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Thank you for inviting us to participate in the IceShanty site. We hope that we will be able to make some meaningful contributions and help answer questions regarding the biology and management of some of Wyoming's fishery resources. The Lander Region of the WGFD includes the Wind River drainage from just below Boysen Reservoir upstream to the headwaters, excluding waters within the Wind River Reservation. All three biologists who make up the Lander Fisheries Management Crew plan to participate under the WGFDFishBioLander login. In this way we hope to be able to respond to questions in a timely manner. Thanks!!
I have a question about Glendo,Why does it seem like there is a smaller population of larger walleye in it? ( 24"- 32")There is sooooo much food, cover, lack of competition, etc...And yet we rarely here of any fish breaking the 3lb mark. Compared to other lakes in Wyoming with fewer walleye and less available food.Thanks for your time guys. This is great having you on here!
Good question. This is pretty much refered to as a "maximum" size limit, whereas only one walleye over 24" and the rest under 24". These regulations are used when: it's necessary to protect the broodstock, the walleye population is a highly exploited population, there is a low density of mature fish, and there is low recruitment. This could, over time, increase to trophy potential. But keep in mind, the fishery must be highly exploited for any regulation to take affect. To my knowledge (other WGF'ers can help me out here) Glendo is the only walleye fishery with a high enough harvest for a regulation to work (that's why there is a minimum reg). So possibly over time, with any type of regulation (max length, minimum, or slot limit), the risk of "bunching" (most fish are of one or two size classes) exists (unless it's been determined, like Glendo, that there is enough harvest for the reg to work). Hope this helps.
This question was answered very well by WGFFishBio but I can add a bit to it. In general, maximum size limits do not work very well in walleye fisheries. Biologically, maximum length limits work best with fish that mature later in life and have low fecundities (meaning they do not produce many eggs). It takes these types of fish (for example, sturgeon or lake trout) a long time to reach the age and size where they can spawn, and once they reach spawning size it may be beneficial to protect them and the few eggs they produce. Walleyes become sexually mature relatively fast (maybe as soon as age-2 for males and age-4 for females in Glendo, but this definitely varies by lake), and have high fecundities (can have over 100,000 eggs). So, it does not take many female walleyes to produce the eggs needed to maintain a walleye population. And, even if there are a couple consecutive poor year-classes of walleyes, it won't be long before another year-class arrives that can spawn relatively quickly. When working on Glendo (and now on Boysen) I hear a lot of comments from anglers that would like to see the big "spawner walleye" protected with a maximimum length limit. Their heart is in the right place because they want to see their walleye fishery protected. But, biologically, a maximum length limit on a walleye fishery rarely makes sense, and I can't think of any walleye fishery in WY where one would be appropriate.
It's great to have the G&F on here to learn the reasons behind why things are done the way they are.I was one who thought that releasing the bigger walleyes was better for the fishery, but it appears that it is not neccessary from a spawning standpoint. But that was only part of the reason. If the larger fish are mostly released(not all) than it stands to reason that the trophy potential for a body of water would be increased.
Question to the Sheridan Fish Bio. Is there methane gas in the Acme pond? Or any other thing that would make the fish unsafe to eat?
Can you offer any information to packers? Everyone i talk to seems to have different opinions on type of fish, and quality of fish in this lake. Maybe you might be able to offer some info?
My question is, Are their living fish in twin buttes? whent and fished it today no luck herd they stocked it/
Interesting information - thanks for sharing.Can you (or anyone else) give a general overview of your thoughts on the catfish population in Glendo? They seem to be some of the healthiest cats I've seen anywhere for their size. Very thick, broad and fat usually. Small heads and giant bodies (These huge shad die offs every winter probably can attribute to this). Can the same general phenomenon you described above be applied to catfish? Bigger specimens come from Boysen because they are growing slower? Also on what level do the catfish successfully spawn in Glendo?What is the largest cat you've sampled out of Glendo?Also: I noticed the state record drum was caught at Glendo - but I've never heard of anyone catching them there recently. Is there still a population of drum in Glendo?Thanks - Moose.
Thank you for the expansion of the answer. That leads me to another question: The limit on Rainbow trout at Boysen includes only one fish may be 20" or longer. I have heard that rainbows do not spawn successfully in Boysen. That being the case, spawning would not be an issue. What is the reason for the one fish over 20" limit ? I assume, maybe wrongly, that it is to increase the numbers of larger catchable fish for anglers ? And if that is the case why could not the same thing be done for walleye ? Say one fish over 24"-26", to increase trophy potential ?
Thanks for the information, as always.Would the G/F actively search for a new trading partner if you guys cannot get catfish in the next few years? Would be sad to see the cat populations at Glendo take a dive.I think they are a great sport fish and I've read the G/F has believed they are under utilized as a resource. Just wanted to put in my strong opinion that it would be really sad to see the cats take a hit or disappear. I know most people don't fish for them but they are a great fish. They seem to do very well in there too so it would be a shame like I said.---I'll ask one more and then take it easy on the questions for awhile. What information can be shared on the population of remaining Flathead Catfish in the state? They were stocked into the Platte and Nebraska gave the Wyoming G/F a certain number of them to try out? Something like that? How rare are they - do you guys believe there are still some in the system?Thanks again - Moose.
As far as Glendo goes, has the 15" minimum been in effect long enough to tell if there is any effect on the walleye? Size or population? Was there ever any consideration of a slot style limit (1 fish over 22" or something like that?). As a biologist, does it all come down to mortality rates or is there any emphasis on size or trophy quality?Lastly, any thoughts of lowering the daily walleye limit on Glendo? It's very interesting to hear the reasoning behind the management decisions on these lakes. I have kept a spot in Glendo the last couple years and was surveyed several times prior to the 15" minimum being enacted. It's encouraging that angler opinion carried weight in the decision. I assume there wasn't any hue and cry for more of a trophy fishery during this research.The Nebraska waters I fish have a 15" minimum, 1 fish over 22" and 4 fish limit on eyes. I do think it does some good in a little lake like Minatare that gets a great deal of fishing pressure, but it is a bit sickening to see all of the dead fish in the hot summer months when many folks are dead sticking worms. I recall when the 15" minimum was first considered in NE, it was for Minatare. There was a great deal of pressure brought on by the local anglers and the Nebraska G&P was reluctant to enact a restriction on one lake. Now it is statewide. I think that in the grand scheme, it has probably helped the lake. I wonder if there is some way of judging catch and release mortality though? Minatare is surrounded by shore fishermen all summer and that combined with worm fishermen anchored in boats makes for huge numbers of gut hooked fish.Thanks again.
TTips,This lake has a diverse fishery. Game fish present are black crappie, channel catfish, green sunfish, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, walleye, and yellow perch. There are a number of other native non-game fish present in this lake as well, such as the suckermouth minnow, which is an native nongame fish sensitive species. The Laramie Fisheries Management Crew stocks Packers Lake annually, as natural reproduction of this species is somewhat variable. The WGFD stocks around 6,000 walleye fingerling annually, 5,000 rainbow trout (8-10 inches) annually every fall, 3,000 fingerling black crappie biannually, and 9,000 largemouth bass biannually. We stock channel catfish when available from out-of-state sources, the last catfish stocking was in 2008. The Laramie Fisheries Management Crew samples Packers Lake about every 3 years. In 2006 walleye captured during sampling ranged in length from 9 to 26 inches, black crappie we caught up to 11 inches, and yellow perch up to 9 inches. In 2008 walleye captured ranged in length from 5 to 22 inches and largemouth bass captured ranged in length from 7 to 16 inches.
You are right that rainbow trout do not successfully reproduce in Boysen. We will likely eliminate the "1 trout over 20 inches" regulation for Boysen. If approved, it will go into effect in 2012. You are right that protecting spawning rainbow trout is not an issue in Boysen. We would like to eliminate this regulation so that anglers can harvest more rainbow trout that we stock for them to catch.
Area 4Any chance of changing the sorry state of the Big Sandy Res.?