Some walleye news from AGFC

[Quillback]

District biologists have been working with Charlie Craig Hatchery Staff to collect Walleye from below Beaver Lake. Biologists are looking for larger adult Walleye that are used to produce fingerlings to stock back into Beaver Lake. Fish are collected via electrofishing and Walleye that are ready to spawn are artificially spawned at the boat ramp. The eggs are taken back to the Charlie Craig Hatchery to be hatched and raised to a larger size for stocking. The female Walleye that are not spawning (eggs free flowing when you squeeze the fish) have their eggs checked with a clear catheter tube (see photo). Eggs that are clear are close to being spawned, but cloudy eggs are a few days from being released. Females that are close to spawning are taken back to the hatchery to be spawned within the next 24 hours. The eggs are held in spawning jars at the hatchery for 7 to 10 days until hatched. Fry are stocked into hatchery ponds to be raised for future stocking into Beaver Lake in May. 



Beaver Lake is stocked every year with 100,000 Walleye and we are evaluating these stockings to determine if stocked fish contribute to the fishery. Results from the study will determine future Walleye stocking in Beaver Lake. Walleye fishing has been great this spring and should continue to be good in Beaver Lake for many years.   

[rps]

2 minutes ago, Quillback said:

District biologists have been working with Charlie Craig Hatchery Staff to collect Walleye from below Beaver Lake. Biologists are looking for larger adult Walleye that are used to produce fingerlings to stock back into Beaver Lake. Fish are collected via electrofishing and Walleye that are ready to spawn are artificially spawned at the boat ramp. The eggs are taken back to the Charlie Craig Hatchery to be hatched and raised to a larger size for stocking. The female Walleye that are not spawning (eggs free flowing when you squeeze the fish) have their eggs checked with a clear catheter tube (see photo). Eggs that are clear are close to being spawned, but cloudy eggs are a few days from being released. Females that are close to spawning are taken back to the hatchery to be spawned within the next 24 hours. The eggs are held in spawning jars at the hatchery for 7 to 10 days until hatched. Fry are stocked into hatchery ponds to be raised for future stocking into Beaver Lake in May. 



Beaver Lake is stocked every year with 100,000 Walleye and we are evaluating these stockings to determine if stocked fish contribute to the fishery. Results from the study will determine future Walleye stocking in Beaver Lake. Walleye fishing has been great this spring and should continue to be good in Beaver Lake for many years.   

Stealing my walleye, huh?

Yes, I know that Tablerock spawn does not really contribute to the numbers and that it too must be stocked. AGFC considers both to be put and take. That is the reason I felt comfortable keeping all legals I caught. Until I had a freezer limit. BTW, all my walleye are gone. My wife is devastated.

[Devan S.]

Do they normally pull the Walleye from below Beaver? I always thought they did it in the Kings. Did they move due to river levels on the Kings? 

I know the MDC TRL annual report mentioned the Walleye last year when they shocked up the King was one of the best years they have had. Apparently they shocked on March 18, the 2 weeks before that I caught a lot of fish up the Kings

My spots this year have not produced.. Almost wondering if there wasn't the numbers this year compared to last. Of course Kings got pretty high recently and that may have shifted things around as far as their ability to electro-fish effectively.  

[rps]

Devan, the population does not change in one year. While the year class may be up or down, the population spread covers a number of years. Several years in a row may make a serious difference, but from one year to the next, it is not population, it is location differences caused by things other than numbers.

That is why some yeas are easy to find fish and others are not. 2010 - 2012 I was flat on the fish. My two largest came during that span. 2019, I struggled for almost 4 months. Then, in August on three consecutive trips, I scored 10 keepers that averaged nearly 4 pounds. Think long term and management.

[Ron Burgundy]

On 3/23/2020 at 6:15 PM, Devan S. said:

Do they normally pull the Walleye from below Beaver? I always thought they did it in the Kings. Did they move due to river levels on the Kings? 

I know the MDC TRL annual report mentioned the Walleye last year when they shocked up the King was one of the best years they have had. Apparently they shocked on March 18, the 2 weeks before that I caught a lot of fish up the Kings

My spots this year have not produced.. Almost wondering if there wasn't the numbers this year compared to last. Of course Kings got pretty high recently and that may have shifted things around as far as their ability to electro-fish effectively.  

The numbers were there this year  , notice past tense not present ....unreal how many BIG female walleye was caught and taken out of the river...I’m totally against keeping females regardless of size with eggs in them this time of year and I do not keep them , I catch, photo and release ...it’s very simple , yet every “only fish for walleye in the spawn redneck “won’t grasp it ...eat every walleye they catch and unlike RPS they are way over their possession limit ...it’s not just Kings it happens below Beaver Dam and whats worse down there you got guides targeting these big females...I’m definitely in the minority on this topic but walleye is my fishing passion and it burns to see how some treat a great resource.... I seen a picture of a walleye that was caught out of Kings that was said to have weighed 16lbs , probably did it was big.....they shock Beaver tailwaters each year along with Kings River and upper white river that feeds into Beaver lake.

[Bassmeister]

2 hours ago, Ron Burgundy said:

The numbers were there this year  , notice past tense not present ....unreal how many BIG female walleye was caught and taken out of the river...I’m totally against keeping females regardless of size with eggs in them this time of year and I do not keep them , I catch, photo and release ...it’s very simple , yet every “only fish for walleye in the spawn redneck “won’t grasp it ...eat every walleye they catch and unlike RPS they are way over their possession limit ...it’s not just Kings it happens below Beaver Dam and whats worse down there you got guides targeting these big females...I’m definitely in the minority on this topic but walleye is my fishing passion and it burns to see how some treat a great resource.... I seen a picture of a walleye that was caught out of Kings that was said to have weighed 16lbs , probably did it was big.....they shock Beaver tailwaters each year along with Kings River and upper white river that feeds into Beaver lake.

This is how I feel when I see striper guides on FB showing off their catch back at the dock. And in those, there are a few really nice bass bc the 80 lbs of striper wasn’t enough meat. 

[Devan S.]

9 hours ago, Ron Burgundy said:

The numbers were there this year  , notice past tense not present ....unreal how many BIG female walleye was caught and taken out of the river...I’m totally against keeping females regardless of size with eggs in them this time of year and I do not keep them , I catch, photo and release ...it’s very simple , yet every “only fish for walleye in the spawn redneck “won’t grasp it ...eat every walleye they catch and unlike RPS they are way over their possession limit ...it’s not just Kings it happens below Beaver Dam and whats worse down there you got guides targeting these big females...I’m definitely in the minority on this topic but walleye is my fishing passion and it burns to see how some treat a great resource.... I seen a picture of a walleye that was caught out of Kings that was said to have weighed 16lbs , probably did it was big.....they shock Beaver tailwaters each year along with Kings River and upper white river that feeds into Beaver lake.

I have seen some of the photos your talking about and understand the concerns. 

*The good news is lots of those types as you said only fish during the spawn and don't fish again. 

 

I assume they were there I just never did find them. Managed to only find about 7 all year and not a single female that I know of.

[Ron Burgundy]

The way this cornavirus is going I may wish I had kept those females 😂

[Tanderson15]

I’m with Ron. All I normally fish for is walleye. Tomorrow will be the first time this year never during the spawn because some is successful. 

[Ron Burgundy]

20 hours ago, Bassmeister said:

This is how I feel when I see striper guides on FB showing off their catch back at the dock. And in those, there are a few really nice bass bc the 80 lbs of striper wasn’t enough meat. 

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