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To whom it may concern:
Coming from a "WALLEYE-EATING" county in Michigan, we all were brought up to take care of our walleye population. We were taught, if we fished during the spawn, to release all 3#-5# walleye, the PRIME SPAWNERS, according to our Conservation Officers. Keeping smaller or larger walleye does not effect the walleye population in a body of water, because the quality of eggs is not there.
As long as the methods are legal, it is up to the individual to do what he thinks is right. "To each his own!"
Maybe the way of thinking is different here, but just my two cents worth.
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If you catch a 5lb walleye in the summer and keep it.... you are also stopping it from spawning...
No different than catching it the first of March with eggs when it weighs 6+lbs.
People get really upset when you keep a fish during the spawn... when in reality there is not any difference between keeping that fish in the summer or during the spawn....same end result = that fish doesn't get to spawn.
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You are right.
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Unfortunately the white trash take everything they catch home to freezer burn and then to the trash.
White trash comes in lots of colors and gives us rednecks a bad name.
Let em spawn, eat the shakers!
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[quote Gemcityslayer]If you catch a 5lb walleye in the summer and keep it.... you are also stopping it from spawning...
No different than catching it the first of March with eggs when it weighs 6+lbs.
People get really upset when you keep a fish during the spawn... when in reality there is not any difference between keeping that fish in the summer or during the spawn....same end result = that fish doesn't get to spawn.[/quote][  ]
What if she lays those eggs before you "keep" her? [ ]
Wouldn't you be getting babys for the future AND that trophy in the basket.
Don't have that option in the summer[  ]
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If we apply that principle across the board, we'd have to limit our meat to calves, fawns, and lambs. In fact, it would be even more applicable because cows, deer/elk, and sheep have only one or two offspring, not thousands.
A fish population is either self-sustaining or it isn't. When one gets into trouble, slot limits or closed seasons can be imposed until things improve.
That said, I'm in favor of self-imposed restrictions like "CPR" and limiting one's own take - as long as they are truly self-imposed.
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From where you come from do they not have slot limits on some of the waters to help out the fish so they don't get over fished??
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You're in Utah now bud. Everything here is managed for trout and that's it. Anything with teeth is almost considered a trash fish save for tiger muskies. Being from Wisconsin, I share your frustration with walleyes here in Utah and how they are treated. Makes me cringe to see big females being killed during the spawn, but that's just my roots coming from the Midwest where 'eyes were kings. Gotta get used to the dif management methods and mindset out here. Personally I'd release any spawned females here, but that's up to the angler. Would be nice to see more of those hog females released.
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I won't address the comment about "managed for trout only."
Utah does have a control of sorts on big breeder walleye. The statewide limit is 10, with only one over 24 inches. Some waters have smaller total limits (limit at Willard Bay is six). The state IS trying.
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[quote Reel_Tactical]You're in Utah now bud. Everything here is managed for trout and that's it. Anything with teeth is almost considered a trash fish save for tiger muskies. Being from Wisconsin, I share your frustration with walleyes here in Utah and how they are treated. Makes me cringe to see big females being killed during the spawn, but that's just my roots coming from the Midwest where 'eyes were kings. Gotta get used to the dif management methods and mindset out here. Personally I'd release any spawned females here, but that's up to the angler. Would be nice to see more of those hog females released.[/quote]
I don't know how long you have lived in Utah but I will challenge your thinking.
I do agree that over 15 years ago, Utah had a trout only mentality but that has changed.
The UDWR is working very hard to try and make Warm Water fishing better in the state. This takes time and money. If you have been keeping up with some other posts you would have reed the report from Drew Cushing from the DWR.
Remember that Utah is a desert and our water comes from reservoirs and not lakes. That creates a big difference in how fish can be managed. Reservoirs fill and drain every year. This condition makes natural recruitment difficult. The DWR offsets the condition with stocking programs.
I could go on and on but you have to have some faith in the DWR to believe they are doing what they can to improve fishing for non trout species.
Give them a chance to show you what they are trying to do.
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You missed it. If you harvest the "prime" spawning sized walleye (3-5 lb) at any time (spring, summer, fall, winter) you remove it from the population and thus prevent it from spawning at any future time while in its prime. Theory is that it's best to harvest the walleye outside of that size range and let the prime spawners do their thing.
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Easy, it was  in cheek Nate. I don't keep fish, so breath easy.[ ]
Assuming TD's walleye opened this can of worms?
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Looking at the stocking data from around the state one can easily see that Utah is primarily managed for trout. Cutts, 'bows, a few brookies, a few splake, a few lakers, kokes, a few tigers stocked in almost every lake, river and res in the state. Not too hard to deduce that it's a primarily trout based fishery. A limit of 10 eyes a day hardly seems like conservation. Even in the Midwest where walleyes are extremely abundant, limits hardly ever go past 5/day if not less in some areas so, no, Utah does not have a specific management plan primarily for walleyes or any other "warm water" species other than tigers and most others take a back seat to salmonids, although considered, still take a back seat. Also, walleye are not a warm water species. Not where I'm from anyway. They prefer cooler water, not as cold as trout, but cooler.
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You hit the nail on the head. I see that TD is staying out of this, but I have been here almost as long as him and have been fighting the battle almost as long. It goes back more that 15 yers, more like 40. There have been some pioneers in the DWR, Wayne Gustevason at Powell, Charlie Thompson in the Central region, who have been putting it on the line for Warm Water fisheries. That 7-8 lber that TD kept the other day is one of those fish outside the "slot". She may have had a couple of more years to spawn, but she was taking more out of the system than putting back. AS stated by the starter of this thread, the prime spawners are the 3-5lber's whose genetics have vigor and the eggs and milt from those are the most able to carry on the species. Let's all use some common sense, leave the spawing females alone, keep a few males during the spawn, and then after their business is done and the next generation is produced, enjoy some good fishing and good eats !!! Remember, it is the production of the next generation each year that is important, not preserving all the 0ver 7lb fish for the next year !!!
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Big female walleyes all over the country spawn and produce thousands of offspring at double the size you're talking about so saying that anything over 5lbs is taking more out the system than returning is ludicrous. Big spawning females frequently reach sizes well over 10-12lbs and still produce thousands of eggs each years until the day they die. Not sure why anyone would want to keep a female of that size at all. Even for a mount. Catch, measure, pic, get a fiberglass replica. Pointless argument out west here though about theses toothy critters. They just don't hold same esteem that they do further east and north.
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They are an invasive species. Not native west of the divide. Bass too aye. You guys need some of our wolves.
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Never said they weren't an invasive species so chill. What I said was they are not a primary concern as far as conservation goes. Telling the OP this is not the Midwest so don't expect people out here to pander to walleyes. That being said, they are here and they are not going anywhere so we might as well embrace them in the few systems they're in and manage them. They're not gonna be eradicated so it would behoove the DWR to manage a few lakes that they've already made a foothold in to the states' advantage. Stock them and some food for them instead of treating them like a disease. They'd make a lot more money managing a few lakes for eyes instead of trying to get rid of them and by the way this states LOVES it's money and charging everyone for practically walking outside, it's a surprise they haven't done it yet.
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Not that my comments will likely change anyone's opinion, but speaking only of Utah lake, the carp netting and other study operations have shown rather conclusively that there are an enormous number of large walleyes in there that never are caught and die of old age or die offs when the forage crashes.
My opinion is that you can do whatever your conscience permits (keep it or not) at UL and not affect the walleye population in any way. You could probably double the current overall UL walleye harvest and not change the population dynamic much there. (I recognize other lakes like Willard are quite different however.)
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I have no idea of the laws outside this state (and Idaho), but Utah's "possession" limit also includes what is in the freezer. I know, that is impossible to regulate, but for those that follow the law, that means if you catch 10 you must consume some before you can keep more. Keeping the amount you have consumed.
I don't know if that made a difference here or not. Just throwing that out there.
10 does seem like a lot to me as well.
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