The walleye run on the river has drawn people from as far away as central Ohio and nearby states for decades. The watchers are wearing badges.

Conventional wisdom suggests that fishermen follow fish. For a few weeks, the air in the river is filled with animal magnetism.

Most people are not attracted to each other. The casters line up wader-deep close enough so that polite snuff users can gauge wind direction and speed before they spit.

In its share of walleyes, the Maumee sucks. The arrival of smaller males, known as jacks, in mid-March precedes the arrival of heavier and occasionally humongous egg-laden females, known as hens.

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Ohio regulations allow the catching and keeping of six walleyes each day if they are legally hooked.

It has been a matter of speculation and argument as to how willing spawning walleye are to attack food. Many people don't say much. Even if walleye were prone to grab a bite before sex, such as it is with fish, they would have a hard time finding anything in the murky flow generated by spring runoff.

For a long time, white or yellow doll flies were the favorite lures. Plastic twister tails in bright colors have become fish candy.

If the feed bag were on, a million walleye swimming cheek-by-dorsal up and down a shallow river would leave the place as barren as a wheat field.

Who can tell? Outside of a few research papers that get published, what happens underwater in the Maumee tends to stay underwater.

Many hookups will be accidental because of all those fish and those gaudy, casted-and-retrieved baits. It is not legal to keep fish that are hooked on a fin, under the belly or through a gill cover.

The watchers wearing badges will sometimes check for signs that a kept fish was hooked a foul. It can cost to keep foul-hooked walleye.

Ohio regulations allow the catching and keeping of six walleyes each day, providing they are hooked legally, that being in or around the mouth.
Ohio regulations allow the catching and keeping of six walleyes each day, providing they are hooked legally, that being in or around the mouth.

The watchers won't let suspect anglers keep suspect fish.

A mix of factors contributes to the fishing experience. The ebb and flow of the river determine when the fish move in and when they move out.

The fish numbers tend to increase after rains, but high and clouded water makes catching less likely. Warming water is identified as invitation in the walleye movement upstream.

The temperature climbed from the high 30s early last week to the 40s by the weekend. The air temperature rose into the 60s. The upward trend kept pace with the catches.

It is possible to fool a fisherman into taking a dip into water that quickly becomes uncomfortable and numbing. Individual tolerance should dictate the choice of drawers and waders.

The ground zero for the run is Perrysburg. You can find daily conditions by doing a Web search.

The walleye in less robust numbers make a run on the river 20 miles away. A gathering of fewer fishermen is suggested by fewer fish.

Dispatch.com is outdoors@dispatch.com

The article was originally published by The Columbus Dispatch.

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