Arkansas walleye stocking

[Quillback]

The annual walleye project at C.B. “Charlie” Craig Fish Hatchery in Centerton boasted a great year for production of these river-loving members of the perch family. Fish borrowed from the Kings River produced an impressive 799,235 walleye that were stocked in Lake Fort Smith, Beaver, Norfork and Bull Shoals lakes.

 

[rps]

I find it ironic that Kings river fish go into Bull Shoals, the nationally known walleye lake of Arkansas/Missouri. Now that I am gone, I do not mind others learning that Table Rock is one fine walleye fishery.

[tjm]

It seems crazy to me that they even need to stock a native fish, with all the risk that  comes of a hatchery introducing  fish carrying or transmitting diseases. Or mixing of DNA that compromises wild stock.

Are the walleye unable to  spawn in those lakes or is it just provide jobs for hatchery workers?

[Dutch]

I don’t know about those lakes but I used to know a creel counter who worked Stockton.  He told me that less than 25% of the walleye which they checked were born in the lake.  The rest had been stocked.

[Ham]

8 hours ago, tjm said:

It seems crazy to me that they even need to stock a native fish, with all the risk that  comes of a hatchery introducing  fish carrying or transmitting diseases. Or mixing of DNA that compromises wild stock.

Are the walleye unable to  spawn in those lakes or is it just provide jobs for hatchery workers?

The water level fluctuations that BSL goes through eliminate the possibility of aquatic vegetation. Because of the lack of aquatic vegetation, there are HIGH levels of fry predation by the omnipresent Longear Sunfish and Green Sunfish. 
High water in Springtime (>665) helps all the young of them year, but in general the estimates I have read about say there are less than 30% naturally produced walleye in Bull Shoals. 

[Quillback]

1 hour ago, Dutch said:

I don’t know about those lakes but I used to know a creel counter who worked Stockton.  He told me that less than 25% of the walleye which they checked were born in the lake.  The rest had been stocked.

I saw some stats for Beaver, can't remember the exact number and it varied by year, but stocked walleye usually made up a majority of walleye caught.  

And walleye are pretty much catch and keep.  And when they go on their spawning run, they get whacked.  

[tjm]

The problem @ham described for BSL most likely applies to all the reservoirs. It's a factor I hadn't thought of.  In the case of over harvest and taking during the spawn  it would be better management  to have seasons and limits.  Most species should be protected during spawn, in my opinion, but  I know that easy pickings appeal to a lot of  people.  

[AR Huzgr]

16 hours ago, tjm said:

 

Are the walleye unable to  spawn in those lakes or is it just provide jobs for hatchery workers?

I believe walleye eggs need a current for successful hatching which is why it's tough to get them to reproduce in any reservoir in numbers.  Some years you may get perfect inflow conditions and probably more often then not, less than ideal conditions.