04-08-2023, 04:34 PM
(04-08-2023, 03:20 PM)TubeDude Wrote: Nice. Don't let the pseudo-ecologists beat you up about keeping a spawning female. Contrary to what some might tell you, they are still good eating and removing a few is not going to upset the walleye balance in Utah Lake. However, a lot of us still release most of the fat females "just because" it seems like the right thing to do.
Walleyes don't live more than 1/2 or 1/3 as long as catfish...and they grow bigger faster. Your fish is probably only about 4 or 5 years old and the flesh should be prime...with no accumulation of PCBs or any other nasty stuff. I have eaten a lot of big walleyes and have never found any to be less than fantastic. And there are a lot more big spawning females than many might believe. Just because few anglers catch them does not mean they are not plentiful. The carp nets often contain quite a few of the big girls. But when they get bigger they eat bigger meals than most anglers show them...with their wimpy jigs. Although I have caught quite a few large ones on small jigs during the post spawn feedup time.
Agreed, well said.