By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Walleye season along the Maumee River is a big deal.
“Tons of people line the Maumee River from the last week of February through May,” Wood County Park District Police Chief Steve Thompson reported during the March park board meeting on Tuesday.
Most of the fish are taken in the stretch of the river between Orleans Park all the way upstream to the Jerome Road area near Interstate 475. The time of the run and the depth of the water often determine how good the fishing is during the season.
Orleans Park is usually busier early in the season, and later in the season fishing is usually better around the Jerome Road area, Thompson said. And if the water is too deep, it’s harder to access the locations.
During the walleye run, people fishing in the river can catch bigger fish than in the lake. The limit no more than six fish, 15 inches from tip to tail, and they can only be caught using single hooks, no more than a half-inch, Thompson said.
Buttonwood Park, which is part of the county park district, currently has good access to the river, but there are only about 20 parking spaces. The park used to have a campground, but it was flooded out in 2015, then rebuilt. After a 2018 floor, the campground was not rebuilt, but the parking spaces and access to the river remain.
A private piece of property adjacent to Buttonwood Park has a private campground. The property is considered part of Perrysburg. Use of the land for campground was grandfathered in, but if the camping ever ceases, it cannot return to a campground, Thompson said. “If it ever closes, we could lose a lot of access to the river.”
The park district agreed to use $116,606 from the Ohio Park Districts Roadwork Funds for district priority projects as authorized through the Ohio Revised Code. Park Director Christopher Smalley said the funds will be used to pave the driveway and portions of the lots in the William Henry Harrison Park in Pemberville.
The funds are provided through gas tax dollars designated for park districts. The Ohio Department of Transportation provides the funds, and it is coordinated by the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association.
The park commissioners approved a resolution to hire Comte Construction Co. to stain the exterior of the nature center at W.W. Knight Nature Preserve. The cost for the work is $19,640.
The wood exterior of the 25-year-old facility was previously re-stained about 10 years ago, Smalley said. The plan is to have the building stained when the facility’s ramp is being renovated between early April and the end of May.
Candace Weis, president of the Friends of the Wood County Parks, reported the spring membership event will be April 14 at 1 p.m. at the W.W. Knight Preserve. Anna Cotterman, historic farm coordinator, will talk about the activities at the farm.
The Wood County Park District will have public eclipse viewing areas and programming during the April 8 total solar eclipse. Park naturalists, park police and volunteers will staff the eclipse viewing areas at William Henry Harrison Park in Pemberville; Carter Historic Farm, Bowling Green; and Bradner Preserve, Bradner. Staff will be at the parks from 1 to 5 p.m. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Smalley said.
The Native Plant Sale will be May 4 at the Champion Barn at the Wood County Fairgrounds. On May 3, members of the Friends group will have exclusive access to the sale. The hours are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
