Lake Erie anglers should experience another year of diverse fishing opportunities during 2010, according

to biologists with the Ohio DNR. "We expect fishing to begenerally good this year, especially if you are willing to take

advantage of the best opportunities," said Roger Knight, Lake Erie program manager."While fishing success will vary

among species and seasons, the lake's populations of walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, white bass and

steelhead are in fair to excellent condition." Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch are managed through an

interagency quota system that involves ON, MI, PA, NY and OH jurisdictions. Each jurisdiction

regulates their catches to comply with their quotas and minimize the risk of over-fishing these species. Quotas for

the upcoming fishing season are determined through consensus agreement by these jurisdictions through the Lake Erie

Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and are announced publicly in late March of each year.

Beginning this year, walleye and yellow perch bag limits will be set after the quota announcement, and

will go into effect May 1, 2010. The daily bag limit for walleye remains four fish per person during March and

April, 2010. As a result of the 2010 quota allocation, the walleye bag limit will be six from May 1, 2010 to

February 28, 2011, and four from March 1, 2011 to April 30, 2011. A 15-inch minimum size limit is in

effect during the entire season. The daily bag limit is 25 yellow perch per angler in the waters west of

Huron and 30 perch per angler from Huron eastward to the Pennsylvania border through April 30, 2010. As a

result of the 2010 quota allocation, the yellow perch bag limit will be 30 perch per angler lakewide from May

1, 2010 to April 30, 2011. There is no minimum size limit on yellow perch. Lake Erie anglers can find walleye

and yellow perch bag limit information at ODNR offices, in special publications at bait and tackle

shops, and on the Web at wildohio.com. Lake Erie anglers have great access to fishing in the Western and

Central basins due to the numerous public boat ramps, private marinas and shoreline areas. They also benefit

from having the largest charter boat industry in the Great Lakes.

Ohio walleye anglers will catch fish mostly from the 2007 and 2003 hatches, with some contributions from

the 2001, 2005 and 1999 hatches. Walleye from the moderate 2007 hatch will range from 14-19 inches

long and will complement the larger 20- to 28-inch fish from the strong 2003 hatch as the major contributors

to the Ohio catch. Fish from the fair 2005 hatch should be in the 19- to 23- inch range. Large walleye from strong

hatches in the 1980s and mid-1990s still persist in the population, providing "Fish Ohio" (more than 28

inches) opportunities. "Fish from the 2007 hatch grew faster than expected last year and showed up prominently in our fishery

in 2009 and they should dominate the West Basin catch this summer," said Knight. "The 2003 hatch is still holding strong and

will likely carrymost of the Central Basin fisheries, particularly as the waters warm up and large fish migrate eastward to

cooler waters."

Perch anglers should encounter fish ranging from 7- to 13-inches from the 2007, 2008, 2005 and 2003 hatches in this year's

fishery. Lake wide, perch numbers should be similar to levels observed in 2009 in the Western and Central basins. Small fish

from the weak 2009 hatch may show up in the fishery in the fall."Overall, we expect to have good perch fishing in 2010, with

the largest fish coming from the eastern part of the Central Basin," said Knight.

Smallmouth bass fishing in 2010 is expected to be fair. Although bass abundance remains below desired levels, those caught

should be of excellent size (15 to 22 inches, weighing 2 to 6 pounds). Bass fishing is best in areas with good bottom

structure, which is available across much of the entire Ohio near shore area.

A closed season remains in effect from May 1 through June 25, 2010, during which all black bass (smallmouth and

largemouth) must be immediately released. Beginning June 26, 2010, the daily bag limit for bass will remain at five fish, with a

14-inch minimum length limit.

Steelhead anglers should enjoy another year of great fishing in Ohio's Lake Erie tributaries throughout the

fall, winter and spring months. Good fishing opportunities will also exist on the open lake when schools of fish

can be located. Peak summer steelhead action on Lake Erie can be found offshore from June through

August between Vermilion and Conneaut, with catches measuring 17 to 29 inches. Most Lake Erie anglers

troll for steelhead in deep waters using spoons with dipsy divers or downriggers. The daily bag limit

remains at five fish per person from May 16 to August 31, and two fish per angler between September 1 and

May 15, with a 12-inch minimum size limit throughout the year.

White bass will continue to provide excellent seasonal fishing opportunities in the Maumee and

Sandusky rivers and in the open lake. The catch will be dominated by hatches from 2003 and 2005, which

will include many 13- to 16-inch fish. The 2006 and 2007 hatches were moderate and should contribute 10- to

14-inch fish to the fishery. Anglers should focus on major Western Basin