09-15-2022, 05:34 PM
(09-15-2022, 05:00 PM)doitall5000 Wrote: Here is a little more information from Cris Penne (DWR) about this year's stocking.
Willard bay - 500k walleye fry , these would only be about 3 days old.
17k fingerlings about 3 inches long.
175k wipers didn't say the size
The big factor for planting fry is food source, and water temperature. The phytoplankton, or zooplankton must be there for the fry to eat. Can't remember which one it is they eat..
Most sac fry eat both phytoplankton (plants) and zooplankton (invertebrates)...with the latter being a better source of nutrients. Interestingly...and unfortunately...zooplankton are also the main dietary item for young shad. And they can seriously impact the available food resources for the young of other species.
On the flip side...young shad must grow and develop the ability to eat other things besides zooplankton before it gets cold in the fall and the zooplankton diminish. Otherwise they starve. That's why we see so many tiny dead shad in the fall after the water cools off. No food for the late hatching shad...who can't live on anything but zooplankton.