Dinner Bell Pike

Not only is it great to catch large Pike but its a fish that can provide a meal as well, those 2-3# fish are very good in the pan. One huge problem as Ive mentioned before is feeding Walleyes to Hammer-handles. We’ve tasked if the DNR had any information on this or if they adjust stocking with Pike as a variable. When we discovered they had whats called a power curve for stocking Walleye it opened my eye’s a little but I was met with fierce resistance from some DNR.

Now there is a new paper done by the MN DNR; showing that if you have over 7.5 Pike the chances of successful Walleye stocking is very low.

On page 8 the description starts of the findings on Pike and Walleye; but also mentions Perch, also generally depleted on these hammer-handle lakes. Then on page 28 it shows a graph (fig3) the horizontal line marks 5 eyes per net; below the line marks are fewer than 5 above the live are over 5 per net.

The Vertical line shows Pike abundance at 7.5 per net, any marks to the left is lower to the right higher than 7.5. So look at all the marks in the upper left where they captured over 5 eyes per net compared to the upper right.

Bottom line is runt Pike are a huge problem for not only Pike anglers but all anglers. Our most expensive stocking is the Advanced fingerling program, when these fish are stocked into lakes with over 7.5 Pike per net they get devoured and show little or no benefit to the angler other than he can sleep easy knowing the truck dumped them.

Into the gullets of hordes of snake Pike. So Walleye, Perch and Pike fisherman have a connective tissue in the hammer-handle.

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My understanding is that overpopulated/stunted LMB do the same thing to stocked walleyes — but that big predators like pike and muskies help keep things balanced so that stocking programs are more successful.

And that is when the fight began.

Since you read it and provided the PDF and it is not ADD friendly, is there any info on the relationship of average size of walleye to pike per net.

I dont think the study invoked any insight into size, generally large numbers of Pike mean small fish due to the fact they are extremely slow growing, its recently been noted that not even the cleth bone is accurate in Pike age after 30 inches.

Walleyes grow quickly to eater size and having higher numbers of eater walleye and Perch with reduced stocking cost would be a good thing IMHO if all that was needed was eating some smaller Pike and letting the larger ones grow and control their own numbers.

On the lake I grew up on, there was a rearing pond right across the road… the DNR would throw about 40 female pike and 10 males in there and after they hatched and grew about 2″, they would open the culvert and into the lake the northern fry would go…. you could see all the walleye just scarfing up the northern fry as they entered the lake… so yeah, they do affect each other when it comes to stocking. The lake is still a good northern lake, but in my opinion, a better panfish and walleye lake (this stocking took place in the mid 80’s & nary a walleye has ever been stocked in the lake)

How did they know what sex they were at 2″? or did you mean feet? possibly there is no good spawning areas for pike so the stocking is controlling the population.

I should have been clearer… they “reared” the eggs in there, the 40 females & 10 males, FULLSIZED and capable of laying and fertilizing… the eggs then hatched and when they hit about 2″ they drained the pond…sorry should have been clearer