08-31-2018, 07:48 PM
Late to the party but love the discussion and the differing opinions!
From my perspective, illegal introductions should never be the answer for any species... land, water or air for that matter. They are not based on science and most always do not have the intended effect and can require tremendous efforts, resources and money to resolve.
With that in mind, I love walleyes and wish we had more options to fish for them beyond SFCR, Oakley and Oneida. They are fun to catch, can be caught year round on many different methods and are also great to eat!!!
As far as Ririe is concerned, I fish it fairly often for kokanee, perch and smallmouth and in the process have picked up some trout, chubs and suckers... but never a walleye. I have seen the F&G survey reports that indicate their presence and have heard the stories of "I know a guy, who knows a guy that heard that another guy has caught one". It is my understanding that F&G has a pretty intensive plan in place to catch and kill walleye during their spawn in an attempt to reduce abundance in the reservoir... it is obviously working.
We can all SPECULATE on what a sustainable walleye population MIGHT do to a specific fishery, but none of us really knows for sure. Every body of water is unique, has its own carrying capacity and other variables that will determine how species interact in each specific environment. We have the ability to look at bodies of water that are similar to one another and make assumptions based off of those similarities, but again I do not think that any decisions can be made with 100% confidence and certainty when mother nature is involved. For every body of water that will support a diverse fishery with desirable populations and size structures, there is another that it just does not work at all...
From an overall cost perspective, would it not make sense to establish fish populations in areas that could sustain natural reproduction and provide fishing opportunities than to continually grow fish to a catchable size, knowing that they are only there to be caught or to die of natural causes? Wouldn't those who enjoy eating fish like more opportunity to do so with a better quality option than the "mushy meat" stocked trout we have all caught? Just saying...
More food for thought while I am at it... If we were all only able to fish for the fish that are native to each of the lakes, rivers, streams and reservoirs that we fish in Idaho, we would never be able to catch Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Lake Trout, Tiger Trout, Splake, Coho, Kokanee (few lakes), Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Sunfish, Crappie, Tiger Muskie, Northern Pike, Catfish, Bullhead,Yellow Perch and yes, Walleye. I for one am very glad that we have these options available to chase, to catch and to eat!
Paul
[signature]
From my perspective, illegal introductions should never be the answer for any species... land, water or air for that matter. They are not based on science and most always do not have the intended effect and can require tremendous efforts, resources and money to resolve.
With that in mind, I love walleyes and wish we had more options to fish for them beyond SFCR, Oakley and Oneida. They are fun to catch, can be caught year round on many different methods and are also great to eat!!!
As far as Ririe is concerned, I fish it fairly often for kokanee, perch and smallmouth and in the process have picked up some trout, chubs and suckers... but never a walleye. I have seen the F&G survey reports that indicate their presence and have heard the stories of "I know a guy, who knows a guy that heard that another guy has caught one". It is my understanding that F&G has a pretty intensive plan in place to catch and kill walleye during their spawn in an attempt to reduce abundance in the reservoir... it is obviously working.
We can all SPECULATE on what a sustainable walleye population MIGHT do to a specific fishery, but none of us really knows for sure. Every body of water is unique, has its own carrying capacity and other variables that will determine how species interact in each specific environment. We have the ability to look at bodies of water that are similar to one another and make assumptions based off of those similarities, but again I do not think that any decisions can be made with 100% confidence and certainty when mother nature is involved. For every body of water that will support a diverse fishery with desirable populations and size structures, there is another that it just does not work at all...
From an overall cost perspective, would it not make sense to establish fish populations in areas that could sustain natural reproduction and provide fishing opportunities than to continually grow fish to a catchable size, knowing that they are only there to be caught or to die of natural causes? Wouldn't those who enjoy eating fish like more opportunity to do so with a better quality option than the "mushy meat" stocked trout we have all caught? Just saying...
More food for thought while I am at it... If we were all only able to fish for the fish that are native to each of the lakes, rivers, streams and reservoirs that we fish in Idaho, we would never be able to catch Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Lake Trout, Tiger Trout, Splake, Coho, Kokanee (few lakes), Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Sunfish, Crappie, Tiger Muskie, Northern Pike, Catfish, Bullhead,Yellow Perch and yes, Walleye. I for one am very glad that we have these options available to chase, to catch and to eat!
Paul
[signature]