Time May Be Right To Cut Walleye Limits

If you’ve fished a lot, you likely want to catch big fish. None of those 8- to 10-inchers that seem to be in the most popular lakes and streams. Just the lunkers that break your lines.

But you probably realize that the only places where you can catch big fish are at lakes and streams where limits are small, bait is banned and barbless hooks are required.

Both Washington and Idaho have lots of those waters. The best fly fishing lake in Washington is Chopaka, where the limit is one trout a day. The most productive trout stream in North Idaho is the St. Joe River, where the limit below Prospector Creek is one cutthroat a day and where all trout hooked above Prospector must be released.

So why are many fishermen opposed to angling restrictions at lakes and streams capable of producing big fish?

Consider Sprague Lake. For the first time since the lake was planted with walleyes, the long, shallow lake is yielding large numbers of walleyes that are 18- to 24-inches long. The limit is five a day and 10 in possession.

The word’s out that an experienced walleye fisherman now can easily catch 10 walleyes more than 18 inches long during a two-day fishing trip. As a result, many anglers are taking advantage of the generous limit by taking their non-fishing wives and children with them. In effect, they’re not limited to 10 during a two-day trip.

Even Mike Mielke, co-owner of the Sprague Lake Resort, is concerned about the numbers of keeper-sized walleyes leaving the lake in coolers. It’s about time, he contends, for the Fish and Wildlife Department to consider reducing the limit before most of the 18-inch-plus walleyes are gone.

He mentioned a limit of three a day. Three walleyes more than 18 inches long provide more meat for the table than a five-fish limit of 10- to 12-inch trout. That kind of limit would be appropriate for Moses, Long and Soda lakes and the Potholes reservoir.

Walleyes are among the most predacious of the fish in Washington waters. They’re so competitive that the big ones race the small ones to the minnows and to lures.

Consider what happened at Lake Roosevelt. When anglers became aware that the lake had large numbers of walleyes about 35 years ago, they filled their boats with walleyes up to 15 pounds. That’s right, some literally filled their boats with walleyes. There was no limit.

The population of big walleyes dropped steadily the next few years. Finally, concerned anglers convinced the department to designate the walleye as a game fish. It was too late. Fishermen had cut drastically into the population of big walleyes. Now there’s a slot limit, designed to rebuild the population.

Washington’s bass, under almost unbelievable fishing pressure as the result of the increase in bass tournaments over the years, probably need as much protection as the Idaho Fish and Game Department gives the species.

The statewide limits for both states are five a day. But Idaho’s daily limit is also the possession limit and Idaho requires anglers to release bass under 12 inches. Washington’s possession limit is two daily limits. The limit can include no more than three over 15 inches.

Idaho manages several North Idaho lakes to produce some trophy bass. The state soon will decide whether to add more lakes to the list. The limit at specially managed lakes is two a day, but bass 12 and 16 inches must be released.

Many anglers aren’t willing to make the sacrifice necessary to create better bass fishing in Idaho, Panhandle regional fisheries manager Ned Horner said in a press release last week. They shot down a proposal to consider quality bass management for Lake Coeur d’Alene and the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River. Harvest oriented anglers, he said, think the 12-inch minimum is already too restrictive.

Horner noted that typical Idaho bass take five to seven years to reach the legal harvest size of 12 inches. In Florida, California and Texas, a 12-inch bass is only about two years old.

Washington’s bass probably grow about as fast as Idaho’s. Yet Washington’s regulations aren’t as restrictive. With fishing pressure heavier in Washington, it’s no wonder that a five-pound-plus bass is becoming a rarity.

Fortunately, most Washington bass clubs encourage their members to release big bass. The more enlightened anglers do so. But it may become necessary to cut the limits, particularly at lakes capable of producing trophy fish.

Trout fishermen have been more supportive of stringent regulations than those who fish for the spiny rayed species. They know the biggest trout are in the selective fishery and fly fishing-only lakes. Eventually, there’ll be enough spiny rayed fishermen who are willing to make sacrifices so they can catch big bass and walleyes.

, DataTimes MEMO: You can contact Fenton Roskelley by voice mail at 459-5577, extension 3814.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Fenton Roskelley The Spokesman-Review