Bank Fishing Walleyes

[rps]

I have been told, directly by an agent of AFG, that the natural reproduction of walleye in TR and Beaver is virtually non existent. He described both lakes as put and take fisheries. That is the reason for the small limit number (4) and for the minimum length of 18 inches. He and I did not discuss Bull Shoals and I do not know if it is considered a put and take.

Put and take fisheries are counter-intuitive to the "release the big ones" mind set. Gentlemen from the North, who are accustomed to keeping the 13 inch "eaters" and releasing trophies, naturally have a hard time with the idea that any and all fish over 18 inches are "eaters."

As far as giggers - I would just as soon that were never a part of the management equation.

[Ham]

I'll try to find the AGFC guy that handles Walleye and talk to him about natural reproduction of walleye in BSL. I read a study that showed the projected percentage of natural spawned varies from 25% to 44%. Maybe the Walleye Club had a link. Maybe Mike Worley or Col Ron can add some expert opinion. I'm just a bass fisherman that loves to catch >18 inch walleye on accident.

I definitely want to catch and keep walleye between 18-25 inches, but I for whatever reason want to turn the BIG girls loose.

Also, I do appreciate the length and wieght info. If I'm reading correctly, a fat 30 incher will be close to 10 lb anyways. Thanks!

[Bill Babler]

I'll try to find the AGFC guy that handles Walleye and talk to him about natural reproduction of walleye in BSL. I read a study that showed the projected percentage of natural spawned varies from 25% to 44%. Maybe the Walleye Club had a link. Maybe Mike Worley or Col Ron can add some expert opinion. I'm just a bass fisherman that loves to catch >18 inch walleye on accident.

I definitely want to catch and keep walleye between 18-25 inches, but I for whatever reason want to turn the BIG girls loose.

Also, I do appreciate the length and wieght info. If I'm reading correctly, a fat 30 incher will be close to 10 lb anyways. Thanks

Ham, I did an article a few years ago, and spoke with both Missouri and Arkansas fisheries biologist, that were working Bull Shoals mostly on walleye. They both told me that there was virtually NO natural Recruitment in Bull, or negelable ammounts to sustain a harvestable population. If they have changed that to now thinking that 25 to 44 percent of the recruitment is now being spawned in Bull, that is wonderful news.

Don't know how it could have possibly gotten to those type of huge recruitment results inthe past few years, but that is great.

They have been gigging walleye in Bull Shoals for years. Bry is right on that for sure. I can remember speaking to people when I wrote the article saying there grand fathers were big giggers years ago.

The problem has never been with the spawning of the eyes. It is that they have a huge mortality rate from egg to fry. It was explained to me by an Arkansas Biolgist that they are much like Salmon in the fact that they spawn and immediatly leave the eggs on there own, with no protection. The eggs are almost immdeatly consumed by the biggest predator, which is Green Eared Sunfish. If they do survive and hatch the fry are then consummed by the same Green Ear and most other perch species.

They most often spawn on very clean riffled gravel with no protection after the fry hatch or for that matter where they lay there eggs. They just don't have a great design for our Southern Area.

Might need to revisit this.

[Ham]

Ham, I did an article a few years ago, and spoke with both Missouri and Arkansas fisheries biologist, that were working Bull Shoals mostly on walleye. They both told me that there was virtually NO natural Recruitment in Bull, or negelable ammounts to sustain a harvestable population. If they have changed that to now thinking that 25 to 44 percent of the recruitment is now being spawned in Bull, that is wonderful news.

Might need to revisit this.

Hey Bill, You are most likely correct then. I DID NOT talk to anyone that was science based. I gleaned some stuff from different posting on the internet, but was pretty sure I looked at an actual study. If you do still have access to the people that should be in the know, you might ask again, but I will differ to you on this. SO we all need to start keeping Green Sunfish to help our walleye out.

Maybe we get a little better results during the years with some high water where the little guys get a better chance to grow before they get snacked on. They grow to around 10-11 inches in the first year which is pretty amazing growth rate.

[rangerman]

From what I have read in different articles, other than letting big girls go to grow bigger, the best spawners (most fertile) are the females in the 23 to 27 inch range.

[Wayne SW/MO]

The only exception would be that there are hundreds of whites piled on a shoal.

Yeah this was just above Shadow Rock on Swan. He had the advantage of gaining some height by standing on the road rip rap. He was able to to come up and the whites weren't that far off the bottom and there were a lot of them.

I think that was the most whites I've seen in Swan or Beaver at one time in one area and the creek blew out during the night and ended it.

[ozarkgunner]

Tried to fish k dock today. Blown out and muddy. Marked lots of fish but packed up and headed to table rock. Tried empire for trout in the morning, got a couple but it was muddy and blown also.

[Jerry Rapp]

do the scuba divers still spear walleye on Bull? I had some co-workers that were scuba divers and they would go once a year in the summer to either Bull or Greers Ferry and talk about all the walleye they got with a spear gun. I remember thinking that they shouldn't be able to spear game fish, but I checked and it was legal then. The gigger talk sparked that old memory.

[GC Witail]

Just spent this day on Bull Shoals, Beaver Creek toward K dock fishing with another walleye fisherman. Didn't catch a thing! Didn't see much on the graph either. Drifting yellow/green stick bait, Flicker Shad, jigs and plastic jerk bait. Fished channel, rock bank and mud bank. Really can't see why any fish would even be there since there is no structure, no current, no other bait fish seen. Other lakes reporting fish are thirty feet and deeper chasing shad balls. Seen that last week at Truman on the Pomme arm.

So what's up with all this walleye catching unless the recent rain washed them all back to Protem.

[Jeff Olson]

thanks for your thoughts and info so far guys! with these low reproduction rates, does anyone know the numbers and how often they stock? and the size when they are stocked? do they have yearly population estimates and yearly harvest estimates?