Anything new to report on this river?

[workin4TheDream]

I'd read somewhere that the Black River has a great spot for trolling for Walleye.  There's a specific area mentioned near a bridge and a boat launch that I'm targeting.  I don't want to get to specific but has anyone fished for Walleye in the Black River recently? I was looking at going down there this weekend and figured I'd post on here to see if anyone has any new info on that topic.

[jdmidwest]

Walleye are in the southern part around Poplar Bluff.  Deep holes all way down into Arkansas.  Access near 67 Bridge north of town should get you started.  Troll cranks and bounce jigs works.  It's been 4 years since I fished for them but managed to catch a few shorts.  River is low.

[Al Agnew]

I know the spot you're talking about.  Since it is right at a good boat ramp, it gets pounded pretty hard.  There are walleye in that hole, but catching them isn't easy.  I fished it a whole lot many years ago, before there was a good boat ramp; then you had to use a good 4WD vehicle to get any kind of boat other than a canoe into it; I fished it a lot from my canoe, which you had to carry down a high, steep embankment off the highway.  Mostly fished with big live minnows, and caught some walleye.  Since it was a good hour and half from where I lived, I didn't fish it all the time, but would make several trips each winter.  There were some very big walleye caught there every winter back then, though I never got a big one there.  Biggest I ever saw caught weighed 17.5 pounds.  The boat ramp was put in about 15 years ago, and since then I haven't heard of any really big ones being caught there.

 

[jdmidwest]

Those big walleye disappeared out of the Black, Current, and 11 Pt systems about the time the MDC decided to manage them.  We always called them Jack Salmon and never caught them on purpose when I was young.  Just hung them bass fishing with cranks.

[Al Agnew]

22 hours ago, jdmidwest said:

Those big walleye disappeared out of the Black, Current, and 11 Pt systems about the time the MDC decided to manage them.  We always called them Jack Salmon and never caught them on purpose when I was young.  Just hung them bass fishing with cranks.

Nope, they disappeared about the time jet boats got popular.  The best wintering pools for walleye weren't easy to get to with a good boat until jet boats.  Now, they get pounded unmercifully.  MDC's management hasn't changed.  In my opinion their management of the native Black River strain walleye has ALWAYS been stupid.  This strain has the genetic potential to easily grow to world record sizes; they may be the biggest top end size walleye anywhere.  But MDC has managed them with a four fish limit and a low minimum length for a long time.  And NOBODY releases a legal size walleye down there.  They should be managed strictly to produce true trophies, and catch and release should be the rule for everybody.  Instead, the females get cropped off about the time they reach 24 inches or so, and never get a chance to grow big.

[MoCarp]

The native river strain has the potential to get world record size…. in the late 90s early 2000s there was a nice year class in bullshoals then…state record was 22# caught in the early 2000s….I chased those monsters back then…caught and released a couple over 15….my PB was 17-8…..saw a fish under the bridge at swan in February of 2003 that was 7” between the eyes and longer by a heathy margin than a old truck tire…..it’s my understanding the pure river stain is difficult to hatchery produce…..Stockton used to have some river strain but haven’t heard of a big fish taken in many years….I had hoped the MDC would have done more with the native strain…..the act different than typical walleyes…. skittish…once spooked the don’t seem to hang around…..I always wondered if they were scared off traditional spawning areas….there are a few hidden populations I hope we don’t lose them forever

[MoCarp]

Gleasons 19 almost 20 caught in bullshoals in 91

[MoCarp]

https://mdc.mo.gov/magazines/conservationist/2018-08/missouris-weird-walleye

[jdmidwest]

2 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

Nope, they disappeared about the time jet boats got popular.  The best wintering pools for walleye weren't easy to get to with a good boat until jet boats.  Now, they get pounded unmercifully.  MDC's management hasn't changed.  In my opinion their management of the native Black River strain walleye has ALWAYS been stupid.  This strain has the genetic potential to easily grow to world record sizes; they may be the biggest top end size walleye anywhere.  But MDC has managed them with a four fish limit and a low minimum length for a long time.  And NOBODY releases a legal size walleye down there.  They should be managed strictly to produce true trophies, and catch and release should be the rule for everybody.  Instead, the females get cropped off about the time they reach 24 inches or so, and never get a chance to grow big.

I have used jet boats for 15 years now and I release all walleye from those streams.  But, I am probably a freak of nature in that area.

First walleye trips were out of the Sportsmans ramp in Poplar Bluff in a 17' squareback canoe with a 5 hp motor on it.  But we never saw anything over 5lbs. 

Maybe it was the MDC making it well known that Walleye existed in this part of the world that caused the crash. 

Castor River has a good population of them running out of the Mississippi, I have caught them there also.

[Al Agnew]

Speaking of big walleye...Hog Wally and I went out today.  We commented that it was a walleye kinda day, even though we were supposedly fishing for bass...See my trip report in the main fishing forum.  Fish was just shy of 12 pounds.