06-01-2004, 09:17 PM
DEVILS LAKE: Survey tallies April fishing on Channel A![[Image: spacer.gif]](http://www.grandforks.com/images/common/spacer.gif)
Anglers catch 6,700 walleyes in survey period -- up from 127 in April 2002
By Brad Dokken
Herald Staff Writer
By the numbers, at least, fishing along Channel A was more than 50 times better in April than it was during a similar period two years ago, based on the April results from a yearlong creel survey that began last month on Devils Lake.
According to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, anglers along Channel A caught an estimated 6,700 walleyes between April 12 and April 30, keeping 4,400 of those fish. That compares with a total catch of only 127 walleyes during a similar survey in April 2002, when anglers kept 100 walleyes. The April portion of the surveys specifically targeted shore anglers along Channel A and to a lesser extent, the Mauvais Coulee. Both streams flow into Devils Lake.
According to Randy Hiltner, fisheries biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Devils Lake, the latest April results are especially telling because high water and fast current contributed to strong pike and walleye runs up Channel A this spring. That's a marked contrast to the last creel survey along Channel A in April 2002, when flows were low and the walleye catch was less than 2 percent of this year's tally.
"It was just a stark difference because there was essentially no flows coming in then," Hiltner said. "It was really slow compared to this year."
The timing of this year's creel survey is especially significant because of the controversy surrounding North Dakota's year-round fishing season as it relates to Channel A and Mauvais Coulee. Supporters see the April run as an opportunity for shore anglers to catch big walleyes; opponents criticize the ethics of catching, and in some cases, foul-hooking, prespawn fish.
"We knew it was going to be a night-and-day difference from 2002 - zero flows to high flows in Channel A and the Mauvais Coulee," Hiltner said. "And I guess it kind of went as expected that way."
The big picture
Despite the good shore fishing in April, Hiltner said the harvest represents only a fraction of the 200,000 walleyes anglers kept from May 2001 through October 2001 during the previous creel survey. On that level, at least, allowing anglers to harvest walleyes during the April spawning run doesn't appear to have much of an impact on the population.
"The actual harvested number of walleyes, looking at it on a lakewide basis, doesn't look that big," Hiltner said. "But when you think of it as a couple of weeks, shore anglers in a small area, they took out a few fish alright."
Hiltner says Game and Fish officials will further assess the impact of the Channel A harvest this fall, after they have more information from summer population surveys and fall seining efforts that look at spring spawning success.
"We're going to wait until probably September and look at all the numbers," he said. "But as I've been saying pretty much all spring, the harvest will be insigificant in biological terms. Of course, you have to look at the big picture, too."
Survey continues
The creel survey on Devils Lake will continue through March 2005, giving Game and Fish staff information on fishing pressure throughout the summer and a good share of the winter season.
"I think there'll be some enlightening results," Hiltner said. "I think we're going to have a tremendous amount of fishing effort out here this summer. Just from people calling and things you hear, it seems we're going to get as much pressure as ever - if not more."
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Anglers catch 6,700 walleyes in survey period -- up from 127 in April 2002
By Brad Dokken
Herald Staff Writer
By the numbers, at least, fishing along Channel A was more than 50 times better in April than it was during a similar period two years ago, based on the April results from a yearlong creel survey that began last month on Devils Lake.
According to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, anglers along Channel A caught an estimated 6,700 walleyes between April 12 and April 30, keeping 4,400 of those fish. That compares with a total catch of only 127 walleyes during a similar survey in April 2002, when anglers kept 100 walleyes. The April portion of the surveys specifically targeted shore anglers along Channel A and to a lesser extent, the Mauvais Coulee. Both streams flow into Devils Lake.
According to Randy Hiltner, fisheries biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Devils Lake, the latest April results are especially telling because high water and fast current contributed to strong pike and walleye runs up Channel A this spring. That's a marked contrast to the last creel survey along Channel A in April 2002, when flows were low and the walleye catch was less than 2 percent of this year's tally.
"It was just a stark difference because there was essentially no flows coming in then," Hiltner said. "It was really slow compared to this year."
The timing of this year's creel survey is especially significant because of the controversy surrounding North Dakota's year-round fishing season as it relates to Channel A and Mauvais Coulee. Supporters see the April run as an opportunity for shore anglers to catch big walleyes; opponents criticize the ethics of catching, and in some cases, foul-hooking, prespawn fish.
"We knew it was going to be a night-and-day difference from 2002 - zero flows to high flows in Channel A and the Mauvais Coulee," Hiltner said. "And I guess it kind of went as expected that way."
The big picture
Despite the good shore fishing in April, Hiltner said the harvest represents only a fraction of the 200,000 walleyes anglers kept from May 2001 through October 2001 during the previous creel survey. On that level, at least, allowing anglers to harvest walleyes during the April spawning run doesn't appear to have much of an impact on the population.
"The actual harvested number of walleyes, looking at it on a lakewide basis, doesn't look that big," Hiltner said. "But when you think of it as a couple of weeks, shore anglers in a small area, they took out a few fish alright."
Hiltner says Game and Fish officials will further assess the impact of the Channel A harvest this fall, after they have more information from summer population surveys and fall seining efforts that look at spring spawning success.
"We're going to wait until probably September and look at all the numbers," he said. "But as I've been saying pretty much all spring, the harvest will be insigificant in biological terms. Of course, you have to look at the big picture, too."
Survey continues
The creel survey on Devils Lake will continue through March 2005, giving Game and Fish staff information on fishing pressure throughout the summer and a good share of the winter season.
"I think there'll be some enlightening results," Hiltner said. "I think we're going to have a tremendous amount of fishing effort out here this summer. Just from people calling and things you hear, it seems we're going to get as much pressure as ever - if not more."
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