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Opinion on Walleye in Ririe?
#1
Since it was recently touched on in another post, I thought this would be an interesting discussion point. How do you feel about walleye being in Ririe? Should they let them expand and have it become another target in the reservoir or should it be a target them and clear them out whenever possible campaign? I'm really mixed on the idea. I know there is a chance of them supposedly getting into the snake then causing issues w/ the cutthroat. However I would love to have a walleye fishery where I don't have to drive 2 1/2 hours or more to get to it.
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#2
Ririe is not a fertile lake, I just do not feel like it can take another species of predatory fish. The cutthroat are skinny as it is. The perch cycle changes wildly depending on the water during spawn. The smallmouth are doing ok but they do not reach any great size because of slow growing season and not enough food in the chain.

The number one reason why the walleye should be removed is the chance for them to get into the South Fork. The South Fork is an amazing fishery and just does not need another invasive species right now.

I think the F&G should do whatever necessary to remove the walleye or keep them in check.(although it would be pretty cool to catch one of them)

In the paper last week I read that if you catch a walleye the F&G would like you to try and keep it alive and call them so that they can attach a radio transmitter. They would like to find out where they are so they can net them I think.

Windriver
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#3
Personally I get nervous every time a new fish enters any water. It is curious how fish that don't belong usually find a way to thrive in their new environment. Maybe Dolly Varden can find a home at Ririe? (That is me speaking with no knowledge what so ever!) Although I would not mind pulling a walleye out of Ririe I want nothing too hurt the koke, perch, and trout numbers there. I know I posted the limit question, but believe me I want the ultimate fishery in Ririe, and I don't believe walleye will help.

Just my opinion,

OvidCreek
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#4
[quote Belasko] I know there is a chance of them supposedly getting into the snake then causing issues w/ the cutthroat. [/quote]

Would this chance be some idiot transporting them alive to the river, or the fish escaping downstream in Willow Creek, all the way to the Snake River, and then back upstream again? The last seems highly unlikely, and the first would be a criminal act that could take place anytime, anywhere. I don't really have the knowlege to take any kind of rational (scientific) stance on their being allowed to thrive in Ririe. I'd sure err on the side of caution though.
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#5
The official claim is that it was an illegal act that occurred about 2-3 years ago according to the news reports in the paper. Don't know who did it though.
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#6
I totally agree with windriver. I have seen what invasive species can do to the native flora and fauna. I have worked with several different invasive fish species including rainbows brookies, and plant species like leafy spurge etc. basically they are big pains in the neck, so I say if they can nip it in the bud now it will be much better for the system.
Now with that said, I have never caught a walleye, and I REALLY want to. have any of you guys or gals caught any at Ririe? If so, do you have any tips on how where when etc?
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#7
A few years back they planted Splake in Ririe. A friend and I were fishing the Ririe Resevoir outlet that goes directly to the Snake River (the canal thing that is lined with all the rocks) and he caught a nice four pound splake within a half mile of the snake river, in the outlet. So if its in Ririe, its only a matter of time before it gets to the river.
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#8
Walleye are awesome eating but like a fox in the hen house. They eat everything in site. If they get loose in the South Fork they will spawn like crazy and move all the way down the Snake. They will also move up streams everywhere they can spawn including the Blackfoot, Portneuf, the Salmon and the Clearwater rivers etc. All are good to prime fisheries with sensitive species like salmon, bull trout and white sturgeon. This is a big nightmare in the making and it has just begun. Iradicate them asap!

DeeCee
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#9
personally having walleye in Ririe is not going to hurt the fishery. The worry about the walleye into the river is no different from splake out of the lake into the SR. Alos if you worry about them then it is the browns, the bass etc in the river that should be killed.In Mt on canyon ferry they have wallies that weren't a f&g planted fish but it is helped the fishery out and they have not had any worries about downstream on the mossouri. Look at the Bighorn res it has wallies but they don't have a problem with them on the blue ribbion trout stream below. If the truth was really know this wllie problem is a politcal problem and not one the worries the F&G form a fishery perspective[fishin]
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#10
[#008080]"The worry about the walleye into the river is no different from splake out of the lake into the SR."[/#008080] Aren't splake sterile???
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#11
Yes they are . Curt G.
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#12
I would persanly rather catch a walleye than any other fish but they do spawn very heavily and eat almost anything. Here in the Bear river i have caught 5 lb walleye that must have a million eggs in them, the fry are so thick that they clock the screens to the errigation pumps, so if they were to get into the snake who knows what would happen
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#13
again do the research on the mt lakes and rivers and the concerns are not there. Again Politics is driving the rire feud. By the way if the did spawn it is all over but catching wallies in the future.[fishin]



[blush]
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#14
They are trying to keep the Cutthrought off the Endangered Species list on the South Fork . If there is any chance that Walleye could start to reproduce . I wouldn't be surprised to see them poison Ririe and start over . Hope not but you never know . Curt G.
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#15
Hello Goosebuster! It was good to hear your thoughts, but, I must respectively diagree. Walleye like pike are highly predatory fish who consume mainly fish. Walleye in the Columbia have already proven to be a problem for salmon fingerlings migrating to the ocean. Where Colorado has walleye they have to stock trout larger than most of the walleye can eat (higher cost production per trout). Also if you study the biology of splake ( a hybrid between mackinaw trout and brook trout) they are sterile and can't reproduce, that's why they were planted with little concern in Ririe Reservoir. Fish and Game has only planted Walleye in closed river systems in Idaho viz. Mud Lake and Oakly Res. Oneida Narrows by Preston flows into a system in Utah that already has Walleye and Salmon Falls Reservoir is not capable of delivering walleye to the Snake River. Concerning the Missouri River, walleye are native to the system including the Mississipi and Ohio Rivers. Discuss these concepts with Fish and Game and study the facts more. Walleye and very sensitive fish such as trout do coexist together but in systems usually where one or both can't reproduce well making the issue much less of a concern. However, the South Fork and Salmon Rivers have the potential to be very good spawning grounds for walleye, oh and I missed mentioning the Henry's Fork too. The walleye will run clear to the top of a river system to spawn unless blocked by a dam. This will be a blessing to a small extent but not a solution. Yellowstone trout could be further imperiled and Federal (Endangered Species Act) regs laid on our fishing holes with possible drastic effects. Ouch![frown]
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#16
[Smile] Thanks for your thoughts Curt69! I wish that Ririe could be poisoned out to eradicate the walleye. Technically it could-the problem is the local natives in South America make more money picking coca leaves for illegal cocaine production than getting paid for digging derris root which rotenone is made from. Pure economics. Because of this rotenone used to poison out lakes etc., is in tight supply and quite costly to buy and use. Fish and Game is already crying the blues about money problems. Also because Ririe is so deep (around 230 to 245 feet deep near dam) it would be difficult to get the poison down deep enough to get a thorough kill and requires prohibitively more rotenone than the department could afford. They already have to save two or three years for much smaller pojects as it is. Personally I think this act of bucket biology is equivalent to sabatage of our world class fisheries by someone selfish and not too bright.

DeeCee
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#17
I might be wrong but , I don't think Ririe is that Deep . The deepest I have seen on my fish finder is 110 to 120 . Maybe we can use some of Oboma's stimulation money and hire some of us to fish 8 to 10 hours a day until we have caught every fish in the lake . Curt G.
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#18
I wanna play [Wink]
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#19
Me to . As I said before if they have spawned which appears to be the case, the horse is out of the barn. So we can live with it and enjoy catching and eating a fish ten times better the the down syndrome cutts[fishin]


[fishin][fishin][fishin]
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#20
Me three!
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