Bank Fishing Walleyes

[Bitethis]

How long is the average 10 lb walleye? I've caught a handful over 25 inches which I'm guessing we're around 5 pounds.

My biggest bag isn't big, but it was 27.5" and 7.5lbs (Stockton lake)

[Jeff Olson]

good for you Ham, and I totally agree with the releasing of those big females. I have been curious about that down here in this area, and have been going to ask this. I am from Wisconsin ( now live in Hollister ) and mostly fish walleye. I have always tried to only keep males and release anything over 22 inches. especially pre-spawn! after spawn I don't think those big females are very good eating anyway, and why not let them grow to spawn the next year! so I have also been curious about what most giggers down here do? I am not familiar with gigging at all, but it sounds like they take a lot of big females out? and if so are they doing it for the food or just for the sport? I am not against the gigging,I think it would be great for rough fish ( carp,drum & ect.) what is every ones opinion on keeping large female walleyes or not? in my opinion with all the other types of good fishing down here (bass ,crappie, panfish & trout ) there is plenty of fish to eat!!!

[Ham]

Hey Jeff, As far as I have been able to figure out, About 33% of "our" walleye in BSL spawned there and the rest were stocked. As far as I know, there are NO legally taken walleye that are gigged.Kinda a sore spot with me. Eventually the bad actors will get all gigging outlawed, but the outlaws will still keep hard at it.

I'd rather have the 22 inch fish, but will likely keep all my legal fish between 18-25 iinches.

[Paco]

BB, fantastic reports and info as usual !!!!!! Do have a question, Are you seeing any of the wallies on your electronic?

[Wayne SW/MO]

He snagged 5 very nice walleye in the 3-5lb range,and tried telling me that they bit his snagging hook!!

unfortunately that's not unusual. I had a similar experience except it involved whites. The grabber, it's know as grabbing I believe, said he was having trouble telling the suckers from the whites. I could easily tell and I was twice his age..

[Tightline]

I sure hope I have someone in the boat with me to take a decent picture IF I ever catch a walleye > 30 inches. I'm going to take a quick photo and release that pig.

Ham,I must appauld this statement because if you can put back a 30 inch walleye that is full of eggs you are the ultimate sportsman.Regardless of what some people think these fish do spawn and a certain amount do survive,and they need some catch and release just like bass.I say keep the smaller ones to eat throw the big ones back,and the same goes for female whitebass.JMHO.

Bry,I don't where you witnessed the walleye grabbers doing this but I wouldn't have hesitated one second calling the conservation agent and until we start reporting this kind of poaching it won't get any better.I do know that it use to be a massacre on Swan creek every spring with the grabbing of walleyes but the Conservation got smart and put plain clothed guys down there after dark and have pretty much taken care of that problem.

Wayne if you seen a guy grabbing whitebass and he had more than 1or 2 then he was the worlds best grabber because the whites do not lay on the bottom like a sucker they always ride up a ways and are very difficult to grab, I have grabbed suckers right underneath whites and never touched the whites. The only exception would be that there are hundreds of whites piled on a shoal.

[rps]

I had an unbelievable year in 2011. Two fish in two weeks that were both fish of a lifetime from Tablerock. Both post spawn. 32.5 inches and 13.75 pounds. 30 inches and 10 pounds. Both very healthy and strong fish. Had they been in spawn mode, we would say 15 and 12 pounds. I saw Chuck Etheridge's 14.5 walleye from 2010. Somewhere between 33 and 35 inches. Hope this helps answer questions.

[Jeff Olson]

interesting posts guys. I am not familiar with the natural reproduction rates down here on tablerock and bull shoals for walleyes, but like Ham stated at 33 percent, that's 1/3 rd of the population. but I guess it is just simple math whatever the numbers are, that if those big females are released to spawn, there is just that many more eggs in the water! I am from Wisconsin, and we have a lot of issues with the native Indians spearing walleye every spring, taking these big pre-spawn female walleyes out of the population, which has devastated many of the lakes to the point that now for the fisherman,

the bag limits have been reduced down to 1 or 2 walleyes on quite a few lakes!

[Guest]

interesting posts guys. I am not familiar with the natural reproduction rates down here on tablerock and bull shoals for walleyes, but like Ham stated at 33 percent, that's 1/3 rd of the population. but I guess it is just simple math whatever the numbers are, that if those big females are released to spawn, there is just that many more eggs in the water! I am from Wisconsin, and we have a lot of issues with the native Indians spearing walleye every spring, taking these big pre-spawn female walleyes out of the population, which has devastated many of the lakes to the point that now for the fisherman,

the bag limits have been reduced down to 1 or 2 walleyes on quite a few lakes!

Gigging is never good. I hate to hear that about the low limits numbers.

[Ham]

I was fishing with a friend down from Wisconsin and he explained somewhat about the Native American's spear fishing and how it affects lake limits. NO DOUBT that the Native Americans were treated inhumanely, but some of the special regs stuff is crap. I'm prefectly OK with the tribe managing the water on tribal land any way they see fit, but I think that there ought to be one set of regs for all Americans on public water.