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MDNR Report
Croton Dam
Muskegon River anglers should be on the lookout for Michigan Department of Natural Resources personnel collecting walleye eggs below Croton Dam this spring.
Walleye will be collected with electrofishing boats through late March and to April 14. The date these collections begin will depend on water temperatures, the presence of ripe fish and other factors. It is anticipated most work will be completed from the last week of March through the first week of April. Five days of electrofishing are planned, with four of those being egg-take days.
"This adult population consists of mostly stocked fish," said Ed Pearce, DNR fisheries technician supervisor who coordinates the egg take. "The Muskegon River has the largest run of walleye in the Lake Michigan watershed south of Green Bay."
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By Louie Stout
Walleye Stocking
The St. Joseph River walleye stocking program got another boost last month, thanks to the efforts of the Michiana Walleye Association (MWA) and the Indiana DNR.
Some 12,000 6- to 8-inch walleyes were stocked at Maggies Landing in Mishawaka. The fish were raised by Gollon Bait and Fish Farm in Wisconsin.
The DNR purchased 10,000 of those while the Michiana Walleye Club, which has been the driving force in Indiana’s St. Joseph River stocking since 1995, purchased the other 2,000.
The club pays for the fish through its fund-raisers held at the club grounds and donations it receives from individual anglers and businesses.
The walleyes are stocked every other year. According to Indiana DNR officials, the survival rate of those fish stocked is estimated to be around 34 percent.
Barry Ukele, a MWA founder and spearhead for the stocking program, said this year’s fish appeared to be in great shape and should contribute to the fishery in the years to come.
The St. Joe has become a viable walleye fishery since the mid-1990s. Catching big walleyes there can be tricky, but surveys show they are there.
Anglers who catch the young walleye over the upcoming months are urged to handle them with care and return them to the water quickly.
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By Josh Lantz, Traditions Media
Early Fall Walleye
Walleyes are still largely following established summer patterns in most lakes and rivers come early September, which generally means deeper water. Anglers targeting ‘eyes should start their searches in all the likely areas, namely offshore humps, deep weed lines, mid-depth flats, and man-made cribs in lakes, and at the bottom of the deeper pools in rivers and streams. But they should also be prepared to search shallower whenever the conditions dictate.
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MDNR Report
Young angler with walleye
A healthy, abundant walleye population is a big part of Michigan’s fisheries. These native fish provide exciting opportunities for world-class recreational fishing and play an important ecological role as a top predator.
Though several local, regional and Great Lakes-centric walleye plans exist, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has drafted the first statewide walleye plan focused on inland waters – and is asking the public’s help in finalizing it.
The draft version of the “Management Plan for Walleye in Michigan’s Inland Waters” is available for review and written comment through April 1. All comments should be sent via email to DNR-Walleye@Michigan.gov.