What would our walleye population be if they shut off lake mac from the dam from April 1 to may 1? Just a thought. Anyone can go pull cranks and hook a female full of eggs. She may hold up to 250000 eggs. If half get fertilized that is huge, or is it better to hang her on the wall? 
I myself do not fish for spawning females because I don’t feel it is the right thing to do for the fishery but the lake is there to offer legal fishing opportunities for anglers and fishing the spawn is legal. If it were put up to a vote, my vote would be to close the spawn but I am not going to push for that to happen.
Maybe there should be a “Spring Slot” through May 15th.
As much as I hate to admit it, I think the slot at Elwood helped keep the breeders in the lake. Perhaps Mac should entertain such an idea?????
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What would our walleye population be if they shut off lake mac from the dam from April 1 to may 1? Just a thought. Anyone can go pull cranks and hook a female full of eggs. She may hold up to 250000 eggs. If half get fertilized that is huge, or is it better to hang her on the wall?
I can answer that real easy–if fishing was not allowed during the walleye spawn your walleye population would be exactly the same as it is now.
How many eggs do you suppose are produced by the female walleyes in McConaughy? How much of that potential reproduction is taken by anglers? I cannot answer that for McConaughy, but I have crunched some numbers from Harlan years ago. There was a year when we collected eggs from Harlan, had a population estimate of the numbers of walleyes in Harlan and had an angler survey during the spawn period to estimate the numbers and sizes of walleyes that anglers harvested. There were over 1 billion walleye eggs produced by that walleye population that year, and if every female harvested by anglers during the spawn period was full of eggs when harvested, anglers removed 2% of the spawning potential. Suppose 98% of 1 billion eggs was enough to maintain the Harlan walleye population, a population that does have significant natural recruitment?
I am sure there are even more eggs produced by the McConaughy walleye population and even less of that spawning potential harvested by anglers during the spawn period. Oh, and the walleye population in McConaughy is maintained primarily by stocking.
As a matter of fact, there are more female walleyes harvested during the months of May and June than are harvested during the spawn period. If we need to protect adult walleyes then they need to be protected year-round; it makes no difference if they are harvested in April, 2 hours before they spawn, or in May, June or October, months before they spawn again. If we needed to protect adult walleyes, we could protect more by closing the season during Memorial Day weekend than we could by closing it during the spawn; I am betting no one would be in favor of that. We do have a daily bag limit of no more than one walleye larger than 22 inches, statewide, and I encourage anglers to selectively harvest the small and medium-size walleyes (as long as they are legal size) and release the big fish, all the time, year round.
We have some anglers who like to fish for walleyes during the spawn and some of those anglers hardly fish for walleyes at any other time. As long as anglers are not having a negative impact on our resources, we want people to fish!
Daryl Bauer
Fisheries Outreach Program Manager
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
[email protected]
Bauer’s Barbs and Backlashes
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What would our walleye population be if they shut off lake mac from the dam from April 1 to may 1? Just a thought. Anyone can go pull cranks and hook a female full of eggs. She may hold up to 250000 eggs. If half get fertilized that is huge, or is it better to hang her on the wall?
I can answer that real easy–if fishing was not allowed during the walleye spawn your walleye population would be exactly the same as it is now.
How many eggs do you suppose are produced by the female walleyes in McConaughy? How much of that potential reproduction is taken by anglers? I cannot answer that for McConaughy, but I have crunched some numbers from Harlan years ago. There was a year when we collected eggs from Harlan, had a population estimate of the numbers of walleyes in Harlan and had an angler survey during the spawn period to estimate the numbers and sizes of walleyes that anglers harvested. There were over 1 billion walleye eggs produced by that walleye population that year, and if every female harvested by anglers during the spawn period was full of eggs when harvested, anglers removed 2% of the spawning potential. Suppose 98% of 1 billion eggs was enough to maintain the Harlan walleye population, a population that does have significant natural recruitment?
I am sure there are even more eggs produced by the McConaughy walleye population and even less of that spawning potential harvested by anglers during the spawn period. Oh, and the walleye population in McConaughy is maintained primarily by stocking.
As a matter of fact, there are more female walleyes harvested during the months of May and June than are harvested during the spawn period. If we need to protect adult walleyes then they need to be protected year-round; it makes no difference if they are harvested in April, 2 hours before they spawn, or in May, June or October, months before they spawn again. If we needed to protect adult walleyes, we could protect more by closing the season during Memorial Day weekend than we could by closing it during the spawn; I am betting no one would be in favor of that. We do have a daily bag limit of no more than one walleye larger than 22 inches, statewide, and I encourage anglers to selectively harvest the small and medium-size walleyes (as long as they are legal size) and release the big fish, all the time, year round.
We have some anglers who like to fish for walleyes during the spawn and some of those anglers hardly fish for walleyes at any other time. As long as anglers are not having a negative impact on our resources, we want people to fish!
Daryl Bauer
Fisheries Outreach Program Manager
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
[email protected]
Bauer’s Barbs and Backlashes
But how many of those females that are caught during the other time of the year are snagged Daryl? I may be way off but I think the point of this post was somewhat pointed at the illegal taking of walleye during the spawn due to snagging.
I do appreciate your facts and figures proven by data collection. Just remember that lake mac eyes travel down the canal to Sutherland then on to northplatte. I do understand your thinking on this issue but when you hear of people not obeying limits and not releasing foul hooked fish it is upsetting. Maybee a few give this a bad name as fellow anglers we all need to begin letting people know that there are rules and regs for reasons when we see violations of this nature
Snagging and dip-netting is already illegal! Every poacher that does that deserves to be caught and become infected with a fish pox to boot! If you see violations CALL! Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers 800-742-7627. Phone numbers for every conservation officer in the state can be found in the 2010 Fishing Guide. There are folks who catch those fish fair and square and more and more of them that release all the females they catch.
I believe that if we close a fishery because of some illegal activity by a few poachers then that is a sad commentary. 
We do not close the interstate because of a few speeders. We had some poacher that harvested over 150 walleyes from Merritt last year when the fishing was HOT, not during the spawn period, should we have closed that fishery too?
Daryl Bauer
Fisheries Outreach Program Manager
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
[email protected]
Bauer’s Barbs and Backlashes
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Snagging and dip-netting is already illegal! Every poacher that does that deserves to be caught and become infected with a fish pox to boot! If you see violations CALL! Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers 800-742-7627. Phone numbers for every conservation officer in the state can be found in the 2010 Fishing Guide. There are folks who catch those fish fair and square and more and more of them that release all the females they catch.
I believe that if we close a fishery because of some illegal activity by a few poachers then that is a sad commentary.
Daryl Bauer
Fisheries Outreach Program Manager
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
[email protected]
Bauer’s Barbs and Backlashes
No Merrit should not have been closed but what does it say about the ease of poaching if a camper can sit at a lake for over a month and fish every day without getting checked for over-possesion?(sp)
Great point Zach. I think I’ll be a little more patient with the DNR when I’m checked from now on. Their job has to be daunting. But I agree that over-posession can be a problem. The game wardens are our only answer at this time.
I know of a guy who spends a month on Francis Case, fishes every day, and FedEx-es his fillets to his Nebraska home to avoid posession issues. It IS wrong, but how do you keep it from happening?
The C.O.’s that I know for the most part are really cool guys and do a good job but they are spread so thin that it is impossible for them to keep up with everything that is going on.
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Great point Zach. I think I’ll be a little more patient with the DNR when I’m checked from now on. Their job has to be daunting. But I agree that over-posession can be a problem. The game wardens are our only answer at this time.
I know of a guy who spends a month on Francis Case, fishes every day, and FedEx-es his fillets to his Nebraska home to avoid posession issues. It IS wrong, but how do you keep it from happening?
How do you keep it from happening? You find the phone number for the Turn In Poachers, TIPs, program in South Dakota and make the call!
By the way, that number is 1-888-OVERBAG (683-7224). 
I have a very low opinion of fish hawgs and poachers (check out my “Earth Day” post on my blog if you are interested)!
Daryl Bauer
Fisheries Outreach Program Manager
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
[email protected]
Bauer’s Barbs and Backlashes
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No Merrit should not have been closed but what does it say about the ease of poaching if a camper can sit at a lake for over a month and fish every day without getting checked for over-possesion?(sp)
He got caught! Got caught with more ducks and geese than he should have too!
Daryl B.
So we are going to get into a big debate on this site too about shuting down the spawn. Please dont start it here That is why I like this forum because there hasnt been the debating.
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So we are going to get into a big debate on this site too about shuting down the spawn. Please dont start it here That is why I like this forum because there hasnt been the debating.
I don’t think that is the purpose of the thread at all.
All topics are open to discussion guys. Let’s not discourage debate and discussion. Education is the result of healthy debate. Keep in mind that we don’t have to read any thread we don’t wish to read (and I don’t mean that in any mean-spirited way, just as a matter of fact).
Daryl, It’s a pleasure to have you here. Thank you for taking the time to contribute. Welcome to IDO. 
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Daryl, It’s a pleasure to have you here. Thank you for taking the time to contribute. Welcome to IDO.
Here here! Yes, it is very good to have you here, Daryl. Thanks for your time, info, and answers!
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