Walleye.

[Ron Burgundy]

6 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

I’ve been up there a couple of times midweek the last couple of weeks and have not seen that pressure. No rigs at Holiday island and did not quite get as far as houseman. 

Have seen the walleye pontoon both times and 4 boats one time and 2 the next, besides the pontoon. 

Even with RPS trying to help, I’m pretty inept. I’ve not caught one but am terror on the small bass. 

I’ve seen one Arkansas guide boat each time but they are trout fishing. 

Maybe on the weekends they are working on them but not so much during the week, that I have seen. 

Don’t  think there is a need to panic. Got a feeling if there is a problem both Mo. and Arkansas will start stocking again. 




 

There was about 2 weeks back in February that those guides were posting pictures daily of their walleye catch and they were slaying them  but recently they haven’t posted many pictures. . At least Red Guide service releases the females but the rest don’t . Arkansas releases 100,000 every other year into Beaver . I hope MO stocks TR but have no clue . 

[Tanderson15]

I only fish for walleye 90% of the time. I have two rules for myself never fish the spawn, and never fish them when they’re deep(over 35 feet) 

[Bill Babler]

I believe Quill had some information on stocking on Table Rock. James River, Kings River and White River. 

With creel and minimum length limits established and a stocking program in both Missouri and Arkansas it’s really hard to complain to people about harvesting legal fish that were stocked for that purpose. 

It’s a sticky subject and almost totally impossible to enforce procession limits. They can enforce what they see as far as a daily creel limit but they for the most part are not checking freezers. 

I would have never killed that limit or really even a single fish in the picture I saw today, but that’s me. 

Visited a little more with the guy working on my house that caught them and he said a lot of guys snag them like suckers up there, which I believe is a total no-no. 

Probably one warden in Carroll Co. And 1 in Barry County. No way to even come close to enforcing the regulations. 

 

 

[rps]

My cousin Steve spent his whole career with AFGC.

He told me the best he could do was to be visible as many different places as he could be. Most of his arrests were for spotlighting deer, because that was obvious. Once in a while, someone would tip him about some Scooter and  Hooter pair doing something illegal and stupid.

He must have been fairly efficient. He had his tires slashed and two Labs poisoned.

[rps]

5 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

I would have never killed that limit or really even a single fish in the picture I saw today, but that’s me

In 17 years on the lake, I killed two huge walleye. I caught both in July while water temps were near 80. Both were spent when I netted them. The larger is my avatar.

 

[Quillback]

9 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

I believe Quill had some information on stocking on Table Rock. James River, Kings River and White River. 

 

 

 

This was from Jonathan Stein at AGFC, it is from 2 year ago:

It has been several years since we stocked Walleye in the Kings or White rivers and the few times that we have, it was surplus Walleye.  These populations are doing very well naturally.  The biologist from Missouri has sampled the James River arm of Table Rock and came up to help us on the Kings and White rivers.  The numbers of Walleye that run into these rivers is incredible.  We collected 251 Walleye per hour a couple of nights ago on the Upper White River out of the Highway 45 Bridge (Beaver Lake Twin Bridges Access).  On the Kings River, we have collected over 350 per hour and see some trophy fish.  Our sampling method (electrofishing) does not collect every fish.  We only get a small sample of the Walleye that are there (if we collect 75 in 10 minutes, we are probably missing another 75).  We cannot net fast enough to collect all the fish.  

 

We have seen similar numbers in the White below Beaver Lake.  Also, we have observed fish that were 14 lbs.  These high catch rates are corresponding with the increased popularity of the Walleye fishery in the spring.  Stocking at this point is not needed in these river arms and Walleye are doing very well on their own.  Thanks for the question and if you have any others, please let me know.

[waterpossum]

In the past I fished near Rich Hill, Missouri in February and March for walleye in a tributary to Truman lake. It was against the law to be on the water after dark. They patrolled and handed out hefty fines. In the late 70s when I started fishing Stockton lake the wardens were always checking for people after dark in Turnback creek for giggers. At the time I heard that a couple of local perpetrators received a lifetime ban on fishing. I have little to no respect for nighttime walleye fishing in the upper river arms after dark. It's an open invitation to the gigging and snagging crowd. 

[Quillback]

Last year a warden checked us on the water near Big M, we happened to have an 18.5" walleye and he measured it.  He said that he had been keeping an eye on the walleye fishermen that spring.  

[Bill Babler]

I kind of agree with waterpossum. Be Nice if they would put a restricted zone in both the White and Kings. January thru March above a certain point on each river system. 

Be easy to also say no fishing between 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour prior to sunrise. 

I would love to know the daily movement patterns of these fish. Yesterday I was told there is nothing in front of you and then as if fairy dust is sprinkled on the water there are so many you could walk across the Kings river on them. 

They just don’t start biting, they start moving. 


 

[Daniel Anderson]

I have been fishing the kings walleye run for the past few years almost every weekend.  The pressure this year is out of control compared to years past.  The main reason for this is people (mostly arkansas guides) posting their catch on every fishing group on Facebook.  It has worked out great for their business but I do wonder if it is sustainable for years to come.  Only time will tell.  

 

This year has also been an odd one because of the warm February we had.  I have been catching them like crazy since the ice storm that hit in early Feb.  There was an early push of fish that moved all the way to romp hole that spawned early. But the majority of the fish have just now shown in the spawning ground up river.  These big rains are a key part to when they make their move, along with the days getting longer and the moon phase.  The water temp has been right since just after the ice storm.  I usually throw a jig and minnow until March then I switch to plastics.  Facebook would have you believe that the walleye fishing is just bananas and you will be catching them non stop, but that is just not the case most days.  90% of people I talk to on the river struggle to even catch one keeper even with jig and minnow tied on.  When they are up river in the spawning holes you can bet that they will bite good most of the time, but it is still a grind!