

Oops


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## float4fish (Feb 15, 2017)

Maybe I can get a trifecta here.


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## whiskerchaser (Mar 13, 2013)

Awesome thanks float4fish. I'm really impressed with some of the perch stocking numbers and walleye numbers. Specifically the walley, explains why I'm catching hundreds in the 10 to 14.75inch mark. The next couple years fishing it gonna be great in my local upground


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## Fishing75 (Mar 3, 2018)

Float4fish, thank you. I didn’t get time to call or email the ODNR yet. Much appreciated.


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## float4fish (Feb 15, 2017)

whiskerchaser said:


> Awesome thanks float4fish. I'm really impressed with some of the perch stocking numbers and walleye numbers. Specifically the walley, explains why I'm catching hundreds in the 10 to 14.75inch mark. The next couple years fishing it gonna be great in my local upground


Those numbers dispute a lot of claims that these lakes are dead. Although I would not consider myself experienced anywhere, it seems a lot of guys still fish for inland walleye like they are Erie walleye. The fish are there!


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

That is some great information, thanks for posting! Makes me wish even more that we could get some cold weather and freeze up these lakes.

Kind of interesting to see that they stock both walleye and saugeye in some locations. I always assumed it was either one or the other. Not sure why it is, but of all the lakes i fish it seems i can only catch walleye. In the few lakes i fish that stock both or only saugeye..... i simply can't seem to connect with the saugeye. Wonder why that is. I am pretty sure i can tell the difference for the most part when it is obvious and i know (95% sure) that i have caught a total of 2 saugeye.... *EVER.* I think i need to make a new years resolution to figure out why that it.

It also surprises me about the numbers of perch stocked. With that many stocked over a span of years it has me scratching my head why i hardly ever catch fish over 6" or 7". I guess when they get that big they are worth their weight in gold in the eyes of a lot of anglers?


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## float4fish (Feb 15, 2017)

Fishing75 said:


> Float4fish, thank you. I didn’t get time to call or email the ODNR yet. Much appreciated.


No problem! I have been blessed with tons of information from this site. Let’s continue helping each other become better at what we all enjoy doing.


AtticaFish said:


> That is some great information, thanks for posting! Makes me wish even more that we could get some cold weather and freeze up these lakes.
> 
> Kind of interesting to see that they stock both walleye and saugeye in some locations. I always assumed it was either one or the other. Not sure why it is, but of all the lakes i fish it seems i can only catch walleye. In the few lakes i fish that stock both or only saugeye..... i simply can't seem to connect with the saugeye. Wonder why that is. I am pretty sure i can tell the difference for the most part when it is obvious and i know (95% sure) that i have caught a total of 2 saugeye.... *EVER.* I think i need to make a new years resolution to figure out why that it.
> 
> It also surprises me about the numbers of perch stocked. With that many stocked over a span of years it has me scratching my head why i hardly ever catch fish over 6" or 7". I guess when they get that big they are worth their weight in gold in the eyes of a lot of anglers?


I talked to Kevin at ODNR when I got these numbers about why they stock both. I was under the impression that in the Erie watershed only walleye were stocked. His explanation was that the upgrounds are nearly impossible for fish to get out of. 
As far as perch go, I wish the state would study why they just don’t grow. I have fished Marysville more than a few times and it seems they stop growing at about 6”. Back in 2019 when I got these numbers I told Kevin what I was catching there, and according to him those fish should have been over 9”. At Marysville, you can catch perch until you get bored and never get one over 6-7”and they are all skinny. 
I wish I could find a nice population some where other than Erie.


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## float4fish (Feb 15, 2017)

Oh, as far as your saugeye. One thing I notice about your fish pics is how much more green your fish are. In the lake I fish, they are all dark. Every one that I have caught has been dark. I can only tell them apart by dorsal spots.


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## partlyable (Mar 2, 2005)

Thanks for posting that float!!! I will say I did not recognize half of the yellow perch stockings but they seem to be mostly nw Ohio in upgrounds. Should be some good fishing in some of them. The walleye and saugeye was about what I expected. It’s still incredible they produce that many fish!


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## whiskerchaser (Mar 13, 2013)

With the perch issue I think it is more of a an angler issue with people keeping whatever they catch day in day out and they haven't been able to reach good size and reproduce good genes..William's when they started the size was decent but people hammered the crap out of them and every year the average size has went down... its has always surprised me that they stock saugeye in the Erie watershed. The main res I fish they stock both regular not sure what the chances of them getting thru pump station to river... back to the perch Grand Lake St.marys gets an insane amount of perch and I hear people talking about crappie and catfish there. Might have to investigate their perch fishing


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

Some of those numbers are crazy. I noticed the perch number going into GLSM right away. Also noticed the walleye number going into Willard. I wish i knew where those Willard walleye went because i did not catch a single keeper there this fall. The 2013 stocking explains why i did so good there a few years back. Overall, the walleye fishing sucked everywhere i went this year though.


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## whiskerchaser (Mar 13, 2013)

Yeah GLSM numbers are crazy and never hear of perch fishing there. Thia past year was the best I ever had as far as numbers and keepers. I think one thing that has help is the boat ramp is rough and very steep with just gravel so not many people get on it anymore.


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## BFG (Mar 29, 2006)

The number of saugeye stocked in Buckeye is UNREAL.....adding to that the number put in Seneca Lake is also UNREAL.


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## ress (Jan 1, 2008)

Great information. Thanks!

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## Spaniel235 (Jun 19, 2005)

Thank you for the information...


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

Just a reminder, when looking at those big stockings realize many of them are fry. A very small % of fry will survive


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## BlueRibbonTaxidermy (Feb 2, 2005)

Southernsaug said:


> Just a reminder, when looking at those big stockings realize many of them are fry. A very small % of fry will survive


I just came in here to say the same thing...….these stockings are ALL fingerlings and the survival rate to adult size (3 years) may be 2% at best


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## ress (Jan 1, 2008)

I remember a few yrs ago the white bass were feeding on those freshly stocked fry at Findlay res 2. At another time I saw a couple guys dip netting a bucket full from the boat dock. Did say something like, that's not cool. Response was, it's public.

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## float4fish (Feb 15, 2017)

BlueRibbonTaxidermy said:


> I just came in here to say the same thing...….these stockings are ALL fingerlings and the survival rate to adult size (3 years) may be 2% at best


Most are fry, but also correlate the large stocking numbers to what many consider the best saugeye lakes in the state, and some will say that Indian is the best saugeye lake in the country for both numbers and size. It’s cheaper for the state to release fry than to grow them into fingerling stages. Also, what would those numbers be if they were naturally reproduced? Of course many tiny fish will be consumed before growing to a catchable or even harvestable size. Releasing literally millions of fry into a place like Indian is the same as “great year classes” on Erie.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

float4fish, It's more of a space problem then a cost problem. Cost comparison from fry to pond reared fingerlings is not a huge difference. The hatcheries use literally every inch of rearing space they have and are maxed out, as they should be. They can hatch way more fry then they can rear in ponds, so this is just taking advantage of opportunity to put some bonus fish out there. If you go back and look at the population surveys someone posted last fall you will see that stocking numbers correlate pretty close to population densities. It's very simple, the more you put in the more you get out. The task is to optimize the putting in to those systems that show the best survival.

The numbers would be much less in a natural reproducing inland system, which is never going to happen with Saugeye, but some is happening with Walleye. Our inland lakes just do not have the potential spawning grounds.


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## whiskerchaser (Mar 13, 2013)

Granted alot of glsm numbers are fry but they have a ton of fingerlings also. That lake its self has gotten almost 2/3rd of the states stocking. It just amazes me of them numbers and no real reports of any kinda perch fishery there. Or just being a real good kept secret


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## Snookhunter52 (Apr 1, 2019)

float4fish said:


> Most are fry, but also correlate the large stocking numbers to what many consider the best saugeye lakes in the state, and some will say that Indian is the best saugeye lake in the country for both numbers and size. It’s cheaper for the state to release fry than to grow them into fingerling stages. Also, what would those numbers be if they were naturally reproduced? Of course many tiny fish will be consumed before growing to a catchable or even harvestable size. Releasing literally millions of fry into a place like Indian is the same as “great year classes” on Erie.



I think it mostly depends on the predator population. The dominant species in Indian are saugeye. White bass and crappie are present but in low numbers. White bass and crappie hit fry really hard. Another example is Hoover, the lake supports a very large crappie and white bass population which are hard on fry. You also have a healthy blue cat population which mostly eat shad but will eat other small fish so technically fingerlings aren't even safe. ODNR switched to stocking fingerlings after several years of low success. 2019 season was pretty good but this year had a lot of smaller fish. Hopefully this year will be better. On top of that they're also doing experimental stockings of walleye. We'll see how it goes. That's why its important to take part in ODNR surveys and reporting tagged fish because it's really the only real way to have your voice heard. Fisheries biologists can't base their findings on hunches or anecdotal information.


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## float4fish (Feb 15, 2017)

Southernsaug said:


> float4fish, It's more of a space problem then a cost problem. Cost comparison from fry to pond reared fingerlings is not a huge difference. The hatcheries use literally every inch of rearing space they have and are maxed out, as they should be. They can hatch way more fry then they can rear in ponds, so this is just taking advantage of opportunity to put some bonus fish out there. If you go back and look at the population surveys someone posted last fall you will see that stocking numbers correlate pretty close to population densities. It's very simple, the more you put in the more you get out. The task is to optimize the putting in to those systems that show the best survival.
> 
> The numbers would be much less in a natural reproducing inland system, which is never going to happen with Saugeye, but some is happening with Walleye. Our inland lakes just do not have the potential spawning grounds.


Always enjoy reading your posts, thanks for the reply! I would really like to hear your thoughts on why some lakes lose a lot of fish over the dam and some lose a little. It seems like the spillway at Indian can look like the Maumee when they are in there, but a place like Alum has a good crowd with relatively small catch rates. The GMR sounds like it has a healthy population, but I have never heard or read about anyone targeting let alone catching saugeye in Alum Creek or even the Big Walnut that flows out of Hoover. 
Just started fishing the up grounds for walleye, and really one consistently. I plan to get on at least one more ona regular basis this year. I think they are overlooked and not understood very well. It would be fantastic if somehow those bowls could have some circulation to create the conditions that would allow for a better spawn.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

float4fish, Mostly the lakes that lose a lot of Saugeye have deep discharges. The overflow spillways and high draw tunnels don't seem to lose as many. The corp. has worked with fisheries some in manipulating this. Some system's main fishery is the tailwaters, like deer creek. So fish leaving is not a big deal there. I agree about targeting the streams. I fish some of the streams below Saugeye lakes and catch a lot of Saugeye for several miles down stream. I bet they are in Alum andBig walnut too. Usually access is what keeps people away


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## Snookhunter52 (Apr 1, 2019)

float4fish said:


> Always enjoy reading your posts, thanks for the reply! I would really like to hear your thoughts on why some lakes lose a lot of fish over the dam and some lose a little. It seems like the spillway at Indian can look like the Maumee when they are in there, but a place like Alum has a good crowd with relatively small catch rates. The GMR sounds like it has a healthy population, but I have never heard or read about anyone targeting let alone catching saugeye in Alum Creek or even the Big Walnut that flows out of Hoover.
> Just started fishing the up grounds for walleye, and really one consistently. I plan to get on at least one more ona regular basis this year. I think they are overlooked and not understood very well. It would be fantastic if somehow those bowls could have some circulation to create the conditions that would allow for a better spawn.


There's good numbers of saugeye in big walnut and alum creek below the dam. The fish in alum creek directly below the dam are heavily pressured and I recommend looking for access further downstream than that isn't as pressured. With big walnut its not really where but when. During certain times of the year large numbers of fish will congregate in deeper pools together.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

Snookhunter52 said:


> There's good numbers of saugeye in big walnut and alum creek below the dam. The fish in alum creek directly below the dam are heavily pressured and I recommend looking for access further downstream than that isn't as pressured. With big walnut its not really where but when. During certain times of the year large numbers of fish will congregate in deeper pools together.


Yup late fall and early winter the next time is just about here. Mid feb. to mid March. Prespawn movement starts with males then the sows show up....getting anxious.


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## kevinw (Apr 27, 2020)

float4fish said:


> No problem! I have been blessed with tons of information from this site. Let’s continue helping each other become better at what we all enjoy doing.
> 
> I talked to Kevin at ODNR when I got these numbers about why they stock both. I was under the impression that in the Erie watershed only walleye were stocked. His explanation was that the upgrounds are nearly impossible for fish to get out of.
> As far as perch go, I wish the state would study why they just don’t grow. I have fished Marysville more than a few times and it seems they stop growing at about 6”. Back in 2019 when I got these numbers I told Kevin what I was catching there, and according to him those fish should have been over 9”. At Marysville, you can catch perch until you get bored and never get one over 6-7”and they are all skinny.
> I wish I could find a nice population some where other than Erie.


IDK if it's about growth or just ability to thrive in up grounds or behavior or what, but there are signs and bouys marking ongoing research on Perch in the Findlay reservoirs...


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## whiskerchaser (Mar 13, 2013)

Same with lima resivours on the bouys and such. one fella I talked to said they were netting perch from metzger and taking them to findlay.


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