MAUMEE, Ohio — The walleye run is “of-fish-ially" back in full swing.
WTOL 11 Meteorologist Matt Willoughby got a first-hand experience Tuesday on what it's like to fish for walleye by taking a boat out onto the Maumee River with a local expert.
Jared Noe, the owner of Maumee River Guide Service, LLC, said patience is key while fishing and it's significantly different to be an angler in a boat than standing on a bank.
"It's really different. There are a lot of different factors that are involved," Noe said. "The current's different, fighting a fish, the fish feel a lot heavier. You've got other people and boats you've got to worry about."
So, what is the sweet spot for walleye fishing? There are multiple factors.
"As soon as the fish start to push in you could pretty much go out any day and have a really good chance of catching one for basically the second week of March until the second week of April, anytime in there," Noe said. "Weather is not too important. If you can get out and fish, there are fish in the river."
The air and water temperatures are factors in how aggressive the fish will be on any given day.
"On sunny days where it's warmer that water temperature might warm up and actually get the fish in the spawning mode, so they might actually come be more aggressive, moving through the water," Noe said.
For first-time fishers during walleye season, Noe recommends getting weighers
Now if this is your first walleye fishing season, Doe recommends getting weighers and standing in the river before taking a boat out.
A fishing license is required and you can only catch up to six walleye per day.
"Get out and fish," Noe said. "We've got this world-class fishery in our backyard. People come from all over the country to fish and a lot of locals come down and give it a shot. It's super easy, anybody can do it. You don't have to have super fancy equipment."