Walleye Populations
Strong Throughout State
When Minnesota's walleye and northern pike
season opens May 10, angler success will be
based on everything from the weather to whether
an angler's bait is presented at the depths,
speeds and styles that fish prefer.
One thing, however, is for sure. The fish are
there.
"Minnesota's walleye populations are in
very good shape," said Ron Payer, fisheries
director for the Department of Natural
Resources. "That's true of the large
natural walleye lakes. It is also true of the
medium- and smaller-sized lakes that benefit
from the fry and fingerlings we raise and stock
according to plan."
Payer said walleye populations are strong in
part due to a string of moderate to excellent
natural walleye hatches that began in the mid
1990s and continued through 2001.
"Hatches of the past are what determines
the catch rates of today," said Payer.
"Since natural production was better than
average during the late 1990s angler success is
likely to be better than average since those
fish are now a cacheable size." Fish
hatched in mid to late 1990s weigh anywhere from
one pound to more than five pounds.
Around the state, DNR fisheries managers echo
Payer's perspective that a promising fishing
season is at hand.
Northeast: "I'm anticipating a good
opener if the weather cooperates," said Tim
Goeman, regional fisheries manager. "The
walleyes are done spawning and have had nearly
two weeks to recover. That means they should be
beyond their post-spawn stress and back into a
more normal feeding pattern."
Goeman said two of the northeast's most popular
fishing lakes - Winnibigoshish and Rainy -
should provide quality fishing again this year.
"Both bodies of water have had length limit
regulations in place that are really
working," said Goeman. "As a result,
anglers are seeing higher catch rates and more
big fish than in the past. That's the best of
both of worlds."
Lake Mille Lacs, he said, should produce high
quality walleye fishing as well but not at the
phenomenal rate of last year. "Anglers
boated 3.5 million pounds of walleye last
year," said Goeman, an amount nearly triple
the previous record of 1.2 million pounds in
2001. "This year, because the prey base has
increased substantially, we expect walleye to
feed much more heavily on yellow perch than the
baits of anglers." The perch boom of 2002
filled a void created by a perch bust in 2001.
Lake
Vermilion has a solid walleye population,
said Goeman, but the lake's muskies are
generating the greatest increase in angling
pressure. "Today, 11 percent of the anglers
who come to Vermilion come to cast for muskie.
That's up from 3 or 4 percent just six and seven
years ago."
Muskie anglers are drawn to the lake, he said,
by the fish's large average size, reports of
fish in excess of 50 inches, and the shear
beauty of Lake Vermilion. "We captured and
released a 54-inch muskie in our survey nets
last summer," said Goeman. "That's the
kind of fish that anglers dream about all winter
long."
The muskie season opens June 7 on most Minnesota
waters.
Northwest: In general, the ice disappeared from
lakes in northwest Minnesota during the second
and third weeks of April. Walleye spawning is
complete and the fish have had at least a week
to recover. This should portend good fishing if
the weather holds, according to Henry Drewes,
regional fisheries manager. Trails and Waterways
crews will be busy right up to the opener
preparing boat ramps and installing docks. Work
should be completed in time for the opener.
"The story in northwest Minnesota is that
many lakes and rivers are much lower compared to
the highs of the late 1990s and early
2000s," said Drewes. "That means river
angling should be fairly good, in particular for
channel catfish in the Red River and its
tributaries."
Lake of the Woods, he said, has very good
walleye population that features five strong
years classes from 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 and
2001. "Walleye will still be spawning when
the season opens but typically by about Memorial
Day the catch rates should really pick up,"
Drewes said. "The lake has good numbers of
three- to six-year-old walleye."
The northern pike bite on Lake of the Woods also
should be very good. "The bite starts in
the bays and mouths of rivers," Drewes
said. "We implemented a 30 to 40-inch
protected slot for trophy management in 1996 on
Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River and it has
worked very well."
Today, Drewes said, it is not uncommon for
anglers to catch northern pike a yard long and
trophy fish of more than 20 pounds are present
in the lake. The lake's lake sturgeon fishing
season closed April 30 and does not open again
until July 1.
Walleye fishing at Leech Lake is expected to
improve this year following a tough bite last
year. "Walleye were tough to catch last
year because yellow perch, their primary prey,
were at level that was triple the long-term
average," said Drewes. "The fish that
angl*s angler success is likely to be bers did
catch were mostly in the 20- to 23-inch
range."
Walleye angling is expected to be very good on
other larger lakes in the northwest including
perennial favorites Cass and Otter Tail. Walleye
populations in both lakes are very strong.
Anglers are reminded that fishing for walleye on
Upper Red Lake is closed. It will be several
more years until the population has recovered to
the point it can sustain a walleye fishery.
Crappies are still plentiful in Red Lake as well
as an excellent population of quality-sized
northern pike.
South: Though many people think of northern
Minnesota as a fishing destination, there are
more than 250 fishing lakes in southern
Minnesota between the Wisconsin and South Dakota
borders. Southern Minnesota lakes tend to be
shallower, more fertile, and warmer than
northern lakes. That translates to
faster-growing fish.
"The Cannon River Chain in LeSeuer and Rice
counties should be good for walleyes, northern
pike and panfish," said Huon Newburg,
regional fisheries manager for southern
Minnesota. "Others that look good for the
walleye opener include Lake Elysian in Blue
Earth County, Talcot Lake in Cottonwood County,
Farah Lake in Murray County, Okabena Lake in
Nobles County and Rock Lake in Lyon
County." Lake Traverse also has a healthy
population of walleye and other species.
In the Hutchinson area, Lake Marion is
consistently among the best fishing lakes,
Newburg said, with good numbers of walleyes,
northern pike, large channel catfish and
crappies, the latter in the seven- to nine-inch
range. Other lakes that offer good fishing
opportunities include Swan, Belle, Jennie,
Collinwood, Washington, Stella and the South
Fork Crow River downstream of the dam in
Hutchinson.
Central: For anglers who intend to stay close to
the Twin Cities, Pool 2 of the Mississippi River
is an excellent choice. That is according to
Dirk Peterson, regional fisheries manager, who
noted this is a catch-and-release only zone
between the St. Paul's Ford Dam and Hastings for
walleyes, northern pike, saugers, smallmouth
bass and largemouth bass.
"It's a trophy fishery in the shadow of the
capital," said Peterson. "The big fish
came back as a result of the federal Clean Water
Act. They've been protected since the early
1990s and provide outstanding fishing in the
heart of the city."
Fishing is an important part of Minnesota's
culture, heritage and economy. Payer noted that
recreational angling creates almost 50,000 jobs
in Minnesota and that anglers spend 26 million
days fishing each year. "Our state ranks
second in the nation in the percentage of
residents who fish and we rank third as a
fishing destination for nonresidents," said
Payer. "Those numbers speak to the
importance of Minnesota's fishing culture and
the reputation this state has as an angling
destination."
In that walleye can be finicky on opening day,
Payer advises anglers to try for panfish,
crappie, or northern pike if the walleye action
is slow. "I've learned that when the
walleye are stubborn I don't need to be
stubborn, too," he said. "I will often
re-rig for crappies or northerns and enjoy the
day. And that's what we want for all anglers - a
safe and enjoyable day."
|
