Walleye below John Day dam

SMOKEY · 03-20-2006, 01:18 PM

Went fishing with my dad and Seaweed Pete on sunday below the dam, we went 7 for 11 losing 4 big walleyes but catching 7 nice males between 17" and 21". Caught all the fish before noon and then the weather got nice. Caught all fish on worm harnesses and bottom bouncers. Water temp. 41.5 degrees. Seen a few other walleyes caught but no big females. Not a bad way to end the winter.

lundprov · 03-20-2006, 02:51 PM

thanks for the report heading that way saturday

Hunt'nFish · 03-20-2006, 04:39 PM

Thanks for the report!
Hunt'nFish

shalom · 03-20-2006, 08:08 PM

What are the lenght limits and how many can you keep this year ???? Thanks in advance . I will be fishing there Fri till Sunday in a White and Black Ranger Walleye boat . Be sure to flag me down and say hello .

Hunt'nFish · 03-21-2006, 05:13 AM

Last I recall it's 5 fish (of which only one can be >24").
Hunt'nFish

Fish mojo · 03-21-2006, 12:56 PM

2006 regs:
10 per day, of which 5 can be over 18, and 1 can be over 24". 2 daily limits in possossion. No minimum length is stated.

Hunt'nFish · 03-21-2006, 01:06 PM

That's nuts. Let's just further the overfishing of walleye.
As the interest in walleye grows each year, the fishing gets worse.
And then they double the limit???? I don't understand why they would do that??
It's nearly impossible to catch that many in a day. Shoot I have to fish hard to get 5 fish!!!
Seems to me they are trying to fish the walleye into extinction.
Do you guys get the same impression??
Hunt'nFish

ScottD · 03-21-2006, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Seems to me they are trying to fish the walleye into extinction. Do you guys get the same impression?? Hunt'nFish

A 10 fish limit makes no sense to me, but if they were really trying to make the walleye extinct they wouldn't bother with the 1 fish over 24" limit............(unless they just don't want to be too obvious. hmmmmmm. :whazzup

Ethical hunter · 03-21-2006, 01:18 PM

I took some vacation time to go Walleye ice fishing with a buddy of mine in Minnesota a couple of years ago but got very sick and had to cancel. I sure was looking forward to yanking walleye from a hole in the ice.

EH

Tri-Fecta · 03-21-2006, 01:38 PM

I love them walleye!!

Fish mojo · 03-21-2006, 02:01 PM

Its no secret ODFW does not support the Walleye as a sport fishery on the Columbia. Washington barely tolerates them.

I would like to see an expansion of walleye into a few still water lakes and reservoirs. Why not??

Ethical hunter · 03-21-2006, 02:18 PM

Exactly! The Columbia is suppose to be a salmon river, walleye are a mid west lake fish.

EH

trap50 · 03-21-2006, 03:48 PM

Grew up in Mn. lots of Walleye not only in the lakes but rivers also. The Ole Miss has great eye fishing.

Hunt'nFish · 03-21-2006, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Exactly! The Columbia is suppose to be a salmon river, walleye are a mid west lake fish.
EH

EH,
What is that supposed to mean?
Walleye has nothing to do w/ salmon. Walleye mainly feed on sqawfish, not smolt.
Smolt run on top and walleye are primarily bottom predators.
In fact I consider walleye benefital to salmon because they eat so many sqawfish....now that a worthless fish!!
Hunt'nFish

fishingls · 03-21-2006, 06:36 PM

For what is worth, walleyes do love smolts. Currently, most of the big ones when caught below McNary puke up a stomach full of smolts. Rumor's tend to persist that one of the state record walleyes was taken on a smolt tipped jig.

Hans Kochs · 03-22-2006, 06:53 AM

I think Hunt and fish is right. Us walleye wranglers have to understand that we are the future of the fishery. Everyone that fishes for walleye should understand that at most its ok to keep one or two fish around 20 inches for a walleye dinner. And anyone who thinks that tournament fishing does not take a toll on the fishery is not thinking clearly. Personly I am going to release any walleye that I catch, and I think it would be best for the fishery if every one does. Tight lines and God Bless.

Hunt'nFish · 03-22-2006, 07:48 AM

Fishingls,
Never said they didn't feed on some salmon smolt, what I said is they mainly feed on *********. The walleye is the only predator a ********* has...that I know of. Salmon smolt are flushing down the river for 1-3months, ********* and their smolt are in the river all year long. That's why I call walleye a benefital fish for the salmon smolt. They eat way more ********* & peamouth than salmon smolt.

So don't beat up on walleye, they eat up more smolt eating ********* than the ODFW could ever hope to bag in their ********* bounty program. And you can EAT walleye!

So keep the cigarfish (that's my slang for a 5lb and under walleye) and toss back the breeders. They do more to help the salmon than harm.

Hunt'nFish

shalom · 03-22-2006, 07:57 AM

Well said Hunt and Fish .

AlseaAssassin · 03-25-2006, 07:58 PM

I agree with you HuntandFish

In my field season last year with the pikeminnow crew we stomach sampled/indexed walleye below Bonneville dam and almost all of them had Peamouth in the stomach contents however out of all the fish I sampled not one pikeminnow/********* was identified. Not sure I agree with the fact that more walleye=less pikeminnow though and they certainly don't take out more than the angler reward program. I definetly wouldn't consider them to be a friend of the salmon and steelhead smolts in the system because predation does occur.

O Tshawytcha · 03-31-2006, 11:11 AM

Keep in mind a fish eats is what is around, and the abundance of fish species will fluctuate through out the year.

Smot migration=smolt dinner for walley etc etc...

GRIFF