Invasive Walleyes?

The director of conservation at Meateater, Ryan Callaghan, posted a picture on Instagram this morning showing off a cut of a big ole walleye cheek with some filets in the background. Turns out he kept a 27.5 incher. I, of course, had to make a comment on it. Come to find out, many western waters in ID and MT consider walleye to be invasive. Users replied back saying they’ve seen 9 lb walleyes thrown to shore like what down may do to a Dogfish here.

Has anyone seen this first hand? I’d never heard of such a thing. I’ve heard stories of the DNR telling people to keep the biggest walleyes possible on Lake Erie (I think), but nothing quite like this!

Go to Idaho and you could possibly “win” $1000 for catching and keeping a walleye.

http://www.idfg.idaho.gov/lake-pend-oreille-angler-incentive-program

tbro16 wrote:

Turns out he kept a 27.5 incher. I, of course, had to make a comment on it.

Was it a negative comment? And if so, why would a comment “have to” be made about somebody keeping a legal fish?

T

Trout trumps all in the west

Timmy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tbro16 wrote:</div>
Turns out he kept a 27.5 incher. I, of course, had to make a comment on it.

Was it a negative comment? And if so, why would a comment “have to” be made about somebody keeping a legal fish?

T

“Mr. Conservation keeping 27.5 inch walleyes? 😬”

Interpret it how you want, but I don’t agree people keeping trophy class, spawning fish for the fry pan.

And Cutthroat trumps all other trout! I know that in certain areas, the non-native lake trout are not allowed to be released alive due to the impact they have on native cutts and bull trout. (Yellowstone lake and flathead lake are two I am familiar with)

Never heard of this but, and I’m trying to be more compassionate not argumentative, but why the need to call someone out for eating a 27” walleye? Was it illegal? Maybe that’s all they caught and wanted a meal? Was he guiding? Maybe the clients wanted it? What’s more conservationist, keeping one 27” or three 15”…

When out at Devils Lake last year Sno Bear ice fishing the guide was getting annoyed we were slamming 19 to 24″ Walleyes in 50′ of water all morning. He felt obligated to put us on the Jumbo Perch thinking that was our sole purpose of coming out there and paying for the trip.

We explained to him several times we were more than happy slamming the walleyes but he just couldn’t get content with it. So he kept moving around. We never really did get into the heavy perch bite but caught a few. They don’t view them as invasive fish out there but I got the impression they don’t hold them in the same regard we do here in Mn.

ClownColor wrote:

but why the need to call someone out for eating a 27” walleye?

ClownColor wrote:

What’s more conservationist, keeping one 27” or three 15”…

Just thought it was awfully ironic for someone to be the director of conservation (of a increasingly popular outdoors show/podcast/website) keeping a trophy sized fish for dinner. I did not realize invasive walleyes were a thing.

As previously stated, I have a firm belief that trophy class sized fish should be released for future generations. Keeping 3 smaller, male walleyes will do a lot less damage to a population than keeping any sized female.

They don’t care for them in the rivers out west. They don’t care for smallmouth bass either. Salmonids (salmons and trout) are more important and they see other game fish as a threat to their populations.

I don’t think people should be harvesting a fish that big either…but its legal so there’s not much you can do. It may certainly be unethical, but not illegal. Can’t imagine one that big/old tastes great either.

Most walleyes in our state here of Minnesota are technically not “native” because they have been artificially stocked.

Yeah a lot of places out west have no limit on walleye, they have no idea what they have going for them, a culture that worships trout/salmon, and they blame walleye for the trout/salmon population decline.

B-man wrote:

Trout trumps all in the west

Washington/Oregon Salmon is King (no pun intended) trout is Queen and walleye are thought of as lower than a dogfish.

We had a guide on here for a number of years posting 13 pound (and larger I think) walleyes. Some of us had road trip thoughts trickling through our heads.

PS every lake that doesn’t have a natural walleye population, but is stocked for put and take has invasive walleye in MN.

I’m a bit slow today…What Grimruis said.

BigWerm wrote:

Yeah a lot of places out west have no limit on walleye, they have no idea what they have going for them, a culture that worships trout/salmon, and they blame <em class=”ido-tag-em”>walleye for the trout/salmon population decline.

Yeah, that’s not happening here though. Never hear a walleye guy complain the muskies are causing walleye decline. Invasive muskies are the problem.

Cutts are king out West.

Colorado has some great walleye and pike fisheries, and yep no limit.

Here in MN muskies were extirpated from their original range, and walleyes were put everywhere. All about priorities, here its walleye.

biggill wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>BigWerm wrote:</div>
Yeah a lot of places out west have no limit on walleye, they have no idea what they have going for them, a culture that worships trout/salmon, and they blame <em class=”ido-tag-em”>walleye for the trout/salmon population decline.

Yeah, that’s not happening here though. Never hear a walleye guy complain the muskies are causing walleye decline. Invasive <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>muskies are the problem.

I consider myself a walleye guy, and you’ll never hear me complain about musky. I understand your point tho, and think that’s probably a similar mindset everywhere, people want one simple thing to blame when the thing they are passionate about is negatively impacted.

Not the uneducated, uninformed anti muskie argument again…

The big ones taste great too! Definitely don’t go to Lake Erie if your offended by people filleting 27” + fish.

#walleyelivesmatter

Two years ago I did a 20 day canoe trip on the Blookvein River in northern Ontario and Manitoba. Do a Google search to find out more. One of the most remote and unspoiled rivers in Canada with old growth forest and no logging or bridges.

So we are half way through the trip and caught smallmouth. We were informed that someone had stocked them a few years ago and the population was increasing. We were told not to release them as given the minimal forage base they would compete with one of the most unique and untouched walleye fisheries in Canada.

I love catching smallmouth but up in that country it was a bit distressing to have these fish in a system they did not belong in or should be.Its a two edge sword.

My son lives on Flathead lake and the introduction of lake trout has decimated what was just a few years ago the primier lake for native Cutthroat trout.

I have fished the Columbia in Oregon and a 27-29” eye is normal. Oregon record is 19 lbs 15.3 oz. Washington record is 23+ pounds and 38+ long.
All a matter of perspective. 26” is normal out west while for here a 16-17” or less is normal. A 40” flathead is a trophy here and some southern states it’s just another eater.

Walleye were illegally introduced into Buffalo Bill Reservoir that is just west of Cody WY. The reservoir and the rivers running into Buffalo Bill Reservoir have native cutthroat trout. So walleye are considered invasive and it is illegal to release a walleye if one is caught, it must be kept.

During the examination of an illegally introduced walleye stomach we found 15 recently stocked 4-6 inch trout. This was not in Buffalo Bill Reservoir, but another lake in Wyoming. This lake was (is) managed as a trout fishery by annually stocking thousands of 4-6 inch trout. There was virtually no trout natural reproduction so to maintain a trout population stocking was necessary.

The lake is still managed as a trout fishery. But, now in order to minimize the walleye predation on the stocked the trout they have to be larger, 8-10 inches and are stocked just before ice up in the late fall. The numbers stocked are far fewer because of hatchery production limitations.

So to say walleye have not caused some fish management issues where they have either gained access naturally, or were illegally introduced is just not dealing with reality.

Buffalo Fishehead

Buffalo Fishhead wrote:

This lake was (is) managed as a trout fishery by annually stocking thousands of 4-6 inch trout. There was virtually no trout natural reproduction so to maintain a trout population stocking was necessary.

Isn’t that just picking a non-native?

sharptailer wrote:

Washington record is 23+ pounds and 38+ long.

Not quite…Washington state record walleye is 35.5″ and 20 pounds.

https://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/20-32-pound-walleye-is-new-washington-record/article_7170ff91-5941-5ea6-831c-886d2c878b9d.html

38″ 23+ pounder was an April fools joke. http://www.walleyecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=671594

Not new.

Not every place is MN.

Not everyone cares about walleyes.

They are trying to return many of these western rivers and lakes to their native populations of fish. Even rainbow and brown trout are being exterminated to return rivers/lakes to native cutthroats populations. Keeping a 27” walleye or any walleye in these lakes is “conservation” in the manner they are trying to achieve.

I make a trip out west every year to fly fish some of these Westslope Cutthroat rivers, one of my favorite trips every year.

He is a meat eater. Mans gotta have his fish tacos.

BigWerm wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Buffalo Fishhead wrote:</div>
This lake was (is) managed as a trout fishery by annually stocking thousands of 4-6 inch trout. There was virtually no trout natural reproduction so to maintain a trout population stocking was necessary.

Isn’t that just picking a non-native?

Yes, you could say that, but that “picking” was done nearly a hundred years ago when water was diverted into the lake to make it suitable for fish. Also, the trout were, and still are, the desirable species of the anglers in the area.

I have heard anglers from the area say, “If people want to catch walleyes they should move back to XXXX (naming a mid-western state, with MN being commonly quoted).”

Buffalo Fishhead

So what if he kept it? I hate it when others cut somebody down for keeping a fish. Watch your own bobber, post your comments like that on another site

The way I heard it explained, the difference between being invasive or not is whether or not the effect is desired.

Walleyes being harmful to native trout = invasive
Pheasants filling a niche and being prized for hunting = simply an introduced specie.