| |
| | | Lakeside Walleye Minestrone | Favorite of Tim Tillman - Sheffield Lake, Ohio
| | Course: | Soup | | Servings: | 6-8 | |
Ingredients & Instructions:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
½ cup of sliced green onions
½ cup of chopped red or green pepper
2 cans of whole tomatoes, undrained and cut up
½ cup of water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
¼ teaspoon of cayenne
1½ pounds of walleye
1 can of dark red kidney beans; drained
1 pkg. of frozen Italian or cut green beans
1 cup of uncooked rotini
In 6-quart stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and chopped pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, water, sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Return mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until fish is firm and opaque and just begins to flake, stirring occasionally.
Alternate Species: This Ohio Classic fish recipe also works well with sauger, saugeye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill, and crappie (but the truth is any firm, non-oily fish will taste great!).
View Recipe Sources |
|
Considering that the Ohio waters of Lake Erie yield an average of more than 1 million walleyes every year (to sport anglers alone), it truly is a world class walleye fishery. See the map below for Lake Erie hot spots. The list could go on seemingly forever, but in the Western Basin, you might pay special attention to the following Lake Erie public access: the warm water discharge at Bayshore; the massive reef complex between Cedar Point and Catawba (around West Sister Island); the islands, reefs, and shoals around South Bass Island (Put-In Bay), Middle Bass, and North Bass; and the similar expanse of underwater structure off of Marblehead (toward Kelleys Island). These world-class fishing destinations are all accessible from a myriad of access points from Toledo (Lucas County) to Port Clinton (Ottawa County) to Sandusky (Erie County).
In the Central Basin, public access to the vast open water is provided at boat launches in Huron (Erie County); Vermillion (Lorain & Erie Counties); Lorain (Lorain County); Rocky River and Cleveland (Cuyahoga County); the Chagrin and Grand Rivers (Lake County); Geneva, Ashtabula, and Conneaut (Ashtabula County).
Lake Erie is something to behold. But don't forget that some quality walleye fishing can also be had on inland lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and streams. Any and all listed below can produce consistent catches of table worthy glassy 'eyes.
Berlin Lake (Portage, Mahoning & Stark Counties), Lake Milton (Mahoning County), Mosquito Creek Reservoir (Trumbell County), Pymatuning Lake (Ashatabula County), Grand Lake (Mercer & Auglaize Counties), Killdeer Reservoir (Wyandot County) C.J. Brown Reservoir (Clark County), Salt Fork Lake (Guernsey County), Rocky Fork Lake (Highland County), New London Reservoir (Huron County), Lake Hodgson (Portage County), and the LaDue Reservoir (Geauga County) are all worth a look.
For moving water, try the famed Maumee River (Lucas & Wood Counties) or the Sandusky River (Sandusky County) during the spring walleye runs. The mighty Ohio River is also not to be overlooked either (try Meldahl Pool, Greenup Pool, R.C. Byrd Pool, Willow Island Pool, or Hannibal Pool, to name a few).
| Click on image below to view the live map...
| - Focus spring and fall attention under dams, at the edge of weed beds, and in the shallows (especially at dawn and dusk when the light is low)
- Jig leadheads and twister tails or Carolina-rigged floaters for spring river run walleyes
- Suspend a juicy leach or tempting minnow from a slip bobber
- In the warmer summer months concentrate on rock reefs, gravel bars, and sandy shoals near breaks in depth
- Drift the famed Erie Dearie, Golden Nugget, or other "weight forward" tipped with a night crawler over the rocky reefs of the Western Basin (Lake Erie)
- Drag a bright colored crawler harness tipped with a worm or minnows
- Mimic mayflies with a worm-laden Weapon
- Troll spoons and plugs behind planner boards and Dipsey Divers in the deep waters of the Central Basin (Lake Erie)
- Cast Rattle Raps and Reef Runners off Lake Erie piers for autumn night-time 'eyes
- Bounce Swedish Pimples, Jigging Rapalas, and Vibies tipped with shiners through the ice (just off the bottom) for hard-water walleyes
| DAILY LIMIT (Ohio Waters):
6 Statewide (contact ODNR for exceptions)
Lake Erie & Tributaries: 6 (May 1 - February 28); 4 (March 1 - April 31)
15" Minimum (Lake Erie & Tributaries)
Take only what you'll eat and release the rest . . .
you will help protect Ohio's natural resources
and maybe even put a smile on another fisherman's face!
Explore Ohio fishing - the Buckeye State can be overlooked . . . but it shouldn't be! | | |
|
|
|
