Pondering the past year of fishing helps forecast '06
Looking back can be a great way to see into the future, especially for anglers seeking clues about what to expect from their favorite waters.
What better time than Dec. 31 to look back for a peek at the upcoming year?
Trends and patterns become evident over time. What may be an alarming observation during one particular fishing trip may eventually be tempered by the angler's preceding and succeeding experiences.
In other words, it's not a good idea to despair over a poor day on the water as a sign that the sky is falling and the fish are gone.
Nor is it wise to put too much credence in an amazingly productive outing as an indicator that your lake is in the midst of a population explosion.
So here's what I saw in 2005 and what I expect to see in 2006.
Erie remains excellent
Lake Erie will continue the transition that has become apparent in recent years.
Long known as a premier destination for walleye and smallmouth, Erie has changed thanks to invasive species and increasing fishing pressure.
The big lake still has an excellent food chain, and it has a multitude of prime spawning water.
There simply is no reason for a walleye, smallmouth bass, yellow perch or steelhead to starve out there.
Zebra mussels' impact is widely known. They litter Erie's bottom in colonies that cling to solid objects and filter the water to a clarity that our grandfathers would never have imagined possible.
Another invader, the round goby, has become a dominant species whose food includes other fishes' eggs.
Gobies are being blamed for putting a dent in the smallmouth population by virtue of gang raids on nests full of bass eggs.
The smallies retaliate by eating gobies. Yellow perch, walleyes and sheephead also feed heavily on them.
Lake Erie will remain an excellent fishing choice in 2006, but anglers will need to expand their waters as more and more people discover its bounty.
I noticed on several occasions last season that the hordes of anglers working popular reefs, humps and drops could literally drive the fish off the structure in here-today-gone-tomorrow fashion.
Understanding reservoirs
Inland reservoirs should be good again in 2006.
Walleye stocking at Mosquito has perpetuated a strong population there.
They should continue to be a mainstay for anglers next spring and summer.
I'd predict, too, that Berlin will continue to be fair to good for walleyes and West Branch will yield some good catches to the few who take the time to learn where and how to catch them.
Crappies will be strong again in 2006.
It seems as though they can sustain big numbers on the bait-rich waters of our local reservoirs, despite heavy fishing pressure.
Largemouth bass numbers are up at Mosquito, though the fish seem to have a hard time growing into the 3-pound class there.
For bigger bass, anglers should look to Shenango Reservoir in 2006.
Unpredictable Ohio River
The Ohio River is a big question mark for 2006.
Prone to crazy swings in productivity, the river was an agonizingly tough place to fish in 2005 -- unless you were targeting catfish.
The up-and-down cycles are tough to understand, but experts point to the periodic flooding of the Ohio Valley as one reason for the unpredictable fishing. Weeks of high water can wipe out entire year classes of spawn.
During 2004 and 2005, I saw tremendous numbers of shad, which certainly indicates the game fish have plenty of food. But the keeper-sized bass, saugers and walleyes that were so abundant just several years ago were few and far between.
I'm encouraged, however, that the small fish that anglers found in 2005 are the foundation for another uptick in the Ohio's cycle.
I'm predicting that we'll see enough keepers to make the river a decent place to fish in 2006 and even better in 2007. All we need is some "normal" precipitation patterns.
Now we keep our fingers crossed. In the meantime, Happy New Year to all.
jwwollitz@aol.com