John Hageman

Even as the mild winter has morphed into a cool spring, the spawning runs of walleyes going into the Sandusky and Maumee rivers have gained steam anyway, as evidenced by the increasing success of anglers wading in after them. With an estimated 94 million 2-year and older walleyes in the 2023 population according to the biologists serving on the Lake Erie Committee, there is bound to be a noticeable uptick in the number of fish choosing one of the rivers to spawn in. 

In what will only get better in the coming weeks, Bernie Whitt at the Anglers Supply bait store in Fremont and Mario Campos at Maumee Tackle Fishing Outfitters are each reporting that walleyes are being caught in the early stages of the annual spawning runs on the Sandusky and Maumee rivers, respectively.
Here’s where to go and what to know about this unique fishing experience.