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#498567 11/09/18 07:47 PM
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Bill D. Offline OP
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I just finished an awesome walleye dinner and it prompted me to make this post.......I have walleye in my little puddle and have been enjoying feasting on arguably the best tasting fresh water fish there is. Yes, they do not typically reproduce in ponds. I consider that a pro in my pond as I can control their numbers. In my area, advanced size walleye are available to ladder stock to avoid predation of LMB. Another pro IMO is they have a smaller mouth gap and tend to target fusiform shaped fish like YOY LMB and YP which helps with potential over population of those species while not being significant competition for the LMB.

My question is why would somebody with a BOW suitable for walleye and with availability not stock them in appropriate numbers? Maybe one of the most under utilized stocking options?

Last edited by Bill D.; 11/09/18 08:27 PM. Reason: clarification

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In my opinion the only two reasons not to stock them would be the cost and having to use a leader when you fish. The average pond owner may not be comfortable paying for a fish about twice the price as a LMB and have that fish not reproduce for them. I realize walleye are expensive to buy in the store or at a restaurant, but that could be one explanation. Also pond owners may not want to have to use a leader everytime they fish in fear of having a big walleye get on their line and cut it. Since leaders do limit a lures action.

I personally love fishing for and eating walleye. My only question is I like to swim in my pond and though I highly doubt they would bite me, my friends and family may be afraid to swim with walleye in the pond.


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They (WE) can be considered pricey, I suppose - compared to CC. I just yesterday bought 50 WE for $3.00 each which is my 2nd year of my ladder stock program. I keep the WE in a separate pond from LMB so no issue with predation. Nearly everything in the WE/SMB pond are pisciform small gapped fish - WE, CC, YP, SMB, HBG and RBT. Man that was a tough combo choice. IMHO a few hundred dollars a year to keep me in WE for the years to come is no big deal. My local restaurant charges $23 for one 1/2 a small, small, small WE fillet. So far all is going quite well, stock is healthy and I do not and never have used leaders. I DO use hemostats to remove hooks and lures. My pond WE seem to fight every bit as good or better than the WE in Lake Erie which is where I am very near here in NE Ohio. BTW, for comparison SMB just cost me $4.00 to $6.00 each which is a good bit more money than WE. These are delivered prices which I think are fair for quality stock. I've never heard anyone getting bit in these parts by anything by certain breeds of gills.


NE Ohio, 2 ponds @ 1.3 @ 16' & .5 ac.@ 6'. Aeration x 6 bottom diffusors, 2 HVLP fountains, Honey Hole habitat x 35 pcs, FHM, SMB, WE, RBT, YP, BG, HBG, CC (in newer WE/SMB pond only) 2nd 1/2 ac pond LMB, CC, RSF, SMB, BCP, CBG, HBG, FHM.
dhadam #498576 11/09/18 11:06 PM
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I didn't use leaders when WE fishing in Lake Erie and almost never had any issue. Not my favorite fighting fish, but delicious!


7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160




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Where I live there are very few hatcheries that raise WE and more of a demand than a supply so therefore the ones I've seen for sale are pretty pricey. Three dollars a piece seems very reasonable priced for WE I'd pay that for some. Also a leader probably isn't necessary, we just have always used them when we go fishing in Lake of the Woods in Ontario. We mainly did so because we were catching a lot of northerns when we were WE fishing and got tired of getting our line cut or nicked.

Last edited by Heath Lawrence; 11/09/18 11:23 PM.

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Yep, pike definitely require wire leader.

When we lived on the shore of Lake Champlain, my dad would sometimes take my younger brother & me on a pike trip. Dad says we called it "Northern Pipe."

Last edited by anthropic; 11/10/18 12:59 AM.

7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160




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Originally Posted By: Heath Lawrence
Where I live there are very few hatcheries that raise WE and more of a demand than a supply so therefore the ones I've seen for sale are pretty pricey. Three dollars a piece seems very reasonable priced for WE I'd pay that for some. Also a leader probably isn't necessary, we just have always used them when we go fishing in Lake of the Woods in Ontario. We mainly did so because we were catching a lot of northerns when we were WE fishing and got tired of getting our line cut or nicked.

Mark at Harbin fish farms 2:40 west of ya handles walleye. Most professional service/sales I know of in that area.

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Alright I like this conversation. I been talking about doing this for a long time. Still wanting to split a order of Walleye.

Last edited by john kelsey; 11/10/18 05:53 AM.
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Originally Posted By: anthropic
I didn't use leaders when WE fishing in Lake Erie and almost never had any issue. Not my favorite fighting fish, but delicious!


Fully agree they are just like reeling in a log, but very tasty.

I think why most walleye are not stocked is I don't think they take to pellets very well. I guess in enough numbers and small enough puddle they would have to.


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I heard Burbot is the best? Walleye hard to beat. We are looking to buy 1000 fry for about $30. Only draw back is we will have to stock in pond with only fathead minnows so other fish won't munch on them as they enjoy them also.

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I don't use a leader when fishing for walleye either. Definitely not the cheapest fish to stock here either but I just think they are an awesome addition as a bonus catch; even if only stocked at 20/acre or so. Here is what I can buy them for at a local dealer.

3-5” 25 ea $ 1.75
5-7” 10 ea. $ 3.30
6-8” 10 ea. $ 5.40
7-9” 10 ea. $ 6.90

I will be stocking some more at 7 to 9 this spring. I'm going with the more advanced size in an effort to keep them from being expensive LMB snacks.


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what kind of DO requirements do walleye have?


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Originally Posted By: wbuffetjr
what kind of DO requirements do walleye have?


From:

https://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wdb/pub/hsi/hsi-056.pdf

HABITAT SUITABILITY INFORMATION:
WALLEYE

Adult walleye can tolerate dissolved oxygen (DO) levels of 2 mg/l for a short time (Scherer 1971), but the greatest abundance of walleye occurs where minimum DO levels are greater than 3 to 5 mg/l (Dendy 1948). DO levels of < 1 mg/l are lethal (Scherer 1971).

Last edited by Bill D.; 11/10/18 02:39 PM. Reason: Typo

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Just in case this thread has started some of you folks thinking about stocking walleyes smile

I ran across this YouTube video that shows pretty much how I go about cleaning one for the table. The real key to making this easy IMO is using the zipper!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrLfEyxmd7c


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And all this discussion about walleye prompted me to try walleye last night when enjoying a rare opportunity to go to a restaurant that serves it. It was spectacular! Really thinking about them as a preferred predator in my pond!

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Originally Posted By: canyoncreek
And all this discussion about walleye prompted me to try walleye last night when enjoying a rare opportunity to go to a restaurant that serves it. It was spectacular! Really thinking about them as a preferred predator in my pond!



CC,

I don't think you will regret it!

What type of forage do you have for them in your pond?


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Still trying to build forage. I had hoped for LCS but so far no sign of a successful spawn. I have stocked FHM multiple times but they are eaten before they spawn due to lack of cover

I have boat loads of GSH and have started to see my first few spawns of SFS this summer/fall. The crevice spawning devices have clouds of minnows around them.

I have young RES but I did not see spawning circles this year, saw them last year. I hope the adults are OK as I can't catch them.

I have some LES adults that I have caught but not many

I have adult YP but have been removing perch egg ribbons to try to keep a lid on how many young YP I have.

If I put WE in this year then I would probably leave the YP ribbons in place. If WE eat GSH then I have the fattest happiest pellet slurping GSH anywhere around.

Oh, and there is always a crop of goldfish young. I have the adult population down to about 40-50 and the kids have fun catching them, harvesting about 10-12 every time they go. I imagine one season of a predator (especially if we do SMB or LMB) and the GF will be gone.

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Sounds like a feast made in heaven for WE! Well done!


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Honestly this thread has made me think about throwing a few in at our place. I really like the fact they are not as DO sensitive as trout.


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Wbuffet your lake should have SCADS of food for the WE. What would be cool would be if you stocked both YP and WE. The YP are a cold water fish and would produce thousands of small missile shaped fish for the WE to eat. YP also taste very good (as do WE) and for your kids the YP are very easy and fun to catch if the WE or trout prove harder to catch from shore.

I bet the YP would clean up on the crayfish, scuds and maybe the leaches.

I know leaches are a very popular WE bait as well.

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I've been busy and got behind on reading my last issue of Pond Boss Magazine. I was catching up today and found a timely article for this discussion. Mr. Lusk authored,"Walleye, The Other White Meat." Good read and some good basic info on pond requirements for WE.


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I am not interested in having anything that would reproduce besides Brook Trout. They are still my ultimate goal. WE sound perfect because they shouldn't reproduce, get big and are delicious!!


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wb jr - if you add walleye to your mountain pond expect them to grow more slowly than other pond owners are seeing for walleye growth because abundant small fish will not be available as I recall about your pond. If you have FHM in the pond then walleye and trout would grow faster. In your cool clean water conditions with some rocky shoreline areas you could see some limited walleye egg hatching success.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 11/16/18 10:00 AM.

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Bill - I have a TON of FHM in the pond. FHM have been in there for a decade so extremely established. Also have crayfish. There are some rocky shorelines, but I would hope the WE did NOT reproduce. I am going to consider possibly adding 20-30 of them just for fun.


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Rock substrate in 2-4' of water is good walleye spawning habitat but the element missing in "most" small ponds is wind/wave/current that is required to keep embryos from suffocating. I'm involved in walleye egg take in KS and we literally have to keep current flowing on water hardened eggs after removing the adhesive membrane or we can lose 5-10% before ever loading to go to hatchery. It takes a fairly good, consistent wind quartering into the rocky shore substrate or flow on a constant basis to have any hatch of any number. I would venture to guess your reproduction would be zero in most cases. It also requires a certain number of mature males (usually more than 1 or 2) releasing the hormone that triggers the female to actually release her eggs.
Edit: I do have some data on altitude and success rates, which may or may not apply, depending on the variables listed above. What is your pond elevation??

Last edited by Snipe; 11/16/18 08:21 PM.
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