For several years I wanted to join friends tofish for salmon, but I just couldn’t.
During this time, I heard a lot of different stories about trips and salmon fishing, but still I was ready for my first fishing trip.
When I finally found the time for fishing I had a memorable experience and I want to repeat it again.
It was fun to stand in the fishing house and try to compare my caught fish with the pictures on the poster.
I heard many times that real oceanAtlantic salmon can be caught in lake Erie.
So my first impression of Lake Erie was associated with Atlantic salmon that I could catch there.
You can always find Atlantic salmon in local stores as well, so at first I thought it was the same salmon that is caught in Lake Erie.
Then I learned that artificially farmed Atlantic salmon was being sold, although many locals believe that it was caught in the Atlantic Ocean.
And the fishermen with whom I spoke all the time said “salmon, salmon”, without specifying a specific species.
So it turned out that I had absolutely no idea what kind of salmon I was going to catch …
The main thing was just to catch any salmon =).
So after the first trip, I had to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what kind of salmon are found in Lake Erie, as well as where and how they can be caught.
Now, I can tell you what I know…
What Fish Are in Lake Erie?
Very diverse salmon species can be found here – brook (mountain) trout, brown trout, rainbow and lake trout, Atlantic salmon , coho , chinook , pink salmon, smelt, largemouth and smallmouth bass (locally favorite perch-like fish), pike perch, ruff, whitefish, koun, several types of pike, including pike masks, catfish, carp, silver carp, herring and many other large and small underwater inhabitants.
There are also a variety of options for catching them.
The first thing I learned and what surprised me was that many centuries ago, there was a freshwater form of Atlantic salmon and there was a lot of it.
Over time, its population disappeared, and the Atlantic salmon that is currently caught is artificially bred and launched into the lake, which they are trying to restore.
Therefore, in Lake Erie, it is forbidden to catch Atlantic salmon, and when caught, it must be released immediately.
King salmon was first introduced into the Great Lakes in 1873 and was the first of several species of Pacific salmon to be attempted to breed in them.
Various government agencies have released chinook salmon into each of the Great lakes, except for the Upper one.
From 1873 to 1933, several serious attempts were made to breed Chinook salmon in lakes, but they all failed.
In 1967 chinook was again released into Lake Erie in Ontario.
Since then, millions of fish have been harvested every year.
The King salmon began to be in great demand as an object of fishing.
Pink salmon was first released into Lake Erie in 1956.
The releasing of fish was accidental as the fish was not meant to be introduced into the lake.
Most likely, it got into the river from incubators through the sewers as an excess.
Despite this, the introduction of pink salmon to Lake Erie proved to be very successful, becoming the first self-sustaining salmon species in the lakes.
As for Knobby Shad, many species of shad were eaten by sport fish.
It is fairly well known that the population of the knobby shad, which is found in Lake Erie, can be significantly affected by fluctuations in water temperatures during the winter.
Were There Sharks in Lake Erie?
Yes.
For many years Representatives ofthe US Coast Guard have long assured local residents that the appearance of a shark in regional waters is impossible, since sharks are not adapted to living in fresh waters.
In addition, the food base of the lake is too scarce for a large predator.
However, in 1916, a fatal shark attack on a man near Presque Ile beach in Lake Erie became a sensation.
After that, local authorities imposed a ban on swimming in the lakes for 14 years.
The ban was removed in 1930.
In recent years, the world media has already reported on the increasing incidence of white sharks in lakes and attacks on people.
- Once, a yachtsman named Jeff Adams filmed the moment when a great white shark jumped out of the water on Lake Macquarie.
- Once on the same lake, a large shark frightened vacationers with its appearance 656 feet from the shore.
- Once a 7-year-old boy was attacked by a shark on Lake Pontchartrain in the United States.
- One time a great white shark attacked a boat with fishermen in the lake.
Are There Jellyfish in Lake Erie?
Yes!
Craspedacusta sowerbyi Jellyfish lives in Lake Erie.
Most species of jellyfish live in the seas and oceans, but there is one species that has successfully adapted to fresh water of Lake Erie, it is Craspedacusta sowerbyi.
This species is distinguished by its small size and classic domed shape.
Freshwater jellyfish inhabit lakes, reservoirs, and sometimes artificial reservoirs, such as water-filled quarries or mines.
Although these jellyfish are different, nevertheless, they all prefer the stagnant water of a lake or reservoir rather than the turbulent turbulent flow of the river.
What is the Largest Fish in Lake Erie?
The largest fish in Lake Erie is the sturgeon, reaching a length of 13 feet.
Once, fishermen caught sturgeons weighing up to 265 pounds.
Currently, all sturgeon caught are released back into the lake in order to restore the population.
Is Lake Erie Fish Good to Eat?
Yes.
Fish From Lake Erie is good to eat.
If you are a real fisherman and traveler, then in autumn you can go to Lake Erie for diverse salmon species.
When you decide to travel to Lake Erie for salmon during autumn most often the object of your catching will be chinook salmon, less often coho salmon.
