Bank Fishing Walleyes

[Ham]

I wiish walleye got as big as Zander.

[Tightline]

Powerdive,umm, I don't know if facetious is what I'd call it , But you've been on this forum for awhile and I see from some of your post you do know about fishing and deserve respect. So i'll try to be nice, and thats really hard for me at times but thats what Bill wants from us.

A fish is a fish humm. Tell that to the guys out in California who catch those 20 + lb largemouth see if they would mind if we brought some of our Bullshoals bass out there and turned them loose.Or go to Alabama and see if they would mind if we brought some of our Spotted bass and turned them loose down there.There are different strains of alot of fish and some grow bigger than others.And I do think our walleyes were different and bigger.

I'll take Arkansas,Missouri,Tennessee and Kentucky walleyes over any northern states or province any day, and I HOPE that the walleyes stocked from the land of a thousand LAKES didn't completely stunt our strain of big river walleye.

[Walleyedmike]

Lilly wrote a very good walleye article a few years back as well. I've read both Al and Lilly's articles several times, both are good reads.

Very interesting thread, I have enjoyed following it, although I've never had the pleaseure of fishing Bull...yet. Now I know why PD catches so many walleye, the stocked fish genetics hail from his homeland!

WM

[Wayne SW/MO]

the stocked fish genetics hail from his homeland!

That might be debatable. Missouri takes their brood stock from below Powersite, so there has to be some old White river genes in there somewhere. So the question is did they import, or have they always used native stock?

[Bill Babler]

Biggest stocking came from Wisconson in the 1950's. Both Bull Shoals and Table Rock lake were both stocked from there. I believe 1955 was the first stocking in Bull Shoals.

[powerdive]

I apologize, Tightline. I really wasn't trying to be a schmuck, but if thats the way it sounded, I'm truly sorry. I clearly don't have the emotional or nostalgic connection with the Ozarks that you guys have. Obviously I haven't convinced you (ahem, Columbia River) that northern strains (ahem, Tobin Lake) can grow as big as the southern varieties, nor have you convinced me that there's enough of a difference to claim genetic superiority....

Nothing like a good civil campfire discussion about walleyes!

[Ham]

I do think that a lake that has all the key ingredients to grow big fish AND has a relatively smaller population of a given fish species will produce some exceptionally large individual fish. That's why I think BSL has exceptional Stripers and Walleye. I don't believe there is anything wrong with the genetics of the walleye in the northern lakes, but a lot more mouths feeding on a smaller amount of food with a shorter growing season = less giant walleye. I also think that in the north a lot higher percentage of folks prefer to fish for walleye above all else. Most folks here are happy to catch a walleye, but they don't spend all day chasing them.

[Tightline]

Hey PD no need to apologize your just sticking to what you believe, and i've done a little prodding and picking myself in this whole conversation.

I do know one thing you guys from up north can really catch those eyes especially in deep water.If they are not shallow I don't have the patience to fish for them.

I'm no biologist,and i'm relying on what I was told and what I seen while living on the banks of the Pothole when I was young.Dad was an amazing walleye catcher,and in the winter time some years we almost lived on fried or baked walleye.

Him and his brothers use to go to Lake of the woods up north about every year.When he'd come home and open those coolers full of walleye fillets ,but not a one could have come off a fish bigger than 5 lbs.

I was use to seeing fillets as long as my leg.no kidding,and can remember him just loving the fact that they could catch 50 -60 eyes a day up there and just scooting them across the top of the water because they had no fight.

So I'm a little biased from what I've seen from my younger days,but thats just the way it is .

This has been an amazing thread.

[Justin Spencer]

I tend to think the big fish are a product of longer growing season, plentyful shad, and low densities compared to northern waters. It's possible the natives had better genetics for big fish, but I lean toward the other reasons.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I would imagine that the natives came from the north via the Mississippi on their own. If the route was reversed there would be no need to stock. I suspect that eventually we'll see a bigger economic impact from walleye and when that happens the MDC will probably react in kind.