Not all pools have the habitat or forage of pool 4, so comparing pool 4 to other pools is not a very good comparison. Pool 7&8 would be awesome pools to test a slot on. If I could only choose one, I’d rather see size limits on Saugers. Too many small saugers kept out of 45′ of water.
Tony is right. Here around the Quad Cities the slot has made one amazing fishery. It is now more common to catch a slot IMO than it is to catch an eater, and I’m fine with that!
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My 2 cents, the fishery dosnt “need” a slot to be a world class walleye fishery it is already that…. BUT i do beleive that if we did something to protect the bigger fish say 24 to 28 and leave the bottom end of eyes at 15 the meat hunters would have no problem catching their fish for the pan if the fish are biting and the fishery would be full of 8 pound fish…… now i know that pool 4 cannot be as good as say a rainy river but i do beleive it can be very very competitive!! for anybody that has made a run to rainy in the fall or spring it is simply amazing the number of people that drive hours and hours to fish there and they cant even keep a big fish i beleive the slot in the spring is 19 and down? now in my mind the businesses around pool 4 would love all that attraction us locals may not but then again if i can catch 8 lbers on a regular bases then i wouldnt mind the crowd
bigger fish=more people fishing=more revenue for local business=more happy fisherman taking fish of a life time.
for the information that fish in pool 4 grow fast and die fast well i would rather see a 12 lber floating because of old age than a 6 lber being flayed for dinner in the cleaning shack never able to grow to trophy size.
I AM FOR A SLOT AS ARE MOST PEOPLE I KNOW! lets rally and get it passed
lol i doubt it will ever happen though
Say, this conversation sound’s familiar 
I agree have some to eat for a meal, smaller one are truly better tasting, and let the biguns go to become trophy caliber fish 
Pool 8 might benefit from something like this. There are soo many small walleyes(9-12in) and if maybe somehow we could come up with a way to protect the bigger fish (19-30) then the sizes of small an bigfish would level out. There are tons of small walleyes on pool 8 but there are also many 21,22,23in that are kept simply becausethey cant keep a walleye under 15in to begin with. THROW THOSE FIH BACK! If wecould have a slot on those fish that would help out with the trophy and quality of fish on pool 8. For saugers, maybe it would help but there are more sauger than walleyes right now IMO. It wouldnt hurt to make a slot on saugers for fish over 14 or 15 to be kept just like the walleye rule. Most people keep 10,l1,12in saugers because they cant catch enough eater sized walleyes over the slot size right now of 15in.
it doesn’t matter what time of the year people keep fish more are kept postspawn when they really put on the feedbag the fish to throw back are your 3-6 lbers which the eggs are more fertile wish i still had that study i’m sure it’s out there someplace
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it doesn’t matter what time of the year people keep fish more are kept postspawn when they really put on the feedbag the fish to throw back are your 3-6 lbers which the eggs are more fertile wish i still had that study i’m sure it’s out there someplace
i have herd of that 3-6 lbs theory but i have also herd theorys that the bigger fish are our big producers i think if somebody could dig up a study it would be nice to read, i will try and find something…….. if anybody has some good facts on this lets here em.
I still think a slot would be great! no matter what size fish are our big producers a 24″ bottom to the slot would protect your 4 1/2 and up fish.
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Why keep one over 28″?
why keep one over 19″?
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it doesn’t matter what time of the year people keep fish more are kept postspawn when they really put on the feedbag the fish to throw back are your 3-6 lbers which the eggs are more fertile wish i still had that study i’m sure it’s out there someplace
i have herd of that 3-6 lbs theory but i have also herd theorys that the bigger fish are our big producers i think if somebody could dig up a study it would be nice to read, i will try and find something…….. if anybody has some good facts on this lets here em.
I still think a slot would be great! no matter what size fish are our big producers a 24″ bottom to the slot would protect your 4 1/2 and up fish.
Drew, here is the closest to the literature that you mentioned that I could find. It’s for Lake Erie and not the river, but I think the numbers speak for themselves.
This information is from the Ohio Sea Grant website. The author has some knowledge of walleyes. He is retired from Ohio Sea Grant where he spent a career studying walleyes.The question on the Sea Grant Lake Erie board was: “I have made it a practice to return the larger walleyes to the lake for spawning purposes, but am now wondering if these older fish are any more productive than the smaller, younger fish. Last Monday I caught 3 fish over 30 inches and would have liked to have had the largest mounted. Should we feel guilty keeping these big walleyes?
This is the answer:
“Good question—–please bear with the lengthy reply as I believe this will provide a good basic understanding of walleye age and size versus egg production and egg viability.
We have discussed the question of walleye egg production and size in the past. Below is a reply to a similar question answered by Fred Snyder on 11-08-05:
Division of Wildlife studies have shown consistently that most female Lake Erie walleye reach sexual maturity at age four; most of the males are ripe at two or three years old. Of course, a few fish always vary from the norm; age at maturity can be affected by things like food availability and growth rate. In a few certain years the females have all been mature by age three.
A widely acknowledged principle in fishery science is that while long-lived fish species may produce more eggs as they get older and larger, the percentage of those eggs that are viable (capable of being fertilized and incubating into normal fry) drops off significantly. That’s why hatcheries tend to rotate broodstock on a regular basis, replacing older females with youger ones.
The word “fecundity” refers to the numbers of eggs produced. The word “fertility” refers to the number of actual offspring produced. After reaching sexual maturity, Lake Erie walleye are likely to be at peak fertility for around three to five years. Their peak fecundity may occur later.
This should help rest your concerns regarding keeping those big 30+ inch females caught during the spring.
To help add to your understanding of sexual maturity, here is some additional information to add to Fred’s comments on sexual maturity in Lake Erie walleye as compared to walleye elsewhere and farther north of here. This information has been provided in the past as well here on the discussion board.
“Regarding older walleye vs. younger walleye—-the older, larger ‘hog size walleye’ may produce more eggs than younger fish. However, it’s a well known fisheries science fact that as females grow older and bigger, the ‘viability’ of those eggs (ability to become fertilized, incubated and hatched) decreases significantly. The younger females, ages 4-7 and lengths of 18-24 inches (these are averages, and can vary), will produce the most ‘viable’ eggs.
In comparison, walleyes in far northern Ontario lakes are known to reach sexual maturity at age 7, and may only be 13-14 inches at that time, compared to age 4 and 17-18+ inches in Lake Erie.
Northern Ontario walleyes exhibiting the highest ‘viability’ of eggs range from 13-22 inches—with walleye over 22 inches significantly less viable than the younger, shorter females.
Why is this? In Lake Erie, due to our warmer waters and abundant food supply, our walleyes grow fast and die young. Colder waters and less abundance of food result in northern Ontario walleyes growing slow and dying old.
Regulations a few years ago for specific regions in Northern Ontario for walleye allowed a bag limit of 4. All 4 must be 16 inches and under, or 3 can be under 16 inches, with one being over 22 inches (this provides a big trophy walleye to be taken by outfitter/guide clientele). This protects their most viable spawners and helps improve recruitment when a walleye stock is low. Mixed emotions were raised among anglers when first imposed, yet the realization for a better fishery in the near future has now been accepted.
This may be a great management program for cold, northern Ontario lakes where food abundance is low, grow rates are slow, and both angling pressure and native Indian netting has impacts on the fishery.
However, you must remember that these northern cold water lakes are NOT comparable to the size and productivity we experience on Lake Erie. “
Just thought you might like some additional info regarding walleye age/size/sexual maturity from a different region and management perspective.
To take this one step farther, and to answer what I believe will be the next question in this thread, here is some information provided by John Hageman on ‘Prime size for breeding walleye from 11-08-05. This will help identify age vs. size for Lake Erie walleye.
“According to the ODNR, Div of Wildlife report cited earlier, in 2001 walleyes caught averaged the following lengths lakewide:
1+year old walleyes caught=10 1/2″
2+year old walleyes caught=14 1/4″
3+year old walleyes caught=17 1/4″
4+year old walleyes caught=18 7/8″
5+year old walleyes caught=20 1/4″
6+year old walleyes caught=21 1/4″
7+year old walleyes caught=22 3/4″
8+year old walleyes caught=24 1/4″
9+year old walleyes caught=26 1/4″
10+year old walleyes caught=27 1/2″
Now to clarify a couple of things. The “+” refers to the fact that it was beyond the anniversary of its hatching date, which in the main lake is in late April/early May. Most harvest occurs during the summer, so a 1+ fish would be approximately 13 months old in May, 14 months old in June, etc.-but nearly 2 years old during ice fishing season, so you can’t really pinpoint an exact size unless you only measure fish caught in a certain month. Also, growth rates vary with available food supply. In years where there is a big year class of walleyes competing for a finite amount of forage (bait fish), growth may be slower than in years where the walleye population is smaller and/or bait production is higher. Another big point is that the females grow larger and quicker than males, and this chart only reflects the average of the female/male growth rates. The three to seven year old walleyes don’t look like they grow too fast, but it’s because the average is muted by the slower growing males measured in the samples taken.There were not distinctions made at the time of sampling between males and females due to it being summer and there is not an easy way of telling them apart without cutting open the fisherman’s catch.”
Like I said earlier it makes a difference where you are fishing and he population of the lake — Erie has millions of eyes so there are ALWAYS enough eggs!!!!
thanks wade, good too see some facts.
I would still like to see a slot it would protect some of the most fertle mertle eyes and give us more trophy fish in the river.
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thanks wade, good too see some facts.
I would still like to see a slot it would protect some of the most fertle mertle eyes and give us more trophy fish in the river.
I agree Drew. I guess the best we can do at this point is our self imposed slot limits.
I would be interested to hear what you guys are imposing on yourselves for slot limits for Walleye and Sauger.
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I would like to see a closed season on P4,say March 1st to April 15th.Then the spawning females wouldn’t get all stressed out.
I second this all the way! Not only for pool 4 but all pools! 
nothing over 18″ goes in my live well for myself and nothing over 20″ goes in there for anybody! thats my rule and for the bottom end im not embaressed to say that any sauger as big as a jumbo perch i will keep and eat they taste way better and if i keep them then i dont keep the bigger fish.
but i will say no matter the size i let go way more fish than i keep, i just enjoy catching!!
Just noticed you where asking about pools 4 threw 10. Originally thought you where just asking about pool 4. The little I fish down there pool 4 seems to be in pretty good shape. Some of the lower river pools sound like they could use some help from regulation and slots.
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nothing over 18″ goes in my live well for myself and nothing over 20″ goes in there for anybody!
That’s pretty much identical to my limits. I’m with you, considering I keep maybe 12 fish/year I doubt I’m hurting the population.
No data to support the need for the regulation.
I thought about saying that if we would just put fish passage ways in around all the dams, the P-4 fish could just populate the other pools….
…but it’s not April 1st yet. 
Im a bowhunter but love to see a person harvest their biggest deer and yet listen to them what if it had another year! Im all all there for there for tasting the great walleye, but for filleting a 20 some incher to eat, everyone on here goes the same way. Give me a nice 16 incher and satisfy my tastebuds and lets see what we can grow. I love the slot it let me catch the biggest walleye of my life and a friend of mine also. Without this I coulndnt enjoy this like I do. Shoot all the deer sooooooner a later you wont be chasing big bucks you will be chasing a grocery store
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Interesting thread-could see this really working on some pools.
A total Catch and Release year around regulation has done wonders for our streach of the river up here on Pool 2….
Just somthing to think about.
-J.
I practice catch and release a lot but I don’t want to see anymore bodies of water be restricted to only that. When you want some meat, you should be able to get some. I keep a tight slot for myself which is 16-20″ and generally don’t go over 19″. I won’t keep a fish over 20″ unless it’s gut hooked or won’t swim away. I don’t know how much you all have fished pool 4 but it’s a great fishery how it is without strict slots and lower bag limits.
OK, maybe off the wall, but I think a person should be simply required to take a sheep’s head home and eat it for every walleye over 20″ taken. 
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I would like to see a closed season on P4,say March 1st to April 15th.Then the spawning females wouldn’t get all stressed out.
I second this all the way! Not only for pool 4 but all pools!
I guess what your saying is that you would like to see a lot of bait shops and resorts on or around the river go out of business.
If you going to close it, at the very least, catch & release fishing should still be allowed.
And if the majority of the fish are caught in May & June, then what’s the reasoning behind closing the season during the spawn?
To me, a slot makes the most sense by far. It’s effective year round and takes into account people who want to take fish home to eat, preserving the future and those who would like a shot at catching trophies.
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I would like to see a closed season on P4,say March 1st to April 15th.Then the spawning females wouldn’t get all stressed out.
I second this all the way! Not only for pool 4 but all pools!
I guess what your saying is that you would like to see a lot of bait shops and resorts on or around the river go out of business.
If you going to close it, at the very least, catch & release fishing should still be allowed.
And if the majority of the fish are caught in May & June, then what’s the reasoning behind closing the season during the spawn?To me, a slot makes the most sense by far. It’s effective year round and takes into account people who want to take fish home to eat, preserving the future and those who would like a shot at catching trophies.
X2
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I would like to see a closed season on P4,say March 1st to April 15th.Then the spawning females wouldn’t get all stressed out.
I second this all the way! Not only for pool 4 but all pools!
Everts, Dean and likely all the shops in Red Wing would be closed within a year.
At least we’d still have Walmart for all our bait and tackle needs.
This all really makes you think. I agree Pool 4 is in an own seperate category of itself almost due to the overall combined acreage of the pool and population. The lower pools (5-10) I feel have seen a significant change evolve over the last few years. This may be intern to the continued filling in of the backwaters and less areas for walleye fry to grow. We also have had a huge exposion in both largemouth and smallmouth populations and size which puts more predators in the water… these many factors all play factors into the overall equation.
Certainly there are occasional big walleyes and saugers caught, but also I can honestly say I do not see the shear numbers as we have in the past. This concerns me as an angler to see this cycle on a slighty down swing. I am not sure if walleyes cycle as much as other species do?
I guess the biggest benefit of a instilled slot would be we would be protecting the fishery for our future generations. New walleye anglers are not on an upward swing with the technological world and growth of single parent families. The cost of fishing is up which is vividly apparent if you bought crankbaits or a boat lately… but, that being said, it is a bargain compared to most hobies today.
I think a little fortitude to the future could make for some excellent fishing memories not only for ourselves, but for many, many new anglers. Just something we all should consider. I guess you could call it QDM for walleyes. The economic impact would be significant to these area businesses as well as having no “true May opener” would attract more anglers to the river’s bait shops, restraunts, motels, and not to mention taverns during late winter and the spring.
I see nothing wrong with a one over 28 inch slot… this gives the opportunity for you to take one of those home for the wall and most females in excess of 30 inches are at nearing the end of their life cycle and are becoming sterile anyway. The slot fish would satisfy anglers for a meal, and it would make for some very exciting days on the water too. I see nothing bad about having fish too big to keep.
Practicing CPR (Catch Photo Release) is being done by many of us, it’s nice to see this movement and hopefully it keeps growing in popularity with young anglers too.
I guess in general just think about things for a second before you put that big fish in the box to take home… my 2 cents worth.
*Fish for tomorrow… not for today*
I have talked this over a ton with freinds….
we all are under the feeling of a catch& release season from who knows when to say the mid-late april..
that would leave the river open… and keep the fish in the river to spawn.. it would hurt the Tournys that are every weekend in april.
or do as ND did and open the whole state to year round fishing….. then the masses could go were ever when ever.
As a pool 12 fisherman that was fishing before the current slot rules and of course after, I will throw my hat into the ring as stating that for pool 12 – the slot rules RULE. This pool has never seen the numbers or quality of fish that are currently available. After 2 years of the rules I could notice a difference and now – WHOOO HOOOO! (just don’t tell anybody). 
When WI lowers the ridiculous limit of 25 flatheads per day for it’s anglers, I would be more than happy to support a change for the better in regards to walleye and saugers.
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When WI lowers the ridiculous limit of 25 flatheads per day for it’s anglers, I would be more than happy to support a change for the better in regards to walleye and saugers.
25 cats a day?
Holly crap I’m going to start fishing for catfish from now on!
Ahhh….maybe not.
April fools!
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We also have had a huge exposion in both largemouth and smallmouth populations and size which puts more predators in the water… these many factors all play factors into the overall equation.
So lets all go & harvest a limit of bass!
Slot on the Chippewa (Lake Wissota) seems to have done a good job the FLW walleye boys were sure frustrated with catching 30 fish a day mostly sloters, and not being able to bring a limit to the weigh in tough decision to keep 13inchers (slot 14 to 18 one over)or hold out for a big one. definatly tough on the tournaments they tried to get the slot suspeneded for the tourney for research purposes but no luck with wdnr.
But now that it’s been in effect for over 10 years I think they should raise the size structure (16 to 24) sounds nice would like to see a minimum size also but we know how flexible the DNR is!!!!! Chippman
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I would like to see a closed season on P4,say March 1st to April 15th.Then the spawning females wouldn’t get all stressed out.
I second this all the way! Not only for pool 4 but all pools!
I guess what your saying is that you would like to see a lot of bait shops and resorts on or around the river go out of business.
If you going to close it, at the very least, catch & release fishing should still be allowed.
And if the majority of the fish are caught in May & June, then what’s the reasoning behind closing the season during the spawn?To me, a slot makes the most sense by far. It’s effective year round and takes into account people who want to take fish home to eat, preserving the future and those who would like a shot at catching trophies.
x2
Could not agree more Joel!
Closing the season would be tough, too many good people rely on the deep pockets of walleye fisherman for a good start to the season. I couldn’t imagine not being able to fish for river walleyes this time of year 
Restictive spawning ground fishing on ALL pools would no doubt be a good thing along with a slot and lower bag limits from March until the middle of April.
When Illinois and Iowa agreed to a slot and Wisc. refused to go along with the program, well that will always be a sore spot. Get with it Wisc. Dnr. Trying something different might at least send a message that you actually give a !%&# about our number one sport fish
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