Lake Erie walleye near 57 million as yellow perch harvest is cut

Lake Erie’s walleye machine is still running hot. Fisheries managers in Michigan and Ohio say the lake holds about 57 million walleye age 2 and older this year. Catch rates have now beaten Erie’s 1980s “golden age” for eight consecutive years. Ohio logged record catch rates in 2025, and preliminary 2026 numbers are close behind.

Yellow perch is the other story. Managers cut allowable harvest about 20% in the western basin and one central-basin zone, and about 40% in another central zone. Michigan’s allocation dropped about 20%, from roughly 208,000 pounds in 2025 to about 167,000 pounds in 2026. The state’s 50-perch daily limit is unlikely to change for 2027 — anglers already catch far less than the allowance.

There is a recruitment bright spot on the Michigan side. DNR surveys found above-average numbers of newly hatched perch in both 2025 and 2026, and the 2025 juvenile survey was the second-highest in Michigan’s Lake Erie series. Anglers this year have been releasing five or six small perch for every keeper, which is the kind of leftover year-class that could show up as keepers next season. Confirm the live Michigan and Ohio Erie tables before you keep a perch or a walleye.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: MLive — Lake Erie walleye are booming. Yellow perch are a different story (Sept. 15, 2026).