Mdc Walleye Surveys Are Out, Anybody Gotten One?

[jdmidwest]

I received the MDC walleye survey in the mail regarding management of the SE MO streams of Current, Black, 11 Pt, and St. Francois. A few pages of questions regarding walleye fishing on these areas.

Anyone else gotten them? Anyone on here bother to fish for walleye on these streams?

Fishing has declined tremendously over the past 20 years. As a kid, we called them Jack Salmon. I have made many a cold trip to troll the Black River for them. I have fished the 11 Pt for them. I even tried the upper St. Francois for them after they started trying to get them going again there.

But I never really caught the numbers like I do in TN below Pickwick (sauger). It would be great if they make these streams better fisheries.

[Jeff Tief]

Wife ,Susie got one in the mail recently and we haven't fished walleye since we fished Black River in the late 60's and early 70's.Got a survey about fishing the various lakes across the state the very next week.Again we don't fish alot of the bigger lakes other than Taneycomo so I didn't have much to offer the questionaire .There was a small section on the trout parks and wrote a little essay on the "decline" in the quality of fishing there.

[Al Agnew]

Mary and I both got one. I haven't fished for them much in recent years, but in the comments place I wrote a long diatribe advocating that they manage them more as a trophy fishery in these streams, with something like a 20 inch to 30 inch slot limit, two under and one over. The walleye in these streams have the genetics to grow huge, but practically nobody ever releases a legal fish, so they are getting cropped off before they can reach anything close to their potential size. Back in the 1960s and 1970s when I fished for them, you knew you had a real chance to catch one between 15 and 20 pounds. I saw several caught from lower Black River back then that went over 15 pounds, with two over 17, though the biggest I ever caught was 12.5. There are a number of guys I know that still fish for them in the winter, but I never hear of them catching one much over 10 pounds anymore.

[jdmidwest]

10 pounds seems to be the norm now too. Like you, I have heard stories about bigger ones in Black River, but that all went away in the 80's. And it has been about 10 years since I fished for them on the Black. They are few and far between.

With all of the efforts in the St. Francois, I have never heard of any larger than 18". There used to be some nice ones in 11 PT, but the largest I have ever caught there has been about 22".

The survey did not even mention another fishery, the Castor River. While I never catch any big ones, there are several there. It is the only MO stream that I actually put in and fish for them solely any more.

[E Green]

I got one. Filled it out and returned it

[Mark]

I received mine and already mailed it off. I was not aware of the stocking efforts in MO, so I didn't have much to add. I know walleye are suppose to be one the tastiest fish there is, but I can only remember eating walleye one time many, many years ago at a restaurant in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I don't remember much about the taste other than it was good. I would love to try some fresh.

[jdmidwest]

Local shop in Altenburg, MO carries the fish frozen and you can buy them by the box. Bones and als like a fiddler catfish about a 9 inch fish. It is also a big hit at the fair held in that same town in the fall served on a slice of white bread.

I was aware of stocking in the St Francois and management in the 11 Pt. But I did not realize they were also stocking Current and Black.