Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Updated 2026-08-25 14:48:14

Lake Erie-2021-2025 -> 2.0 Other Managed Species -> Rainbow Trout Angler Catch Rate

Maintain tributary catch rates for rainbow trout of at least 0.25 fish per hour

Migratory rainbow trout (steelhead; Oncorhynchus mykiss) are an introduced species in Lake Erie that provide localized sport fishing opportunities, primarily during seasonal spawning runs into tributaries. Though limited natural reproduction does occur, annual stocking is necessary to support the rainbow trout fishery in the Lake Erie basin. Annual stocking averages over 1.9 million yearlings with the bulk of the fish planted in the tributaries along the south shore of the lake (Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York; Figure 1). Catch rates (fish per angler hour (fish/hr)) throughout the time-series remain well above the target of at least 0.25 fish/hr and are among the highest in the Great Lakes. Angler survey results found very high angler catch rates in the early and mid-2000s that averaged 0.60 fish/hr followed by a decline from 2008-2014 (average = 0.35 fish/hr; Figure 2). The most recent surveys conducted in New York (2022, 2025) and Ohio (2024, 2025) tributaries found that catch rates had remained above the target rate.

Figure 1. Annual stocking (millions) of yearling rainbow trout into the tributaries of Lake Erie, 2000-2025.

Figure 2. Average catch rates (fish/hr) of rainbow trout measured in angler surveys conducted in the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York tributaries of Lake Erie by survey year, 2003-2025. The target catch rate is at least 0.25 fish/hr.