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Opinion on Walleye in Ririe?
#21
The ideas on this post have been great and had some truly insightful views. Like I said early on, according the the IDF&G it would appear they have spawned at one time probably in the last 2 years. If this is the case who knows what the impact will actually be. I for one plan to catch and keep as many as I can if I stumble across them. In the meantime, perhaps I can do my part and fish like a wild man to find their hidy-holes!

As for the depth in Ririe I did get a reading on my sonar while the water was rising still last spring at 185 feet between the dam and the boat ramp area out in the middle. Large areas were in the 75-140' depth.

Keep any more thoughts on this topic coming!
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#22
all i have to say is if the henrys fork or the south forks fly fishing becomes effected im gonna be one mad mother humper. and if any body ever finds out who did it the person guilty better hope the law gets to them before a few people who live there lives on those rivers do.
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#23
look at all the chubs the wallies will eat and grow like weeds.

less chubs more edible fish to catch is a plus in my book[fishin][fishin]
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#24
I wonder in the begging of this topic if you dont have the horse before the cart. Has any one caught or seen a walleye caught form Rire. Or is it hear say? I was born and raised in Ashton and have fished most of the streams. I believe from looking at these postings of your precious kokes, your planter trout and small perch and for it not being a fertile lake maybe we have a over population probelm and a worthy preditor fish like an eye is just what you need. If you could catch a walleye and eat it then you would throw rocks at trout. And who ever reported catching a walleye out of Rire I wonder if they know the difference between a walleye and a northern pike minnow. Talking to the regional fish bioligist most reports of a walleye being caught in the Snake river or any other tributaries is not a walleye but a northern pike minnow. AKA: Squaw fish.
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#25
I would agree with the question of many people being able to tell a squawfish from a walleye from a crappie around this local area. However most fisherman that fish frequently (most the people on this board) and the fish and game can probably do very well on a mix/match test of fish pics with the names that go with them. The Fish and game have caught walleye in Ririe and have had some reportedly brought in to them. I would say it doesn't get much more definitive than that that they are in there.
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#26
i agree with the point that if you catch a walleye and eat it you would throw rocks at the trout but the concern is that they will get into the snake and effect the cutts. but i would love to have more streams that i could catch some walleye but the conciquences could be deadly for the cutts, and i thought idaho had gone to a native first policy.
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#27
A fish that is good to eat, populates on it's very own, (without the Fish and Game paying to raise and plant them), is great sport, keeps the chub population under control, sounds like a winner!
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#28
[Image: sleeping.gif]yes F&GG hve caught them in their gill nets and that is how the news got around. Also several others have caaught wallies and taken them in

When F&G put's note out if you catch one call so they can put a tranmitter on it to track, I would quess they new what they were talking about

So before you blast evey one maybe you shouuld check into things.

[fishin][fishin]
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#29
The Fish & Game have pulled up the walleye in their test nets. They certainly know what a walleye is.

Windriver
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#30
[blush] My apologies. Curt69 is right! I overstated the depth of Ririe Reservoir by about a hundred feet. BIG error on my part. [crazy] I checked my fishing notes and the deepest sonar sounding I found was straight out west of the Juniper landing from the point on the east side, it was 166 feet deep from high water mark. My sincere apologies. Just goes to show you guys are paying attention and know what your talking about--most of the time.[laugh][laugh][laugh][Wink]

DeeCee
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#31
I wasn't intending to "blast" anyone. Just pointing out the facts as I have been informed. I've just never been real good about tact on a lot of things[blush]. So, if I offended you or anyone else I apologize. I have been truly enjoying this very well thought out and informative discussion so I hope it continues.
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#32
No afence to any one on the form
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#33

I'm going to be one of the few who thinks walleye will be a good thing for Ririe fishermen. I've enjoyed catching walleye in other lakes and I'm sure I will target walleye at Ririe sometime in the future. However, I never agree with bucket biology. The guy that dumped walleye in there should get a large fine and loose his fishing rights for life.

At this point I think we are stuck with walleye in Ririe. Even if the F&G were able to get Ririe drained and then dump rotenone in it, some walleye would survive. In addition when the reservoir is getting drained some walleye would end up downstream and establish a population. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe rotenone has ever be used to eradicate a species of fish from a reservoir as large as Ririe.

I think it is just a matter of time before they show up in the Snake River by Idaho Falls and in American Falls Reservoir. It may take 10 or more years for them to show up but I think the walleye would likely be a nice addition to American Falls. There is a good supply of small perch, sucker minnows, carp minnows and chubs in American Falls for walleye to gorge themselves on.

I don't think walleye will establish themselves in the South Fork or Henry's Fork unless it is done by additional bucket biology. There is a network of canals that connects Willow Creek to the South Fork but most of them only have water during the irrigation season. I also think Rainbows are a much greater threat than walleye in the South Fork. Even if walleye were planted in the Snake River I don't think they would do very well. If walleye haven't ruined the trout fishing in the Oneida Narrows then they wouldn't do much to the South Fork if/when they get into the South Fork. That is just my opinion though.

I think walleye will end up adding another species to catch at Ririe without a great impact on the other species. There probably won't ever be a large number of Walleye caught at Ririe but I think it will support a fishable population.

I just hope someone doesn't decide to dump walleye in Henry's Lake. They could provide some additional opportunity at IP Res and PaliSades but I don't think walleye belong in either lake.
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#34
Rotenone was used to kill Strawberry Res in Utah and it is several times bigger. It took them 2-3 years to get that much rotenone. This was about 18 years ago.
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#35
in may i was bass fishing in a boat at the damn in ririe on that little dog leg that comes off the damn by the overflow spillway their were three BYU students fishing their and they asked me if i knew what a walleye looked like and i said yes so they helled up what appeared to be a walleye about 12 inches long so my buddy and i had to get a closer look and sure as shoot it was a walleye. the guy had caught it on a night crawler on the bottom of the resiviore straight off the dog leg about 50 yards out and thats some pretty deep water their. as far as it being Confused with a squawfish that would be really hard to do unless your a very inexperianced fisherman in my oppinion i dont know how the rest of you guys feel about that.
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#36
[Smile] Hey BrianID. I enjoyed your thoughtful comments on walleye and agreed with several of your thoughts tho not all. But thanks for the opportunity you and I and others have to converse and share our thoughts!

To all reading thoughts about walleye in Ririe let me share a few biology facts about walleye and trout and why mixing them is dangerous for the trout fishery. A few facts:

1. Trout are rarely if ever a threat to walleye because population wise they might spawn 250 to 800 eggs in a spawn, walleye might spawn 1000 to several thousand eggs in a spawning. By sheer numbers the walleye will win.
2. Trout are soft finned creatures with little self-defence mechanisms except turn and run. They slide down predator fishes gullets with ease. Walleye, like perch, bass, crappie and bluegill have prickly dorsal fins and pectoral fins designed to stab or resist from predator fish swallowing them so easily.
3. Walleye can tolerate a wider temperature range of water while trout species die at higher temperature ranges that walleye which survive thru. This puts trout behind in feeding opportunities, spawning territories etc.
4. Walleye eyes have a specially designed lense in the eye that gathers in light in much smaller quantities and more efficiently than other fish. This gives them the advantage of stealthily sneaking up on other fish during the night and gulping their prey.
5. Walleye of most ages have larger teeth than most other species of fish giving them an added advantage in attaching and seizing their prey to consume.
6. Walleye,pike and muskellunge are like courgars, wolves and bears in the mammal world and the top predators in their environment. Bass, crappies and catfish are like eagles, hawks and mink. Not highest on the food chain but still avid predators in the fish world. These fish all evolved in a different environment totally foreign to the trout species.
7. Put an equal number of walleye and trout of fry or fingerling size in a lake that both can tolerate and watch trout totally disappear within a year or two.
8. Trout can only survive where they co-exist with walleye when trout are artificially stocked in sizes too big for most walleye to eat. Colorado uses this model for stocking the two in the same waters. If Idaho were to practice this fish stocking model your license fees will rise to cover the extra cost to raise trout to a larger size.
9. Walleye and yellow perch biologically evolved together in the upper midwest U.S. Walleye were designed to keep perch down to reasonable numbers as they multiply like rabbits (See Roberts Gravel pond if you don't believe me). Perch stop feeding after dark where they slowing settle down to the lake bottom and rest on their pectoral fins with decreased ability to see in the dark. Walleye with their superior night vision attack and consume like wolves.
10. Those of you who like perch fishing at Ririe will see a noticeable decline in the numbers of perch available to catch. Also ID. Fish and Game may have reservations about stocking kokanee fry or fingerlings into Ririe where walleye will consume them in large numbers. Good bye to kokanee fishing in Ririe.

I could tell more with cutthroat and walleye in the Soth Fork of snale and wild spawned trout being consumed and possible ESA action by Congress etc which the Idaho Fish and Game is trying to fend off for your fishing sakes etc.

I love walleye too, they are fantastically wonderful eating fish and fun to catch, just not in wild trout fishing waters.

I rest my case.

Best feelings to all, I wish life was more perfect but reality sometimes is hard to accept. Walleye are wolves and trout are like rabbits. That's why Idaho Fish Regs say NO LIMIT ON WALLEYE THROUGHOUT THE STATE except selected waters like Oneida res, Oakly res, and Little Salmon Falls res. (limit of six).

DeeCee
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#37
The easy way to tell a squawfish from a walleye is stick your thumb in its mouth and pull it out . If its bleeding real bad its a walleye if not its a squawfish . Curt G.
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#38
I agree with whole heartedly

Wallies are here to stay

However I don't aagreeon the kok's they will survive[fishin][fishin][fishin]
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#39
Boy Goosebuster I hope for all of us you're right. Many of us love to catch kokes.

DeeCee


I ice fish not because I like the cold, but beause it is the only time I can impress my wife, by walking on water.
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#40
There was a recent post on this very subject. The rotenone took quite a while to accumulate as you said. They did a pretty good job of killing everything but they didn't get them all. There are still many chubs and other fish that should have died. It was not a 100% success. I am not sure how big Ririe is but the Berry is huge. The other issue with rotenone is price. It has skyrocketed since the Berry treatment. Hopefully the eyes in there doesn't ruin your fishery. Stupid bucket biologists.[mad]
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