Conditions for spawning

[smp928s]

What conditions do walleye need to spawn? I know they prefer to spawn at the mouths of creeks but what if Walleye are stocked in a small lake with little or no influx of fresh water other than a man made dam. Will walleye adapt and spawn differently? Or will the walleye be unable to spawn? I appreciate any input.

[OTIS]

Even in bodies of water with creeks flowing into them, the majority of walleye will spawn in the lake.  Length of daylight and water temperature are the two largest factors that trigger the spawn.

[Gilles]

In Colorado walleye spawn in very rocky areas near the dam. Prime spawning temperature is in between 42 and 43 degrees.

[IceTroll]

If you can find a spot on your lake that has a small rock or gravel bottom in shallow water with deeper water nearby, this would be a good place to start. I also like to look for places where the bottom composite changes such as sand to rock. If your lake has a river inlet, I have found spawning walleye in the eddie areas of slower moving current. Pre-spawn Walleyes usually require a very slow presentation because of water temps. I have found that Walleyes in the current can be caught with a bit faster presentation. I am not sure if its true or not but I believe that its because a fish living in current does not have the luxory of examining a bait for extended periods of time. A fish living in current needs to feed, quickly, when the opportunity presents itself. Pre-spawn Walleye and fall Walleye, in my opinion, are the best times to catch trophy females.

IceTroll

[fishnut]

In Canada it is illegal to catch pre-spawn walleyes, as the fishing season is closed during this time.  I think they should inforce that rule everywhere.

[swantucky]

Sorry to disagree but what is the difference, if legal limits are followed, if a female walleye being caught and kept in July  or March when the spawning starts??? A dead walleye is a dead walleye.  I river fish spawning walleye in the spring and love you guys that think we are hurting the fish.  What planet do you have to live on to think "I am big master fisherman and keep fish durning summer"................Look at those jerks keeping fish in the spring.......those fish could have spawned.  What about your summer fish by your logic that could have spawned? Sorry to be a jerk but this kind of talk tee's me off.

I AM THE SPRING WALLEYE MASTER

[fishnut]

Summers O.K. because they're not spawning, or feeing heavily.  When their spawning, they're days away from laying eggs.  Why not let them get rid of thier eggs first, then catch them?  I think catch and release should be manditory in Spring and Fall because in fall the females are feeding heavily to noursih their eggs. Infact in Fall they are more vulnurable because of that.

[dwayne]

Summers O.K. because they're not spawning, or feeing heavily.  When their spawning, they're days away from laying eggs.  Why not let them get rid of thier eggs first, then catch them?  I think catch and release should be manditory in Spring and Fall because in fall the females are feeding heavily to noursih their eggs. Infact in Fall they are more vulnurable because of that.

Well if that is the case then we shouldn't keep them in winter because they have eggs and then not in summer because they are getting over a difficult spawning season.  Hint the sarcasm?

Protect them during the spawn.  That is the most logical.  NYS closes the season from March 15th till the first Saturday in May.  I totally agree with the law here.

[fishnut]

What you said about the summer is just silly.  Big Walleyes in Summer are hard to catch anyways.  In mid to late winter they are not feeding heavily, so they're not as easy to catch.  If you do take a few out of the lake from mid to late winter, it's not gonna hurt the numbers too much is it?  I believe taking big Famales in Fall and early winter, is stupid because they're the ones that are going to release the most numbers of eggs, come spawning season.

[Jim111]

The biologists I know and am in contact with (who work for state F & W agencies) agree that spring spawning runs need to be protected, but not due to the females or eggs or any such nonsense. It's due to the fact that the fish are congregated into small and reliable areas then and very vulnerable to both illegal means of catching (like snagging) and overharvest. Those not actually caught by snagging are often injured fatally, by irresponsible anglers.   -Jim

[fishnut]

That would espicially work with Pike who soposedly go into shallow water in less than a foot deep to spawn after ice out.  I personally have never seen this, but to people who have, I'd imagine it would be too easy to take too many.