Chittenden Reservoir

Vermont except Lake Carmi, Chittenden Reservoir and the Connecticut River, walleye and sauger have an 18” minimum length requirement and three-fish daily limit. The open season is from Saturday, May 2 to March 15, 2016.
Lake Carmi has a slot limit for walleye because of the lake’s high rate of natural walleye reproduction and high fishing pressure. The minimum length is 15 inches, and all walleye between 17 and 19 inches must be released. The daily limit is five walleye, but only one may be over 19 inches long. The season is open May 2 through March 15.
Chittenden Reservoir has special walleye regulations in order to produce large walleye that can help control its over-abundant yellow perch population, and provide anglers with an opportunity to harvest a trophy walleye. The minimum length is 22 inches, the daily limit is two, and the season is open June 1 through March 15.
Connecticut River walleye fishing rules are set by New Hampshire. No walleye between 16 and 18 inches may be kept and the daily limit is four fish, of which only one may be longer than 18 inches.
Excellent walleye fishing opportunities occur each spring in the lakes mentioned above as well as in Lake Champlain and its tributaries: the Missisquoi River, Lamoille River, Winooski River, and Otter Creek.

Sandusky River

Sandusky River, has started as the walleye run is winding down.
But the weather has kept some anglers from getting out and slowed the bite, said Bernie Whitt, owner of Anglers Supply in Fremont, in his fishing report.
“White bass started out great earlier this week and slowed up with the cold and wind,” he said. “Walleye seem to be pretty much done for the season.”
A few walleye have been spotted on the river, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reports there are still fish to be caught. White bass fishing should improve over the weekend, according to the ODNR’s Fish Ohio report.
Most anglers are fishing between the Miles Newton and State Street bridges.
For walleye, they are using Carolina Twister Tails, and bright colors usually work best, according to the ODNR. For white bass, they are using small jigs, and spinner baits and jigs tipped with minnows.
Meanwhile, fishing on Lake Erie was excellent until the temperatures dropped and the wind picked up earlier this week.

Mille Lacs Lake

2015 regulations for Mille Lacs Lake are:
• Walleye: Limit of one and the fish must be 19- to 21-inches long or longer than 28 inches. Night closure from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. May 11 to Dec. 1.
• Northern pike: Limit of 10. One fish may be longer than 30 inches only if two fish shorter than 30 inches are caught on the same trip and in possession.
• Bass: Limit of six smallmouth and largemouth bass in combination. Only one smallmouth bass may be longer than 18 inches.Mille Lacs' 2015 walleye safe harvest level was reduced from 60,000 to 40,000 pounds in 2015 so more fish potentially survive and spawn to improve the walleye population. State anglers can harvest up to 28,600 pounds of walleye. The eight Chippewa bands with 1837 Treaty harvest rights can harvest up to 11,400 pounds of walleye.

Last year, Mille Lacs anglers could keep two walleye 18- to 20-inches long or one longer than 28 inches.A night fishing closure, enforced from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., will begin Monday, May 11, and extend to Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Sandusky River and Maumee River walleye

Western Basin
Walleye: Walleye fishing continues to be excellent for anglers trolling, mostly around the eastern and northern cans of the Camp Perry firing range. Fish have also been caught by jigging on the reefs of the Camp Perry firing range and nearshore around Turtle Creek and Wild Wings. Anglers trolling have been using crankbaits (Rapala Deep Husky Jerks and deep diving Reef Runners) at speeds from 1.0 mph to 1.6 mph; anglers jigging are catching fish on hair jigs and blade baits.
Sandusky River and Maumee River walleye fishing update
MAUMEE RIVER: The river is normal to slightly low at this time and wading to Bluegrass Island is possible; water visibility is limited and water temperature is 56 F. Fishing pressure is high with anglers using all access points; a few limits are being reported and most anglers are catching several fish. Sampling by the DOW has shown a lot of new fish have moved into the river and a few white bass are now showing up. … Anglers are catching fish at all locations at this time.  We are past the peak of the walleye run at this time but there are still large numbers of fish in the river with a fair number of females to present; the fishing will continue to be excellent through the weekend. A few white bass are being seen. Most access areas are now open to anglers, except Buttonwood Park. For the latest updates on Side Cut Park, please check the Toledo Metroparks web page (www.metroparkstoledo.com).  Most anglers are fishing between the Hays and State Street bridges.  We are past the peak of the walleye run but walleye are still in the river; anglers will still be able to catch them for a little while longer. The white bass fishing has started and will continue to get better over the weekend.

Lake Erie walleyes spawn

The early season lake fishermen are there to fish the reef areas for pre-spawn, actively spawning, and post-spawn walleyes. While the river runs get most of the attention, large numbers of Lake Erie walleyes spawn in the lake around the reef complexes.
Catching those fish often requires a different tackle package, approach, and technique than what works on the lake later in spring or in the summer months. Bob Barnhart and a lot of other anglers go “old school” this time of year, breaking out the hair jigs that some might consider museum pieces and fishing vertically.“In many ways, we treat it the same as ice fishing,” he said. “We’re doing everything but standing in the ice, and instead we’re using the boat as the platform.”
That might mean double-anchoring to keep the boat still, using the same flashers that were used a month ago on the ice, and “dead-sticking”   putting the rod in the rod holder and not touching it until it loads up.The tackle arsenal for jigging the reefs closely resembles the best ice fishing gear, with the addition of those hair jigs.The short ice rods have been put away, but the Swedish pimples, jigging lures, and stinger hooks are still in the active rotation, according to Barnhart.
“Those stingers are really important, especially on those short strikes,” the owner of tackle supplier Netcraft said. “Some days, without that stinger hook you can just about forget it.”
The hair jigs of choice for most anglers are purple or purple with chartreuse, either in synthetic or bucktail. Barnhart said the 5/​8 and 3/​4 ounce sizes usually get the bulk of the work.

Mille Lacs Lake

Minnesota's best known walleye fishery got its tightest restrictions ever Wednesday. Anglers on Mille Lacs Lake will be allowed to keep only one walleye daily this season instead of two.
The new regulations will let Mille Lacs sport anglers keep one walleye 19 to 21 inches long, or one more than 28 inches. Last year, Mille Lacs anglers could keep two 18- to 20-inches long or one longer than 28 inches.

The Department of Natural Resources also said an extended night walleye ban will take effect the Monday after the May 9 fishing opener. The ban will extend to Dec. 1.

walleye run

"Some guys are getting them pretty good, and some guys aren't," said Don Drogowski, Morenci, Michigan, on Monday. He was suiting up for a day on the river at Orleans Park with his son, also named Don, who lives in Manitou Lake, Michigan. Orleans Park is frequently cited as having some of the best fishing on the river during the run.
The walleye run occurs when the fish swim into the Maumee from Lake Erie to spawn as the waters warm. The fish can pack the river in the hundreds of thousands, and anglers usually catch tens of thousands of them in the Maumee each year. The first two weeks of April are generally considered the peak time for the run.

Walleye fishing

Walleye fishing can be more productive when water levels drop after a period of runoff. The increased flow triggers walleye to move upstream, and the declining flow helps concentrate them.
Walleyes are not built to swim against a strong current for long periods, so anglers can find them on the edge of eddies, behind boulders or anything that provides a break from current. Anglers also should look for areas of slow current near the bank, especially after sunset.