Sorry 2 say

That the walleye spawning conditions right now on pools 2 3 an 4 plus more down stream are horrible at this time.!! An with the weather forecast it is only going to get worse.! The water temp here on pool 4 is way to cold plus the water is also way to low for a good spawn!! We need much higher water so these fish can get to there preferred spawning grounds. An we also need the water to warm up to at least 45 degrees 50 would be MUCH better. From what I understand the warmer the water the better for a number of reasons. For one once they have spawned the eggs will hatch much sooner in warm water than in cold water. An once the walleye fry eat there egg sack they need the warmer water to produce there next food source. That being the micro organisms an plankton etc etc. If the water is to cold this food source will not be there for them. As of right now we need a tropical heat wave with warm rain an lots of it. . rrr

Say a prayer and do a rain dance RRR.

I am quite a ways South of you guys. Our water temps were just getting into range and then we got 13 inches of snow. Soon as the snow melted the river temp dropped a full 6 degrees. Now it looks like another round of snow and snow melt.

So…..what happens then? Do the fish hold until conditions are met or do they just give up. I heard somewhere the females will just absorb the eggs and move back into the lake? Does it mean you fish them differently? Just curious

May or not believe it , nature has its ways, the spawn could be set back due to the temps. I have caught egg layers much later with water temps a lot higher then now. Do to temps they will wait. IMO

Some of the best big female fish I’ve seen in the last week have been down closer to the lake than the dam. I think the big girls will be going 8-10 days from now after this cold snap moves out.

I think that IF fish wait, it could actually be a good spawn as the snow pack could provide higher water into May. They are talking about above average temps for the last 2 weeks of April. That powerful sun could warm small shallow areas in a hurry. High warm water is great, but if it’s up for a week or two real early before plummeting, it can do more harm than good to the spawn eliminating shallow flooded areas completely.

What was the spring like in 2013? Seems like alot of lakes (like Mille Lacs) did well spawning that spring.

I don’t understand the higher water and preferred spewing grounds comment? I live “on the river”, seems too me habitat can be found too be the same low water or high water? Are they like salmon and need to get to their natural spawing grounds?

From what I have read from the Minnesota DNR Pepin Walleyes prefer weeds for spawning. The low water and lower temps takes a portion of there spawning grounds away and cover for the hatching fry. What could end up being a bad year class down the road, usually high water and warm temps create great year classes.

I agree Randy, I was worried about this same thing here on P2.. The fish usually spawn 4/10-4/17. This seem to be the week that they get things done but not this year… I don’t know what is worst the cold water temps or the low water… Water inside the banks always makes the spawn tough for walleyes. It is not so bad for the Saugers but no good for the eyes… Maybe the low water temps might help keep those eggs in till we get some high water. This is the only hope I have…

In Wisconsin I have see walleyes hold eggs into Mothers day weekend because of water temps where they would usually spawn the 2nd or 3rd week of April on a normal year. So they will hang on. Lets hope some better weather is on the way behind this garbage.

If anything there’s still some snow pack there to supply water into the system.

Captain Live2fish wrote:

So…..what happens then? Do the fish hold until conditions are met or do they just give up. I heard somewhere the females will just absorb the eggs and move back into the lake? Does it mean you fish them differently? Just curious

In some instances the eggs can rot since they aren’t incubated correctly

riverruns wrote:

I don’t understand the higher water and preferred spewing grounds comment? I live “on the river”, seems too me habitat can be found too be the same low water or high water? Are they like salmon and need to get to their natural spawing grounds?

. riverruns for one thing these Mississippi river eyes are a different type of spawners. Like lake eyes an on some other rivers. The sippi eyes do not spawn in the “Normal Habitat” that lake an other rivers walleyes do. Up here on the north end of pool 4 an all other pools they do not spawn in the gravel rocks etc. Like other eyes do. Instead are sippi walleyes spawn in the vast backwater areas. From what i have been told by local DNR Fish Biologists one of there favorite places to spawn is in the flooded canary grass an other flooded vegetation. The water has to be high enough for them to access there “Preferred Spawning Habit” There are number of reasons that make this type of habit a perfect spawning areas. For one the water in these shallower areas warms faster than main channel an back channels an has way less current. An the warmer the water the faster the eggs hatch. These also provide cover food an slower water. An that makes for a much better survival rate.!

I think we are shaping up for a later, longer duration of high water on P4 as compared to a major record-breaking crest. I could see water being at or above 9′ at the Lake City gauge through Memorial Day. This usually coincides with a good shallow post-spawn bite in the willows, along lake points, and on the flats on the upper end of P4. My guess is that it COULD be a very successful spawn IF the fish can hold their eggs into next week.

The consistent snow pack through Northern WI, and the Miss. and MN River bottoms should be a steady source of melting runoff. It’s also looking like we are in a fairly active weather pattern from this weekend through most of next week regarding precipitation.

I’m speaking on behalf of the Croix, but the last time we had an overly long winter like this, it produced some of the best opener fishing of my young life for obvious reasons…

Charlie Vaughan wrote:

I’m speaking on behalf of the Croix, but the last time we had an overly long winter like this, it produced some of the best opener fishing of my young life for obvious reasons…

I believe that was 2013? I remember that being a great year for walleyes up north. We still had ice around up there I believe.
I think the Croix is really going to be interesting this year… There is a pile of snow up in its watershed.. We spend a lot of time in Minong, Trego area and they still have 30 inches of ice, all their snow and been getting a pile more. Will see how this weather plays out but a big rain and a few days in the 60’s is going to get a big flush going this year.

Looks like it could turn out to be a good spawning year after all. We are getting the high water and warmer temps the fish need. Good news for the future.

Unless they dumped em all in cold main channel water couple weeks back which is now flushed out. Or they never dropped.

Seems like an average year, but I agree it’s better late than never. Lakes on the other hand could be wonderful.

nhamm wrote:

Unless they dumped em all in cold main channel water couple weeks back which is now flushed out. Or they never dropped.

Seems like an average year, but I agree it’s better late than never. Lakes on the other hand could be wonderful.

I have 1st hand info of walleyes on the upper end of pool 4 that were spawned out 2 weeks ago. An on the other side of that I fished the MTT tourney out off Red Wing last weekend with the One An Only Dean Marshall. We had 4 hen walleyes that went 10.29lbs 9.11 3.? 4.? . All 4 of those fish were PRE SPAWN fish. There was another LARGE Bag of 4 eyes One well over 8lbs an the other 3 were all over 9lbs. I do not know for sure on these 4 fish. But I believe they to were all pre spawn fish.? So there is still hope to save at least part of the spawn. . rrr

Hey Randy,
Now with all that prize money could you help out a fellow American down on his luck?

Good stuff RRR!

Steve Hix wrote:

Hey Randy,
Now with all that prize money could you help out a fellow American down on his luck?

..Steve I would be more than happy to help out. As long as he wasn’t from IOWA an down on his Luck for the last 35yrs. . So that leaves you out. . . But as you know you will always have HOPE.!! .. .. .. rrr

You are so right!!

RRR, you can turn off the rain anytime now. They are done spawning.