Keeping Female Walleyes

[Sum1]

I usually just club them over the head regardless of size and throw them back in the water. That way just in case there were someone down stream from me fishing that wants to keep them they can have them.

 

[deleted member]

I aint got a measurement for my personal slot. Changes depending on the mood of the day. Its generally in that 20 to 22 inch range. But, if its too big, i know it when i see it at that moment. Not even sure why actually. Just a warm fuzzy i get from putting a big fish back. Sometimes i even do it with the first fish regardless of the size. Couldnt care less what someone else does though.

 

[love2hunt]

I'm not a good fisherman so i'll keep and clean any walleye over 14". Hell, if I had 5 ten pounders I'd keep then all and eat them all. I can't tell a taste difference and to me it's more food so win win for me. Keep what you want, this conversation comes up only every year and it's always the same conversation. Also since it'll come up in the fall, I go for a nice buck until October, a average buck from October to mid November and after that I'll kill a doe or a small little fork buck. My tag my rules... and again, they all taste the same. Good day, I'm out.

 

[BigVix]

All game and fish people I have spoken with. No water system in North Dakota is not large enough to support natural reproduction. The ones that spawn and young survive are so minuscule it does not impact the fishery at all.

 

[Kurtr]

Devils lake and sak are not big enough?

 

[BigVix]

Devils lake and sak are not big enough?

Like I said... NO according to game and fish. They dont support "Natural Spawning Habitat"

- - - Updated - - -

I stand corrected...

The Missouri River/Lake Oahe is one water body in North Dakota that has a walleye population fully supported by natural reproduction. Since this valuable fishery developed in the 1970s, strong year-classes of naturally reproduced walleye have occurred at regular 4-6 year intervals (1978, 1982, 1986, 1995, 2001, and 2009, for example). Due to drought conditions, there was little water in Lake Oahe between 1989-93 and 2002-07.
In nearly all North Dakota water bodies, periodic stocking is needed to maintain walleye populations, as natural reproduction is generally not sufficient. What typically limits natural reproduction is the lack of good walleye spawning substrate, high salinity levels in many lakes, and water level fluctuations usually caused by strong winds during the egg incubation period.

 

[Kurtr]

Sak is the same as Oahe and with the influx of water devils has great reproduction that's just what the fisheries guys I talk to say

 

[AR-15]

Ban all Jerks, Jocks and Assholes at the cleaning stations, keep what you want, but eat what you keep

 

[Wildyote]

Catch and release is not all it is cracked up to be. There is delayed mortality in many fish that are caught and released. The causes can be keeping out of the water too long, gill damage, and air bladder failure from deep water fish. So the guy that keeps the first 5 walleyes he catches and goes home or fishes for something else that day kills less than the holy catch and release dude that doesn't keep any. I always enjoy hearing guys that fish all these tourneys tell other fisherman to catch and release fish over 20 in. what hypocrites. Don't cast stones on others whether the fish they caught are too small or too big to clean.

 

[deleted_account]

Enslow is gonna have an aneurysm if he reads this

 

[guywhofishes]

Catch and release is not all it is cracked up to be. There is delayed mortality in many fish that are caught and released. The causes can be keeping out of the water too long, gill damage, and air bladder failure from deep water fish. So the guy that keeps the first 5 walleyes he catches and goes home or fishes for something else that day kills less than the holy catch and release dude that doesn't keep any. I always enjoy hearing guys that fish all these tourneys tell other fisherman to catch and release fish over 20 in. what hypocrites. Don't cast stones on others whether the fish they caught are too small or too big to clean.

^^^^THAT^^^^^

 

[Chas'n Tail]

I personally like to keep everything over 20, slit all the throats and then just walk to the cleaning station and throw them in the grinder whole while people watch. then go back to my huge ranch and gut shoot a bunch of basket rack bucks and track them for 50 feet and not fill my gratis tag i get every year.

 

[Fishmission]

Excellent

 

[JayKay]

I got no dog in this fight. I couldn't catch a fish this spring, if you tossed it at me.

 

[Kurtr]

hahah me to if i kept all the big fish i caught it would be exactly zero..... i am catching fish this year like Byron Buxton is getting hits for the twins

 

[Twitch]

hahah me to if i kept all the big fish i caught it would be exactly zero..... i am catching fish this year like Byron Buxton is getting hits for the twins

If you'd catch big fish like he strikes out we might need a slot limit

 

[eseamands]

Keeping a fish that is "too big" or "too small" is just a relative and subjective issue. I'm sure like most people, it changes based on water system, personal moods, how hot the bite is, who is all with them, how hungry they are, how many beers they've had, etc. etc. etc.

I was living and going to school in the Twin Cities and went to a small local park pond where there were bass, northerns and panfish. An older Asian guy came up and asked for every little, tiny fish that I caught. I declined and put every one back and he got quite unsettled by my personal thoughts that a 3" bluegill is not going to taste very good.

 

[fly2cast]

How many posts have been made by this subject over the years? I'm guessing that if you are on this site, you probably are pretty up-to-date on issues regarding the outdoors. So why is it that year after year that the Game and Fish explain the policy of no slot limits that so many of you have problems with it? Either you don't believe their data or you think you know better.

I've heard them explain so many times why it's okay to keep the fish you catch. They back up their rules with data. They aren't complete morons there.

Every year a bunch of nice fish are caught and kept by anglers and every spring people complain how the fisheries would be so much better if everybody released the nice fish. What is your goal by releasing fish - having even more fish in the system? You don't catch enough? Having bigger fish in the system? Why? You won't keep them anyway because they are too big.

Really, if you want to catch big fish, go carp fishing. Maybe you won't feel so guilty then.

 

[Rowdie]

How many posts have been made by this subject over the years? I'm guessing that if you are on this site, you probably are pretty up-to-date on issues regarding the outdoors. So why is it that year after year that the Game and Fish explain the policy of no slot limits that so many of you have problems with it? Either you don't believe their data or you think you know better.

I've heard them explain so many times why it's okay to keep the fish you catch. They back up their rules with data. They aren't complete morons there.

Every year a bunch of nice fish are caught and kept by anglers and every spring people complain how the fisheries would be so much better if everybody released the nice fish. What is your goal by releasing fish - having even more fish in the system? You don't catch enough? Having bigger fish in the system? Why? You won't keep them anyway because they are too big.

Really, if you want to catch big fish, go carp fishing. Maybe you won't feel so guilty then.

Its just plain old stubbornness! Thus the reason I wanted UND to be renamed the Stubborn Krauts.

I really think people believe they are having an impact on these huge waterways. Even though the evidence is that fish is rarely ever caught again, and it will only get so big.

 

[johnr]

I think we should ban fishing, someone might be offended by it, and it is best to be safe, rather than sorry.