Willard walleye snagging at the south inlet

[Flounder70]

So I heard a report today on Utah Anglers on Facebook of walleye being snagged at the south inlet. Apparently, there was 20 or so people there with buckets full of fish. Thoughts on this? Also, I dont understand why the inlet is open to fishing in March..
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[wiperhunter2]

They opened the inlet to fishing several years ago, so it happens every year now. The DWR should have their guys there checking on that problem but they never catch them all. If you or anyone else see anyone snagging the eyes, please call the DWR hotline and report it. They should always have someone there during the spawn but the more people complain, the more DWR officers you see there.
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[Flounder70]

If I see anyone poaching there, I can guarantee the DWR will be getting called. There are some things that really push my buttons and that is one of them.
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[MR.PIKE]

Funny. There are a few folks that post this same story every spring. If the DWR cared at all they would be out there in force to stop it. Until then grab a bucket and a pole and catch some tasty walleye! Don't forget to cut out the cheek meat, it's so good.
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[beechin]

Fished Willard, Tuesday morning and didn't see anyone fishing the channel. The water entering the channel was very low. Left the South marina at 11:30 and still no one was fishing the channel. Unsure how accurate the report of folks taking buckets of eye's is.
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[FishSlayerJT]

I saw dnr in the inlet electro shocking fish the other day when i was there. Didnt feel like stopping to talk but i would guess they are trying to save some from snagging and do there studies or maybe even spawn some to restock. There were also many cars parked at the inlet. I dont really care what they taste like, i fish to fish, not to eat. If you really feel you need to snag fish to eat and feed your family then go ahead but other than that there really is no excuse. But im assuming there is some logical reasoning to opening the inlet. Let me guess, kill all the walleye to save the shad. HA!
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[PACKFAN]

According to the DNR it will make the Bay healthier and a better fishery.[:/][mad][:/][mad][:/][mad][:/][mad]
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[WiperMac]

[quote beechin] Unsure how accurate the report of folks taking buckets of eye's is.[/quote]


Whether you believe it or not this behavior can and does happen. I’ve seen it firsthand. Thankfully then I saw it I was able to tip off an officer and the guy was cited for it. Instead of citing him I wish the officer would have let me give the guy the same treatment he gave the fish. You know, make the guy lay bare skinned on the rocks and let me rip a 4” weighted crocodile spoon a crossed his hide and guts. “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth”. Right?

The thing is that it’s nearly imposable most the time to catch them. They have spotters out on the roads looking for law enforcement trucks; they have runners to keep position limits in check etc, etc. It’s a fine tuned operation that fills freezers every single year... sickening.
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[PACKFAN]

Open It up to fishing the inlet during daylight hours only during the walleye spawn, anyone caught fishing after dark gets a fine. I'm sure that would cut down on some of the illegal snagging. [crazy][crazy][crazy][crazy] Probably makes too much sense.
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[DKStroutfitter]

I fished the inlet several time last spring.
I did see a few fish that were snagged. The other anglers demanded that the fish be released or the DWR would be called.
Reluctantly, the fish were released.

I have seen the DWR there watching anglers. The DWR was there in uniform and also at times in plain cloths.
Thy are trying to keep things under control.

As far as night time fishing goes, I have no first hand knowledge but a buddy of mine has been there this year and has not seen a problem.
If he did, he would call the DWR and report it.
The DWR knows him by name.
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[gmwahl]

I fished the inlet thrice during the last two years. One of the times I caught several and the other two times I caught none. The thing that ticked me off the most when I was there was not the others catching fish or keeping them (unless they were snagging and keeping them), but it was the boisterous, pot bellied, loud, filthy mouthed SOB that would take it upon himself to holler out to every fisherman that had one on to release it if he thought it were snagged! Most of the time that someone snagged one they would let it go because they had no intention of keeping a snagged fish ,myself included (it bothers me as much as the next guy to see snaggers and I only accidentally snagged one), but for this jackass to make the experience miserable to those fishing there was inexcusable. After all, he was there fishing too so, according to some on the forum, his scruples weren't too high (assuming he was one of those against fishing the spawn). I see no difference between fishing the dikes or the inlet during the spawn. The limit is the same either way and you are entitled to keep a limit because the fishery can support it. If anyone is against fishing during the spawn then don't fish it. Its the snaggers we need to watch out for and turn them in when we see it being done, but I'm sure its no more of a problem than people keeping too many fish during the rest if the year, only we just don't get to see that happening as much.
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[DKStroutfitter]

I think I know who the guy is that you are talking about.
He wants the inlet shut down and has made it a personal crue to get it done.

Ain't going to happen though.
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[bassrods]

YEP they said the same thing about Jordanelle..
And as we all can see how good the fishing is their now..[crazy]
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[CoyoteSpinner]

From reports I've heard and read here and elsewhere, the studies show that the fish that spawn in the inlet are not the ones that are recruiting successfully for the lake. Reason being - any eggs laid get covered with silt from the heavy outflow during spring. So their biological ticks might tell them to go up stream, but their being deceived, and it's the many other Walleye that do it on the rocky shores that make it happen for the lake.

From all I've seen and heard, the Walleye population at Willard has been doing well over the past few years. A lot of the mid-teen agers being found. They did a big fingerling planting a couple of years ago.

Now I don't condone illegal fishing practices by any means. And I agree the bucket-fillers are a problem. But it is not because the inlet it open, and even at that, it is not going to decimate the Walleye population in the lake.

What I personally would LOVE to see is more planted in the Bear/Cutler region. I think most of what are found there trickled down from Idaho plantings up stream. And natural recruitment.

I do agree that some jackass out there yelling at everybody probably deserves a good 1oz weight plopping across his knoggen. There's ways of filing a protest, but that ain't it!