PITTSBURGH — Anglers in Pennsylvania's portion of Lake Erie reported the second-highest walleye catch rates since 1993 for July and landed in the top five highest rates for August.

"This has been one of our better seasons," said Mark Haffley, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's leader for Lake Erie's research unit.

"These last seven years saw higher than average catch rates. We haven't had fishing like this ever," he said.

The commission's July survey found a catch rate of 1.99 fish per hour, much higher than the 0.6 fish per hour satisfactory rate, Haffley said.

"Lake Erie from the Ohio line to the New York line — the fishing has been phenomenal this year," he said.

The commission also found above-average numbers of walleye reaching maturity, Haffley said, adding that it's hard to tell how long the trend will hold.

The walleye population is estimated at 77 million in Lake Erie from the Pennsylvania and Ohio line west to Toledo, Ohio, according to the commission. Record hatches since 2015 account for the abundance.

Walleye can live more than 20 years in Lake Erie, according to Ohio's Lake Erie Fisheries. In Pennsylvania, the Fish and Boat Commission has documented a 27-year-old walleye, Haffley said.

The 2024 adult walleye population estimate is within the top 25% of the past 30 years, competing with the renowned populations of the 1980s, according to the Ohio Angler Report.

In Erie County, walleye catches at Walnut Creek Access were high this year; a packed parking lot has been the norm for the past seven or eight years, Haffley said.

Walnut Creek is in Fairview, about a dozen miles west of Erie.

Some anglers shifted east to Shades Beach in North East, which offers quick access to deep water.

The S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie Fishing Club, with 2,500 members, has seen bountiful walleye and more anglers this year, said Jerry Skrypzak, the club's president.

Most Lake Erie walleye migrate west as autumn approaches. However, a robust local population overwinters.(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

"On weekends, parking lots are full with boats and trailers. It's been phenomenal," he said.

The Erie County-based nonprofit promotes and protects the fishery and offers fishing programs focusing on youth, Skrypzak said.

The Fish and Boat Commission expects the walleye season to continue well into October, Haffley said.

In the fall, female walleye pack on weight for egg production. Most walleye migrate west as autumn approaches. However, a robust local population will overwinter.

The warming of Lake Erie's western basin, with algae blooms in Toledo, has shifted the walleye population to the central basin, Haffley said.

"We have adult walleye known for an incredible homing response and site fidelity at the Walnut Creek Marina," he said.

The commission has been surveying walleye using telemetry tagging there.

"We're seeing more fish in higher concentrations in different areas. There's more happening locally for us," he said.

The central part of Lake Erie has been prolific historically and that continues, according to Skrypzak.

"In the spring as the lake warms in Toledo, the fish are looking for 55-degree weather and that is here."

Skrypzak's son, a fishing charter captain, reported hitting the walleye limit in two hours this year, with some charters going out twice daily.

"We get a lot of tourist fishermen. The campgrounds and motels are loaded with them," he said.

Skrypzak, 82, has watched and promoted more fishing opportunities, and his club supports new developments to offer more public access to the lake. New dock projects are slated at Presque Isle State Park and Lampe Marina, near Presque Isle Bay.

Recreational fishing in Lake Erie in Pennsylvania generated a $40.6 million economic impact for the 2016 season, according to a Penn State study.

Skrypzak said he believes that has grown in the ensuing eight years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when demand for fishing licenses and boat registration spiked.

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