Digging deeper into the walleye issue in southwest Idaho
Idaho’s NAMPA We conducted an astory on walleye in Lake Lowell a few weeks ago because Idaho Fish and Game encourages fishermen to capture, kill, and retain this invasive fish.
To find out more about the issues walleye pose to our area and our fishermen, I spoke with Art Butts, the regional fishery manager for the southwest. The first factor is the absence of food sources that walleye in the Midwest usually have.
“Our concern with walleye in many waters is just the lack of forage species that we have on this side of the country,” stated Art Butts. “Walleye are veracious predators, they are eating all the time and they are eating a lot of fish.”
Watch the video to hear Idaho Fish and Game’s concerns:
This is an issue in a number of places, including the salmon and steelhead in some of our rivers, the bass fishing at Lake Lowell, and the perch fishery in Lake Cascade. According to the most recent study conducted by Idaho Fish and Game, 1.5% of fishermen say walleye is their favorite species to fish for.
“We are managing these waters based on angler input and what anglers want us to be managing for,” According to Butts. “Lake Cascade has an amazing perch fishery, and the presence of another predator—especially one as large as a walleye—could undoubtedly affect the quality of the perch situation. Are we aware of the extent? No, Lake Lowell is no different.
When Idaho Fish and Game harvested 31 walleye from Lake Lowell last year, they were taken aback to discover that the fish came in two distinct sizes. Butts told me he thinks they were supplied illegally, but they don’t have enough background information to figure out how they got there.
Walleye at Lake Cascade were brought to the reservoir when they were two years old, according to Idaho Fish and Game’s analysis of the fish’s inner ear bone. In Idaho, releasing live fish into a public river without a permit is prohibited, and doing so can have major repercussions. It is also illegal to transfer live fish without a permit.
“An angler caught doing so can be hit with multiple counts depending on the number of fish,” According to Butts. “That person can also be held financially liable for the expenses the state has to take to try and fix the situation.”
Anglers were the first to identify this issue, and they remain the first line of defense for Idaho Fish and Game. Catch, kill, and keep is the policy in regions where walleye have already been discovered, but if an angler catches one in a new canal, they are asked to contact Idaho Fish and Game.
“There are no length or bag limits for walleye in any waters in the southwest region because any place you encounter them, they were not stocked intentionally,” According to Butts. “Last summer, we actually had a large walleye caught in Lucky Peak, so that is of great concern as well.”
Butts informed me that walleye populations in the Snake River have also increased. The three walleye fisheries in Idaho are located at Oakley Reservoir, Onieda Reservoir, and Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir.
