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The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife restocks 85,000 trout in public lakes and ponds across the state each year. The fish, which measure between 10 and 13 inches in length, are raised in Ohio hatcheries for about a year before being released.

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December 12, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Results from the annual Lake Erie fish surveys revealed that walleye hatches were below average and yellow perch hatches were above average in two of the three management zones, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Although the 2024 walleye hatch was below average, anglers will be able to enjoy many more years of remarkable fishing thanks to robust hatches from 2018 to 2023. Based on the 2024 survey results, anglers can expect good yellow perch fishing in the western half of Lake Erie. Data from annual trawl surveys conducted by the Division of Wildlife are combined with those collected by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to indicate the success of spawning and early life survival of walleye and yellow perch in the western basin. In the central basin, Ohio’s trawls are utilized in conjunction with other agency surveys to gauge hatch success. Results allow biologists to predict how many young fish will enter the catchable population two or three years later. These indices are a key piece of information used by the inter-agency Lake Erie Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to determine annual levels of safe harvest for walleye and yellow perch.

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October 31, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Wildlife Council voted to approve changes to site-specific regulations for walleye, saugeye, and sauger fishing as well as to set the spring 2025 wild turkey hunting season during its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 30, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.  The council approved amendments to Ohio’s inland fishing regulations that will begin on Jan. 1, 2025. The 15-inch minimum length requirement for walleye, saugeye, and sauger was removed on Acton Lake, Alum Creek Lake, Atwood Lake, Buckeye Lake, Caesar Creek Lake, Ferguson Reservoir, Findlay Reservoir 1, Findlay Reservoir 2, Indian Lake, Metzger Reservoir, Piedmont Lake, Pleasant Hill Lake, Rocky Fork Lake, Seneca Lake, and Tappan Lake. In addition, the Ohio Wildlife Council approved adding a 15-inch minimum length requirement for walleye, saugeye, and sauger at Mosquito Creek Lake and LaDue Reservoir. 

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September 24, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife encourages Ohio’s sportsmen and women to join millions of others nationwide in celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday, Sept. 28. Ohioans have many options to get outside on National Hunting and Fishing Day and during the coming weeks. The annual white-tailed deer archery hunting season opens statewide on Saturday, Sept. 28, as does the youth and military waterfowl hunting weekend. Hunting seasons for squirrels and doves are already open. The fall wild turkey hunting season, available in 70 counties, begins Oct. 1. Find more information in the 2024-25 Hunting and Trapping Regulations and purchase a hunting license or permit if necessary before your outing.

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September 16, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife is stocking nearly 20,000 muskellunge, or muskies, in nine inland lakes across the state in 2024. Muskies can grow to more than 50 inches in length and are a popular sport fish for anglers. The Division of Wildlife raises muskellunge at the Kincaid and London state fish hatcheries. The hatcheries stock 10- to 12-inch muskies in nine lakes each fall. Muskies are a predatory sport fish that grow quickly and create trophy fishing opportunities in Alum Creek Lake, C. J. Brown Reservoir, Caesar Creek Lake, Clearfork Reservoir, Lake Milton, Leesville Lake, Piedmont Lake, Salt Fork Lake, and West Branch Reservoir. In addition to reservoirs where they are stocked, muskellunge are caught in many of Ohio’s river systems.