walleye indroduction

[RickK]

It seems like the midwest has better walleye water and thus studies. But are there any surprises there as far as waters that looks good but just doesn't produce a walleye fishery? We have a very large reservoir (I believe its over 7 billion gal) and it supports both bass/perch, lake trout, rainbows and landlock salmon (all stocked but many that live years and some reproduction) has a lot of smelt for forage, and other bait fish for the warmer water fish. I know they have tried to stock walleye 3 separate times with both fry and fingerlings. To my knowlege no one has ever caught a walleye there. Lots of good oxygen at even deep water (lakers caught in 100' of water) lots of gravel,...rocky points,..some sand and weeds,..a number of streams,...but no walleyes,...anyone guess why?

[ginamaria]

Just a guess, so many bass trout salmon that the fingerlings get eaten.

[s.f.]

This isn't totally unique. I know of several inland lakes that have been stocked heavily for many years that don't support a fishable walleye fishery, yet they have an ample supply of everything a walleye needs. Our Mn. DNR has stopped stocking some lakes because the fish simply won't stay in them. They evidently swim up or down stream, through feeder creeks or rivers, to other lakes that seem more suitable. I would assume, somwhere within that system you speak of, there are walleyes that originate in your subject reservoir.
The local fisheries office would offer better insight to your question.

#49
Steve Fellegy

[RickK]

hummm,..as I understand at least one of the stocking involved a LOT of fingerlings,...I guess they could be eaten but with all the other species of bass,trouts salmons etc,.fry/fingerlings around,..some of THEM make it to adulthood. Why wouldn't some of the walleyes? (I think they stopped fry stocking because they knew of the poor mortality. The fingerlings were beyond the size eaten by perch and the smaller pan fish,..big enough to to not be eaten except for the larger fish,..

[RickK]

Hi SF,..I think our fisherys people really don't know why,..I know one of them and he is a biologist for the state and he said something scientific to the effect of,... well sometimes they "take" and sometimes they don't.....but I don't know if he is familiar with this (our main Ma, res.) BTW this res. isn't connected to any other, bodies of water,however .a number of nice streams feed into it in the watershed. I know i've read posts about different strains being either reared or at least acknowledged on in the lakes of the midwest. I think most of our walleyes were gotten from a state hatchery in Minn. many years ago and are what we use as our breeding stock for the few waters that support walleyes here. Since its not a big fishery here,I think our fisherman just have never caught many or any and there is little pressure on our fishery Dept to study it very much. I understand we at one time did have a much broader range of them but with the lack of pollution control 10-30 years ago they died out and the fisherman did too. Now not enough around to be interested in this state. Hope this changes.

[Eyez]

I guess it goes to show that we really don't know as much about fisheries biology as we'd like to. It is entirely possible though, that the fish are there, they are just low numbers, and filled a niche that keeps them away from fisherman. I would assume that your local DNR has done some test netting or electrofishing, maybe you could ask if those results are available? A place to start anyway.


Dusty

[R. Brown]

My best guess would either be cover and bottom structure issues or possibly temperature conditions ans/ or forage selections.
Spawning Walleyes prefer shallow flat bottom structure and a faster current if there is and inlet to the resivoir try fishing near the mouth of that inlet around eddys and slack water around and between faster current. if that is unsuccessful, look for underwater structre like submerged troughs and riverbeds, rocky bottom surfaces during the spawn are good as well but remember to look shallow and nearer to shore.
hope this helped