Walleye Spawning

[Walleye Wisdom(IA)]

At what water tempature do walleye's usually spawn at? I live in Iowa and need to know this so i can hit the big girls before they spawn. Also, is there a way to get a underwater tempature reading withough buying electronics? Like a homemade temp reading? Thanks.

[Northern Manitoban]

Walleye's will spawn when the water reaches around 40 degrees,get yourself just a cheap thermometer it works.Don't keep those spawners.FISH ON.

[Walleye Wisdom(IA)]

You can use a thermometer to get readings in water like 6 feet or lower? I rarely ever keep walleye to eat. Just like to catch them. Never keep sows.

[Stezostedion vitreum man]

Walleye Wisdom,

The real determinent for walley spawning activity is the amount of dissolved oxygen in a given body of water. With that said, however, the optimum water temperature for dissolved oxygen content for walleye spawning, as Northern Manitoban mentioned, is usually around the low 40 degree F. range.

This will start to get the small males moving into an area first, later followed by the larger females as the dissolved oxygen content is on the rise. Many different conditions may halt, or even reverse this natural progression in the spawning activity. Sometimes, if conditions are right, "dead water" (water very low in dissolved oxygen) may move into a spawning area killing most of the fish in that area. There are many more variables, too many to mentiond here, that may negatively impact the migration of walleye into a given spawning area.

In most areas where walleyes are still spawining, those areas will be closed to anglers. This, as we all know, help protect the larger female spawning walleyes. In many states, prespawn walleyes are protected by closed seasons, or fishing is closed to the angler in spawning areas, except in some special situations.

Remember to keep your eyes open and your feet dry.

S.v.m

[Caleb]

What I was told you can do to figure out the temp. is to buy a cheap thermometer and tye a string to it and lower it down to a depth your fishing at then leave it down there for about 5 min. Then bring it up quick and it will be the temp. May be a degree or two off but it is close.
CALEB