It’s simple math really: Zero eggs equals zero fish for future stocking programs.
So, the spring walleye and steelhead egg collections by the Michigan DNR are critical components of the strategy for maintaining world-class fishing opportunities in the Great Lakes State.
Nearly fifty years have now passed since the first paddletail swimbaits splashed down in U.S. waters, the earliest designs having likely originated in France. Today, paddletails have almost singlehandedly rewritten the rules of soft plastics engagement. Fans of catching bass, crappie, walleye and inshore slams nearly always cast these ingenious tail-driven baits, each version capable of different retrieve speeds, actions and the almighty thump.
Lew’s introduced the Custom Lite SS at the 2024 Bassmaster Classic in Tulsa, Ok.
The 200 size Custom Lite SS Spinning Reel fits in perfectly with the lightweight design and smooth drag offered in the rest of the series, but specifically excels in situations where one would normally use backing tied to a braided main line.
IDNR Report
Indiana anglers are invited to participate in the 2024 Midwest Walleye Challenge, a virtual fishing tournament that offers the opportunity to win prizes and contribute to fisheries management while providing Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries biologists with valuable data on the state’s walleye, sauger, and saugeye populations.
The tournament begins March 30 and ends June 30. Only catches of walleye, sauger, and saugeye will count in the tournament.
The Midwest Walleye Challenge was piloted in Iowa during the past two years. This year it will be offered across the Midwest as part of a larger fisheries research project funded by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
By Louie Stout
Regardless of the kind of fish you pursue, it takes years to produce keeper sizes in Michiana waters.
Indiana and Michigan fish researchers maintain charts listing average fish lengths at various ages based upon historical records. Charts are used to compare growth rates of fish in a given lake with state averages. In Indiana, those comparisons are based on northern Indiana glacial waters and not the impoundments found in the southern half of the states. Although not an exact science, it gives researchers a means to determine the health of fish in a given lake. Faster growth indicates a balanced fishery with a good forage base. Slower growth could indicate overpopulation or inadequate forage base.
Fish are aged by collecting scale samples and examining them under a microscope. Rings seen on the scale are much like rings on a tree. Each ring represents a year of growth.
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