Hey Welder, are you going through Willow Lake Fish Hatchery? If not, give them a look. They are just a couple miles from Hastings and will be very helpful. I have dealt with them in the past, and will again when the time comes. Oh by the way, they do sell walleye along with the standard LMB, CC, BG, etc...
Given that this is Nebraska, I'm guessing that you have Gizzard Shad rather than Threadfin. GShad can occupy a lot of biomass without adding angling value, and their large adult sizes mean that they're difficult to control even with LMB.
Maybe you should consider suggesting a stocking of Musky or Tiger Musky? I know that the Illinois DNR uses Musky to control Gizzard Shad. 63 acres probably won't maintain a reproducing Musky population, but it would not require a lot of money to stock either. Just a thought.
I'm in Lincoln NE and just read your thread. Many lakes in NE are have a strong population of Gizzard Shad - Threadins find our winters too extreme, so what you are looking at is GS.
You have feedback from Eric West and Bill Cody and I recommend you take their expert advice to heart!
I understand your interest in WE but I feel you're rolling the dice thinking you have enough suitable spawning structure for them to maintain a population through reproduction. I fear it would be an expensive and disappointing experience.
As Bill and Eric suggest you should consider improving LMB spawning structure with PVC, tires, etc in the correct depths and stocking them would be your best bet for BG and GS control. They are readily available, cheap, and free in many scenarios and will reproduce and sustain their population.
I have a couple other suggestions for you off the radar a tad:
Wipers will hammer YOY GS and would add an exciting, tackle busting element to your fishery. They do well in NE extremes, are affordable and my favorite freshwater fish in terms of fighting ability. If you have LMB present in this BOW I would suggest growing out your fingerlilngs to at least 6, but preferrably 8"+ so they aren't an expensive snack for your LMB.
Blue Cats love shad - take them dead or alive and will actually hammer them on the surface like a Wiper [see this month's In Fisherman article]. BC are also easy to locate and are affordable. They are eating machines, but they would focus primarily on your GS and this would be accomplishing one of your goals [GS mangagement]. Within 5 years you could have fish up to 30lbs - and I'll bet your BOW could grow them in excess of 50.
If you ever want to chat or are in Lincoln feel free to PM or email me - we're not too far apart.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
Walleye will spawn on rocky substrate when in a pinch. Our Nebraska reservoirs prove that every year when walleye move up to the dams to spawn in the spring and pull off major spawns. The wave action against the rocks keeps the water oxygenated enough and stirred up enough to keep the walleye eggs viable. Is that ideal spawning habitat? No. However, it is good enough, along with some stocking of fry, to sustain fishable populations in our state's reservoirs. In a lake such as Lake Hastings, you will need to continue stocking walleye to maintain fishable populations over time especially if there are large mouth bass and other predators in the lake. The fusiform shape of walleye make them easy to slurp up as prey when they are younger. They will do much better in large reservoirs than they will do in small ponds and lakes where predators more suited to those habitats are already established.
Even in NE reservoirs with good WE populations many of those STILL receive annual supplemental stockings to keep populations stable. If you had a smaller BOW and had limited number of anglers, I can see stocking WE and every few years supplementally stocking to serve as a put and take fishery. I just don't see this working in your scenario unless you have the fiscal means to stock periodically. Public lake also scares me - limited control over harvest.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
Remember with walleye it isn't just finding a suitable spawning location. Their fry are highly vulnerable to predation and lack of zooplankton. So even if they did successfully spawn and the eggs survived long enough to hatch. You then have to hope there is enough zooplankton for them to feed on and that predators don't eat all the young fry. Same goes for their eggs, which are very vulnerable to predation as well, especially in marginal spawning areas.
Walleye (WE) will also spawn and eggs hatch on windswept, rocky, cobble shorelines with water that has low turbidity. Low turbdity is important. Then conditions have to be good for adequate zooplankton and low predation of fry and fingerlings as mentioned by CJBS. The substrate in the pictures above is marginally acceptable for size. IMO the material is a little on the small side and not nearly expansive enough. Often 100's of feet are needed at a minimum to get enough egg accumulations to result in a minimal amount of egg survival and hatch. Then good or moderate wave action has to occur reguarly while not causing shallow water turbidity. At hatcheries WE eggs are hatched in bell jars where the eggs are continuously 'rolled' or tumbled whichgives some idea of what it needed to get the eggs to even hatch. This assumes the eggs don't develop fungus first. In my experience and readings, don't count or depend on any natural walleye recruitment in all but the exceptional conditions. If the fishery departments of many states with walleye fisheries can't get 'it done' on large bodies of waters they manage with lots of resources, how can the average pond owner expect to accomplish natural WE recruitment? Walleye are definately a 'finicky' or difficult fish to get natural recruitment. WE will readily spawn in many waters where they occur. The big problem is egg survival, successful hatch, and survival of fingerlings.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/14/1106:21 PM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
The earlier pictures are of the dam. It is approximately 2 blocks long and the red brick goes from top to bottom. These pictures are of the shoreline around 80% of the lake. Large concrete pieces line the shore and extend down into the water with the exception of some lakefront homes that have seawalls and the swimming area which is sand. The dam and 60% of the lake receive little or no fishing pressure. I don't know of any LMB in the lake at this time. Hope these pictures help you understand better. And special "Thanks" to ewest for all his help.