Fisheries Managers Share Walleye Tactics

Fisheries managers in other states, citing their own experiences with trout versus walleyes, are painting a gloomy picture for the future of trout in Montana’s Canyon Ferry Reservoir near Helena.

Both the fish manager for the region around Lake Roosevelt in Washington and the supervisor of the North Platte river-reservoir system in Wyoming said walleye have unquestionably affected the trout population in their reservoirs.

The two spoke at a recent public forum sponsored by the Canyon Ferry, Hauser and Holter Fisheries Work Group.

Al Conder, fisheries manager for Wyoming’s North Platte system, said walleye were introduced into Wyoming’s Glendo reservoir to control yellow perch.

“We found walleye were eating both perch and trout, and the trout couldn’t compete with both walleye and perch,” he said. The water now has “lost the trout,” and Glendo now is managed as a walleye and perch fishery.

Lake Roosevelt might have fallen into the same pattern of walleye eventually overtaking trout, except for a group of volunteers who began rearing trout in net pens in the lake.

“We’ve had such great success with net pens in Lake Roosevelt,” said Ray Duff, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department regional fisheries manager in Spokane. “We’ve been able to successfully manage around walleye predation with the net pens. It’s allowed us to maintain a trout fishery we probably couldn’t have maintained otherwise.”

Duff warned it was an expensive project, although not as expensive as trying to raise trout to that size in a traditional hatchery.

Their comments came as the task force gathers material for the Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to use in drafting a 10-year management plan for Canyon Ferry, Hauser and Holter reservoirs.

The department contends walleyes were illegally introduced in Canyon Ferry and has used some aggressive practices, including gill netting walleye, to try to thin their populations.

In recent months, however, walleye opponents and enthusiasts have backed away from the fight about how walleye got into the water. They now are concentrating on how to manage what’s there.

Idaho commission meets

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will meet at the Salmon-Challis National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Salmon on Oct.1 to consider options for license fee increases.

A public hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30, at the Fire Warehouse Conference Room at the Bureau of Land Management office in Salmon.

The state Fish and Game needs to raise about $6.5 million to maintain services at roughly current levels.

To shed light on the issue, regional officials are making the agency’s financial records available to the public during an open house Monday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. at the Fish and Game office at 2750 Kathleen Ave. in Coeur d’Alene.

“Where the money comes from and where it goes is the theme of the day,” said Pat Cudmore, department information chief.

Other commission agenda items include consideration of a third elk tag type for the Middle Fork and Selway zones; elk population goals, rules for commercial wildlife facilities, and proposals for 1999 non-resident deer and elk tag quotas an outfitter set-asides.