Walleye caught in Lake Mead

[iamthesmf]

http://m.reviewjournal.com/sports/column...-lake-mead
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[lvfishingdude]

I knew they were in there. A old timer told me about catching walleye just outside of Echo Bay once. I thought he was full of ****. I asked on the AC Plug forums back in 2010 if there were walleye. To no surprise the few who answered said if there are they are really big or don't exist.

By the looks of the picture, that fish isn't very old so there must be enough to spawn. If we start to see more pictures and stories about walleye, I think they might become as abundant as small mouth bass. Only thing stopping them is they have to be deep since they are a cold water fish.

Glad to finally get a confirmation they do really exist in Lake Mead.

Link to article asking about walleye back in 2010
http://www.acplugs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1806
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[wiperhunter2]

Just so you know, links to competing forum are not allowed, see rule #3 at the link below:
http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gfo...cgi?do=faq
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[wolfs4evr]

I always wondered if there was any in Lake Mead... Now I know.

Tom
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[lvfishingdude]

[quote wiperhunter2]Just so you know, links to competing forum are not allowed, see rule #3 at the link below:
http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gfo...cgi?do=faq[/quote]

I apologize for posting the link, but I didn't think they were competition for BigfishTackle.com. The site I posted the link for barely anyone uses it anymore. If I need to delete the link please let me know. I just thought it was funny I asked the question 7 years ago if Walleye existed in Lake Mead and finally got the answer.

Let me know
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[wiperhunter2]

Thats a call a mod on your board will need to make but IMO it should be removed. Of course the whole issue comes down to BFT members going to that forum and that is why it is against the rules. If a forum is a lot bigger and has many active posters, it might not matter but on smaller boards with less members, with not many posting it can make a difference.
The topic of this thread is interesting, about eyes in Lake Mead because eyes have been in Powell for year and they have increased to the point now that there is a big population of them. It seems to me that if they have been in Powell, they have been in Mead as well. Maybe people just don't target them and thats why fewer are caught or maybe their numbers have not increased to the point they are easily caught but it might be worth it because the are excellent table fare.
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[lvfishingdude]

I will wait to here from our mods if I should remove it. Honestly ACPlugs is not competition for this site. Especially since it is barely used.

I just posted the link sine I asked about this topic years ago, and the story I thought was a very exaggerated fish story ended up being true.

the link that was posted was in no way shape or form meant to be advertising for AC Plugs. It seems that the AC Plug forums is only used by Allen to bitch about how bad the government is. The government is bad in many ways, but when you have a dead forum and you are the only one posting the same things just in different ways, people leave the site.

Again, I apologize for posting the link. I will wait for a mod to let me know to delete it or not.
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[TheWhizzle]

I would have to make s judgement call here in saying that this link is not a threat. Yes, it's a violation of standard site policy, but in this case, it is for educational purposes, not advertisement or promotional purposes. This is a community of local fishermen, the same people that visit that site visit this one as well.

Nothin to edit here, let's move on.

'Eyes in Mead- now that's worth talking about. I wondered if they'd make it in from Powell like the gizzards did. Should be able to start targeting them in the narrows and such in a few years once established.
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[lvfishingdude]

Thanks for responding. Who knows how Walleye made it to lake mead. that is a long swim down the Colorado river.

I told Doug Nielsen who was the writer of the article in the RJ, I am now determined to catch a walleye out of mead since its the only fish species I haven't caught out of Mead. I told him a area I think they might be, and he responded you are looking in the right area. But wouldn't say yes or no if the area i think they might be is it or not.

Only hint I can give the forum members is go straight across the lake from echo bay towards a very deep spot where the Colorado river flows. Its around 100-140 feet deep. The water is cold down there and a lot of places to hide from stripers.

I am hoping I can get out on a boat again to fish. It really sucks having a broken back. The smallest waves I can feel and basically would shut me down from the pain if I hit a big wake/wave. Going to make the decision here in 2 weeks if I am going to do the surgery on it, or keep letting it self heal.
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[TT600]

Walleyes will have the same problem stripers have in Mead. Getting food in the summer. They have to stay deep and the baitfish are shallow. Toss in the mussels straining out the plankton the baitfish eat and you have a very low population.
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[wiperhunter2]

What makes you guys think walleye have to stay deep? I've caught them in 2 to 6ft of water and with their spiked fins and teeth, they are hard for other fish to eat, after they get over 12" or so. I'm not sure what water temps get up to down there but I've seen them active in shallow water with 80* water temps. Walleye are a warm water fish and they are eating machines, once they get established they are hard to get rid of. If there are crawfish there, they will do very well.
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[lvfishingdude]

They are eating machines. But who knows how many are really in Lake Mead. I know I asked 7 years ago about a rumor I heard there were Walleye in mead and finally got official confirmation in 2017.

Walleye are mean fish, but are kinda delicate if I remember correctly. There are plenty of crawdads in Lake Mead, but where the Walleye have been caught they have been in Deep Water. There are to many stripers they would have to avoid in shallow water in Lake Mead. Hence why they are extremely rare to catch out of Mead. Not sure how deep gizzard shad will go, but you would think they have plenty of food with how the gizzards have exploded at Mead.

Found this picture of there teeth. You would think they could easily fight off stripers.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/oakleyorig...4864018991
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[wiperhunter2]

I guess all I can say is there are stripers in Powell and it did not seem to bother the eyes there, so I'm not sure why it would matter in Mead. You can find them shallow in Powell so I doubt it would have any effect on them in Mead, stripers or not. I do think they have an ideal range but just like stripers, eyes will go where the food is, if that is shallow, then they will be there but eyes are a lot different than stripers in how you fish for them, just a matter of learning the method that works best. Lots of folks in many states use bottom bouncers and worm harness, even cranks work well at times but eyes tend to hand closer to the bottom, of the water they are in. That being said, I've caught them when casting into boils, so you just never know. IMO, I think you will find them in water that is 10 to 40 ft depending on the time of year. Eyes are easier to catch in low light conditions or murky water. Find where the wind is blowing toward the shore and making for murky condition and you will find eyes. We have done well at the shore early in the morning, before sunrise by casting a jig with a full night crawler, right to the shore and bouncing it back to the boat, as it get lighter, you have to go deeper but you can use the same setup and vertical jig for them right on the bottom in 30 to 40 ft of water. I bet the eyes have been in Mead since you ask that question 7 years ago but anglers can be tight mouthed at time about catching some fish, especially when they want to keep quite. If you guys start trying different methods this year and start targeting eyes, I bet you will be surprised where you will catch them. It could be their numbers are low there or maybe the guys that are catching them just want you to think they can only be caught deep. Walleye like to ambush their prey, so rocky areas are best but as I said they will come up into the shallows, in low light conditions. Good luck this year hope you guys find some of those tasty fish there at Mead.
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[Greg84]

The guy in the article says he hooked it in 15 ft of water. I've never been to that portion of Bonelli Bay where NDOW says they caught them, but if it's a "reef" I would imagine it's probably not that deep.
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[wiperhunter2]

That makes total sense, eyes love to ambush prey in spots like that, where shallow water is close to deeper water. Any idea how deep it gets in Bonelli Bay?
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[Greg84]

I had never heard of that reef so it took a while to find where it was. I found this yesterday, looks like it's high and dry right now. Unfortunately, they didn't say what year they caught them on the reef, so there's no way of knowing how deep the water was at the time, but they would have to be in there somewhere...
https://www.nps.gov/lake/planyourvisit/u...%20Bay.pdf
or
https://www.google.com/maps/search/Detri...a=!3m1!1e3
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[lvfishingdude]

Like I said above, go straight out of echo bay to where the colorodo river flows and there is a cove i have caught a ton of striper when the wind picks up. its the perfect place for predator fish to ambush bait trying to get out of the weather
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