Walley Stocking

[Bobby M.]

Ok, I will stick my neck out and start a topic. How does everyone feel about the MO department of conservation and the AR game and fish stocking thousands and thousands of walleye into to T Rockevery year. I personally see no point in this. The largemouth population is still recovering from the die off a few years back, I see the walleye as nothing but a competitor to the bass. And with Bull Shoalsso close and it already has a thriving walley population, why would they mess with a good thing. Table Rock has been a great fishery for years with very few walleye, why try and change this now.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I agree. There is an intense interest in Walleye, but not in numbers of fishermen and Stockton is gaining, Bull Shoals has a good population, and that should be enough, at least until there's some pressure on them.

They have been in LOZ forever, or close to it, so they aren't new to lakes in Missouri.

I would like to see them work with Hybrids. There is no doubt that there is a big interest in Whites, they are an open water fish, and if they don't work out, they will die off in time.

[hoover25]

Ok, I will stick my neck out and start a topic. How does everyone feel about the MO department of conservation and the AR game and fish stocking thousands and thousands of walleye into to T Rockevery year. I personally see no point in this. The largemouth population is still recovering from the die off a few years back, I see the walleye as nothing but a competitor to the bass. And with Bull Shoals so close and it already has a thriving walley population, why would they mess with a good thing. Table Rock has been a great fishery for years with very few walleye, why try and change this now.

Good question. And until see the results I don't know how I feel about it. Although I think they are only stocking walleye in the James and Kings River arms of the lake unless I have missed some recent news.

I think I have an answer for the "why." :

Bull Shoals has some monster walleye.....espcially compared to Stockton. Stockton has the 15" inch limit for a reason. I'm guessing that the thinking is that TR could produce similar size classes of walleye as those in BS and, in Missouri, TR is an extremely popular lake....much more so than BS. Having a trophy walleye fishery would be another "feather in TR's cap."

Just my 2 cents.

[MoCarp]

in my oppinon (My formal training is biology) Table Rock has several un-filled Niches and walleyes would fill one--largemouth will not be effected as the carrying capasity of TR prolly will never be met--also with yellow perch in shoals--I would bet the steping up of walleye stocking is to head off any issues once the get in table rock--look at the big rock bass in the lake I think that increasing tablerocks diversity is good as it spreads the anglers among many fish

my 2 cents

mo

[Phil Lilley]

Walleye have been stocked in TR for ??? years. I've reported on this stat before but can't remember- Bill Anderson told me. I do remember the number of years was alot higher than I expected - like 10-15 years. I've search OA for it and haven't come up with the number yet.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I still contend there isn't that much interest, not for a lake the size of TR, less than 50 miles from a lake in which they're thriving.

They have been in LOZ since the '40's, at least, and yet there isn't even any interest from the Walleye organization.

I just think it would be better to concentrate on something that does actually fill a niche, I don't think Walleye will. Hybrids would fill a niche, the open water areas and provide a predator for the Shad that become to big for most of the predators.

The runs in the James, Kings, and White river would bring big numbers of fishermen.

[hoover25]

Walleye have been stocked in TR for ??? years. I've reported on this stat before but can't remember- Bill Anderson told me. I do remember the number of years was alot higher than I expected - like 10-15 years. I've search OA for it and haven't come up with the number yet.

The Kings River Arm stockings have been successful as far as I know. I forgot the numbers (# of fish/shocking hour), but I thought that it has always been "decent." I think they tried stocking the James Arm, but it was never successful....maybe until now. I have done some "walleye" shocking on the James back in 2000 and we found zero. Maybe they tried a different strain and these are working better for the James since folks are catching them now?? I haven't talked to Bill for awhile.

I have actually done some stocking in Lake Stockton....its pretty cool to see all those zillions of baby 'eyes.

[gonefishin]

Personally I dont see a thing wrong with having walleye in TR. The carrying capicaty of TR isnt met and so there is more than enough available food for more fish. I think they should look stock Walleye and Hybrids both.

[Al Agnew]

Thing is, if they could get it right with native river strain walleye, it could become a world class fishery, since Ozark river walleye have the potential to grow to world record size. Problem with Bull Shoals, even though it has a good population, is that it only has one real spawning area, below Powersite. None of the streams running into BS are big enough to furnish much spawning area. But Table Rock has both Kings and James running into it, along with the White on the upper end, so it could potentially have more spawning area and more chance of producing huge fish.

But I think the biggest thing holding back the possibility of record class walleye in Missouri is the tradition of eating every walleye caught. Danged few walleye are ever caught and released, so danged few get the chance to get really big. Since walleye will never be a really abundant fish in the Ozarks like they are in places like Minnesota, it would make a lot more sense to manage them for trophy fisheries, with a high length limit and low creel limit of one or two fish.

[MoCarp]

there are 2 strains of walleyes in Missouri--a river strain that is native and gets much much larger--ther state record and world record where undoubtly this souther river strain

and a northern lake spawning (generally) strain that usally max out in the very low teens in size

if they stocked some of the lake strain they would probably be migrated to the main lake

as far as interest--few folks know how to fish for walleyes in TR to catch on a regular basis

besides river fishing in spring most time walleye are much to deep for the avg fisherman to luck into

the only pattern I have heard of was letting crawlers on a jig sink to bottom near floating docks in the baxter area of the lake

I normally see walleyes at twice the depth of bass on Stockton--so you can imagin how deep that would put fish on TR--I bet the lake spawners could be found on chunk rock main lake points at depths from 25-45 in spring to as deep as the O2 will let them go in summer--probably some record class ones in TR-- now just need to work out the most effective pattern---I might have to try jumbo Canada leaches fished drop shot style at 40 foot vertical-at night--I bet a few might be found

MO