04-08-2018, 02:49 PM
"Far as I am concerned, fishing the inlet during the walleye spawn is just a practice that shouldn't happen"
[#0000FF]The emotional side of me agrees with you. But the logical side suggests that merely adding some additional restrictions...like NO night fishing...will help a bit.
You echo what I hear from lots of other anglers with whom I maintain regular communications. Most of us who know and love Willard are apalled by what goes on when not controlled by DWR or fellow fisherfolk. The snagging DOES happen...despite what some naysayers on the board proclaim.
I have been surprised by the attitude of DWR on Willard walleye snagging. Much different than Utah Lake. In the early years of walleye fishing on the lower Provo the common belief was that walleyes did not bite during the spawn...and the only way you could catch them was snagging. And on any given day there were numerous wild-eyed "anglers" jerking their "Provo River dry flies" (large treble hooks with a bell sinker and a piece of yellow foam) through the holding holes for spawning walleyes.
DWR observations were that there was plenty of successful spawning around the lake...on rocky shoreline and dikes...so there was no need to protect the spawners in the Provo. But they wanted to offer protection from snagging, so they put a no-fishing restriction on all tributaries from March to May. Interestingly, there was still a lot of nocturnal "dredging" for walleyes...in areas not readily watched from the road. In some places there were teams that would send guys up into the trees with lights to locate the fish for shoreline snaggers.
With the recent appearance of more northern pike in Utah Lake, the no-fishing ban in the tributaries has been relaxed...but the no walleyes in possession rule remains. Again, not so much to improve spawning success but to curtail snagging.
I have fished all over the country...including many areas of the upper midwest where walleye are a religion. There are different regulations in different states and on different waters. The fisheries departments make walleyes a top priority of management. They have hatchery and stocking programs for walleyes and often have strict slot limits and possession limits.
Are there snagging problems with walleyes in other areas? Of course. But I have never seen it greater than the problems we have in Utah.
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[#0000FF]The emotional side of me agrees with you. But the logical side suggests that merely adding some additional restrictions...like NO night fishing...will help a bit.
You echo what I hear from lots of other anglers with whom I maintain regular communications. Most of us who know and love Willard are apalled by what goes on when not controlled by DWR or fellow fisherfolk. The snagging DOES happen...despite what some naysayers on the board proclaim.
I have been surprised by the attitude of DWR on Willard walleye snagging. Much different than Utah Lake. In the early years of walleye fishing on the lower Provo the common belief was that walleyes did not bite during the spawn...and the only way you could catch them was snagging. And on any given day there were numerous wild-eyed "anglers" jerking their "Provo River dry flies" (large treble hooks with a bell sinker and a piece of yellow foam) through the holding holes for spawning walleyes.
DWR observations were that there was plenty of successful spawning around the lake...on rocky shoreline and dikes...so there was no need to protect the spawners in the Provo. But they wanted to offer protection from snagging, so they put a no-fishing restriction on all tributaries from March to May. Interestingly, there was still a lot of nocturnal "dredging" for walleyes...in areas not readily watched from the road. In some places there were teams that would send guys up into the trees with lights to locate the fish for shoreline snaggers.
With the recent appearance of more northern pike in Utah Lake, the no-fishing ban in the tributaries has been relaxed...but the no walleyes in possession rule remains. Again, not so much to improve spawning success but to curtail snagging.
I have fished all over the country...including many areas of the upper midwest where walleye are a religion. There are different regulations in different states and on different waters. The fisheries departments make walleyes a top priority of management. They have hatchery and stocking programs for walleyes and often have strict slot limits and possession limits.
Are there snagging problems with walleyes in other areas? Of course. But I have never seen it greater than the problems we have in Utah.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]