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Indiana Walleye Walleye Waters provided by....... |
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Walleye
Fishing in the Hoosier State A product of fish management and angler support
Gary Hudson, Fisheries Supervisor Tri-Lakes Fisheries Station 5570
North Fish Hatchery Road Columbia
City, Indiana 46725 e-mail: ghudson@dnr.state.in.us
Introduction Although
walleye are thought to be native to Indiana, distribution was limited.
One of the earliest recorded stockings was made in 1891, and
during the 1930's, 15 to 20 million fry were stocked annually.
Modern day management began with the resumption of walleye
stocking in 1970. Today,
Indiana’s fisheries section annually stocks 12 impoundments, six
natural lakes and two rivers with walleye or hybrid walleye (Table
1). Total acres stocked
with walleye or hybrid walleye is 34,171. Natural reproduction is very limited and contributes little to walleye fishing in the state. Fisheries biologists have focused on providing fishing opportunities for this popular fish throughout the state, increasing sizes and numbers of walleye caught and improving angler satisfaction with walleye fishing
Large Walleye Fingerling Research When
it comes to stocking fish, bigger is usually better.
However, production costs
must be weighed against angling benefits. In
2001, Crooked Lake (Steuben Co.), Winona Lake (Kosciusko Co.) and
Sylvan Lake (Noble Co.) were stocked with 6-8 inch long walleye.
Stocking density was 20 per acre at Sylvan and Winona lakes and
10 per acre at Crooked. Plans
are to stock these lakes three consecutive years to see if the large
fingerlings provide fishing where small fingerlings failed. Fry
are usually stocked at 2,000-3,000 per acre and the 1½ inch long
fingerlings at 100/acre. For
comparative purposes, four fry can be produced for a penny and it cost
a little over six cents to produce one 1½ inch fingerling.
Each 6-8 inch walleye cost $1.45.
The large fingerlings required for this research have been
purchased from a private hatchery as Indiana currently does not have the
rearing ponds needed to grow walleye for the entire summer and still
meet other fish production goals. Sampling
will be conducted annually to evaluate each of the three experimental
stockings. Prior to 2001, all walleye fishing provided by the DFW has been done with multiple-year stockings of fry or 1½ inch long fingerlings. There have been some waters where biologists felt that fishable walleye populations would have developed if larger fingerlings had been stocked. This hypothesis is what led to the “large fingerling” walleye research.
Anglers responding to a statewide survey listed walleye #1 when asked, “Which species of fish do you want the Division of Fish and Wildlife to stock?”
Sauger Introductions
Biologists
are also working to establish self sustaining sauger populations in the
East and West Forks of the White River.
Sauger are popular members of the perch family of fishes, along
with walleye, yellow perch and many species of darters.
They are native to some of Indiana’s larger rivers. The
E.F. White River was stocked with sauger fingerlings six consecutive
years, 1995-2000.
Following the devastating fish kill on the W.F. White River in 1999, the first of three planned sauger stockings was completed in June 2002. Some sampling has already been done and more is scheduled to evaluate these stockings. Again, the goal is to restore naturally reproducing sauger populations in two rivers. Walleye Size Limit The
fisheries section proposed a 14-inch minimum length limit for walleye
at three public meetings in March 1996.
Anglers had been asking for a size limit and no one opposed the
proposal. Justification
for the size limit included: 1.
Walleye have greater growth potential than was being realized
at most stocked waters. 2.
Walleye fishing in Indiana is hatchery dependent.
It is too costly to stock fish and have them harvested during
their first and second summer when they have the capability to live
longer and grow larger. 3.
Nearly 50% of the respondents to the 1994 Statewide Angler
Survey supported or strongly supported a minimum length limit for
walleye. Only 15% opposed
a size limit and 17% were neutral.
The proposed 14-inch minimum length limit for walleye went into
effect in August 1996 and it applies to all waters except the St.
Joseph River (St. Joseph & Elkhart Counties) and Ohio River. There
is a 15-inch minimum length limit on walleye in Indiana’s portion of
the St. Joseph River to be consistent with Michigan’s 15 inch size
limit. The St. Joseph
River originates in Michigan, flows through parts of Indiana, and then
returns to Michigan. One
size limit throughout the course of the river makes it easier for
anglers to understand and comply with. The
walleye size limit has now been in place for six growing seasons and
biologists are starting to compare population structure (numbers,
sizes, weights and growth rates) before and after size limit
implementation.
There is no closed season for walleye, sauger or saugeye. Hatchery Production and Stocking Strategies
Eggs for Indiana’s walleye program are taken from mature fish
collected each April at Brookville Reservoir.
The goal is 40 million “green” eggs.
These eggs will provide about 22 million walleye fry, 1.2 million
1½ inch walleye fingerlings and 40,000 hybrid walleye fingerlings.
Walleye stocking densities at lakes are 2,000-3,000 fry/acre or
100 fingerlings/acre. Hybrid
walleye and river walleye stocking densities are 50 fingerlings per
acre.
Hatchery Manager Dan Jessup checks walleye eggs at Cikana State Fish Hatchery Due to concerns about fish genetics, walleye for stocking the St. Joseph River are obtained from Michigan as the St. Joseph River originates in Michigan, then flows south into Indiana before entering Michigan again.
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