This relates back to the previous discussion regarding the age of the tagged fish I reported last week.
So we had our Straitline Anglers meeting Tuesday night and was glad to see Andy Todd, Lake Manager of the Lake Ontario Management Unit, join us for the evening, nice surprise. We had a chance to discuss the tagged walleye and the information that I was provided and he indicated that's about right. Those big fish in that system are approx 15+ even 20 years old!
We also discussed the differences between the Lake Ontario & Lake Erie walleye and it was what I thought; the Erie walleye do grow faster despite the lack of fatty alewife & gizzard shad because it's a much warmer lake therefore their metabolism is faster
He told me to send him an email as he had some some data they could send me that I would be interested, so here is what I was send & thought I'd share. I think most will be how surprised & how old some of the 9-10# fish really are and those eaters everyone wants to take to eat are the primary spawners!
Below are some graphs of walleye length and weight at age for your interest.
These measurements were made on over 2100 walleye caught during the last 5 years in our routine index netting programs in the Bay of Quinte and eastern Lake Ontario.
These fish were measured during the summer months. Fish caught at other times of year would have significantly different WEIGHT at the same AGE. For example, fish caught in late fall and early winter are heavier than those caught in the summer. Also, these lengths and weights are averages and individual fish can be bigger or smaller than the average at any given age. A 10 to 11 lb fish in the summer is huge and equivalent to a 12 lb plus fish in the fall or winter. A fish greater than 32 inches total length is huge at any time of year.
Females are larger than males. Males mature one year sooner than females and this accounts for the growth difference. Most males begin to mature at age 3 years and spawn for the first time at age 4 years. Most females spawn for the first time at age 5 years.
Your tagged fish was likely about 5 years-old when tagged; that would put it at about 17 years-old when you caught it. I have seen male fish as large as your fish but most likely it was a female based on its size. Your fish was caught and tagged at Witlow Point which is located just inside Hay Bay (see map below). So, that’s not too far from where you caught the fish. But remember, mature walleye migrate to Lake Ontario for summer months then return to the Bay of Quinte in the fall and winter to spawn in the spring.
Cheers G.
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