“If Erie steelhead failed to shine this year, you can blame voracious walleyes as much as low water in tributaries. Predation on young steelhead by record numbers of adult walleyes born in 2003 led to fewer silvery salmonids for anglers to catch in recent months. “There’s definitely an inverse relationship between big walleye numbers in the lake and the number of steelheads in the streams,” said Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission biologist Chuck Murray. “When we stock [steelhead] smolts during years of high walleye abundance, you can expect steelhead catch rates to decline a couple of years later.”
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