02-10-2021, 11:49 PM
Y'know, as I codgertate on the issue of reduced walleye numbers, it occurs to me there are at least two other factors that may be at work.
1. Carp seining. Yeah, I know, the carp killers are not supposed to keep other species...other than a few white bass and bullheads. But I have watched the operation both on the ice and in open water. I have observed that many hauls bring in large numbers of non-carp species...like walleyes. I have also observed that there is no concerted effort to quickly rescue "more desirable" species like largemouths, crappies, or walleyes. In fact, after the carp have been loaded up and the crew departed there are often "floaters" of the "bycatch" species. Who knows...over the course of the past few years...how many big spawner female walleye have succumbed to being squashed together with several tons of carp and kept immobilized for a long time?
![[Image: OLYMPUS-DIGITAL-CAMERA.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/Sfbb3H9/OLYMPUS-DIGITAL-CAMERA.jpg)
2. Illegal harvest. There is a hardcore contingent of anglers (not sportsmen) who consider Utah's waters to be their own private fish market. They fish for subsistence (family budget) or profit...often illegally selling a large part of their catch. In Utah Lake we see them filling buckets (and pickups) with white bass...and removing large numbers of walleyes too...often over-limits and or many large females over the 26" size limit. With the Covid situation and with DWR being already spread out and each CO covering vast areas, the "happy harvesters" not only rape the resource but often don't even buy licenses. That is a statement directly from an exasperated CO who verified that a high percentage of violators don't have licenses.
When I first became acquainted with Utah Lake walleyes, it was in the early 1960's...only about 10 years after they had been introduced to Utah Lake. Virtually every "angler" along the lower Provo was using the "Provo River Nymph"...a large treble hook with a piece of yellow foam for better visibility. The consensus was that snagging was the only way to catch walleye...that they wouldn't take bait or lures. Of course that was nonsense. But snagging persisted and became a major problem...resulting in all tributaries to Utah Lake being closed to fishing in March and April. All that did was keep legal anglers away. Poachers still showed up after dark and had spotters in the trees to help them see the fish to snag. Whenever a DWR officer showed up, the violators disappeared into the brush. Today the restrictions are relaxed. These tributaries are open to fishing, but not to keeping
Walleye during the spawn months. Again...keeping the honest anglers honest, but not the poachers.
From first hand observations and reliable reports from others, I know that large numbers of big spawning females are removed from both Utah Lake and the streams before they ever get a chance to help repopulate walleye numbers. Basic logic should tell us that has an effect. We don't know how much. But we do know when the fishing sucks compared to former times.
CRASH!!! Just fell off my soapbox.
1. Carp seining. Yeah, I know, the carp killers are not supposed to keep other species...other than a few white bass and bullheads. But I have watched the operation both on the ice and in open water. I have observed that many hauls bring in large numbers of non-carp species...like walleyes. I have also observed that there is no concerted effort to quickly rescue "more desirable" species like largemouths, crappies, or walleyes. In fact, after the carp have been loaded up and the crew departed there are often "floaters" of the "bycatch" species. Who knows...over the course of the past few years...how many big spawner female walleye have succumbed to being squashed together with several tons of carp and kept immobilized for a long time?
2. Illegal harvest. There is a hardcore contingent of anglers (not sportsmen) who consider Utah's waters to be their own private fish market. They fish for subsistence (family budget) or profit...often illegally selling a large part of their catch. In Utah Lake we see them filling buckets (and pickups) with white bass...and removing large numbers of walleyes too...often over-limits and or many large females over the 26" size limit. With the Covid situation and with DWR being already spread out and each CO covering vast areas, the "happy harvesters" not only rape the resource but often don't even buy licenses. That is a statement directly from an exasperated CO who verified that a high percentage of violators don't have licenses.
When I first became acquainted with Utah Lake walleyes, it was in the early 1960's...only about 10 years after they had been introduced to Utah Lake. Virtually every "angler" along the lower Provo was using the "Provo River Nymph"...a large treble hook with a piece of yellow foam for better visibility. The consensus was that snagging was the only way to catch walleye...that they wouldn't take bait or lures. Of course that was nonsense. But snagging persisted and became a major problem...resulting in all tributaries to Utah Lake being closed to fishing in March and April. All that did was keep legal anglers away. Poachers still showed up after dark and had spotters in the trees to help them see the fish to snag. Whenever a DWR officer showed up, the violators disappeared into the brush. Today the restrictions are relaxed. These tributaries are open to fishing, but not to keeping
Walleye during the spawn months. Again...keeping the honest anglers honest, but not the poachers.
From first hand observations and reliable reports from others, I know that large numbers of big spawning females are removed from both Utah Lake and the streams before they ever get a chance to help repopulate walleye numbers. Basic logic should tell us that has an effect. We don't know how much. But we do know when the fishing sucks compared to former times.
CRASH!!! Just fell off my soapbox.