> “WAM [Women Anglers of Minnesota] is proud to announce a $10,000 donation to MN-FISH. For too long, the fishing industry we all love has gone without representation. MN-FISH provides anglers and industry stakeholders with a strong voice to demand funding for fishing at the level it deserves.
> “WAM President, Michelle Morey was able to share the good news with MN-Fish President, Ron Schara at the MN-FISH Fisheries Summit last week. The donation was eligible for a match making it $20,000 to help keep MN fishing strong!”
Thanks much, ladies!!! 🙌Keep crushing it.
4. ID: Another illegally-stocked walleye caught in Lake Cascade.
Known for its world-class perch. Had never been a walleye caught outta there until 2018.
> “Two reports over a 4-yr span means walleye could very well be established in the lake, but the fact that we haven’t encountered them during extensive fish population surveys or angler surveys means they are likely not very abundant yet. Our fisheries program will be shifting gears over the coming weeks to try to determine the extent of their occurrence in the lake, and we’ll develop a game-plan for moving forward.”
> “It’s true that walleye commonly prey on yellow perch in their native range, and some anglers might look at a lake with a strong perch fishery, like Cascade, and question how F&G can claim the prey base is not there. What those folks often fail to recognize is the lack of other forage fish that are common within the walleye’s native range, such as smelt, shad or various minnow species.
> “Absent those forage fish in a system like Lake Cascade, a walleye’s diet is going to consist largely of other game fish species, which creates that potential threat to established and popular fisheries.”
They had said previously that:
> “This illegal introduction was carefully thought-out. The closest walleye fishery is more than 200 miles from Cascade. To survive the extended transport time, this fish – and possibly others – would’ve required clean, cold, aerated water for a number of hours.”
5. MT is looking for angler input on Fort Peck Rez.
Putting together the next 10-year management plan, check it here.
> The fishery will be managed primarily as a walleye fishery while also setting goals to maintain a quality multi-species fishery.
6. ND: Devils Lake water projected to rise 4′ this spring.
> Another way to grasp the tremendous in-coming volume is how this translates to total acreage. The lake in the early ’90s was about 40K acres. It’s now at 140K acres, and by mid-June will cover 168K acres.
> Frith said the previous record in-flow was 600K acre/feet. This year, the new record will hit about 713K acre/feet. The term acre/feet means each acre of land will be covered with a foot of water. In the first week of May, nine county roads were washed out or flooded with innumerable town roads also “under water.” On May 3, a flood emergency was declared for the region.
Scary deal, but it is good news for walleye fishing.
> “The flooded vegetation will provide excellent spawning conditions…great for the future.”
> …most ramps will be operational. Docks will be installed within days of ‘ice-free’ conditions.
And you know how much walleyes love them some moving water. You’ll see what I’m talking about down below in the “Quote of the Day” section….
7.Tokyo-rigging walleyes is a thing?.
I love off-the-wall techniques, so when the Lindner crew posted a video using Tokyo rigs for walleyes, I had to jump on it:
> “Today many lures and rigs are often designed for given species and for given situations. The fact is, many lures and rigs have great crossover applications to multiple species. Walleye can’t tell the difference between a walleye bait or bass bait if it’s about the right size moving in the correct depth at the right speed – it’s fair game! And the Tokyo rig is a versatile presentation, not only for bass…but effective for walleye too!”
