MISSOURI BOLSTERS WALLEYE POPULATION

JEFFERSON CITY -- Walleyes are prized by anglers, ranking near the top of the list of sport fish. They take lures and bait with gusto, fight hard when hooked and are delectable eating. Being cool-water fish, they aren't as common in Missouri, however, as in some northern states.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has begun a walleye initiative. "We want to expand walleye fishing opportunities around the state," says Kevin Richards, fisheries field operations chief for the Conservation Department. "We have selected several lakes and six rivers that show the most promise as walleye fisheries, and we are managing and stocking them so more anglers can enjoy catching these superb fish."

Walleye stocking in the St. Francis River above Lake Wappapello goes back to 1996, but the Conservation Department kicked off the current walleye initiative in 1998 with stockings totaling nearly 2 million walleyes. The agency stocked fingerlings in the river for three years in an effort to reestablish a self-supporting population there.

"I wouldn't be surprised if anglers start catching some of those fish this season," Richards says. If they do, he notes, they will have to return the fish to the water unharmed. Anglers won't be allowed to keep walleyes on the St. Francis River until the new population is firmly established. Conservation Department fisheries biologists are sampling the river to follow the growth of the fish. Top priority lakes in the initiative include Stockton, Norfork in Ozark County, Smithville in Clay and Clinton counties and Longview in Jackson County. The Conservation Department will stock 25 to 30 2-inch walleye fingerlings per acre every other year at Stockton and Smithville, 15 fingerlings per acre every year at Norfork and 25 to 30 fingerlings every third year at Longview. Stockton and Smithville are the sites of the walleye research study.

Other lakes in the plan include Mark Twain, Long Branch, Bull Shoals and Lake of the Ozarks. Ongoing management will continue at these lakes, and the Conservation Department will evaluate regulations and plan stocking in the future.

The six rivers in the plan include the Black River, which has an existing walleye population that the Conservation Department will evaluate. The Conservation Department takes eggs from walleye in the Black River for hatchery use. Eggs are also taken from fish captured in the tail waters of Truman Dam, a site that will be convenient to the agency's new hatchery at Lost Valley.

The walleye initiative will include stocking fish in the Eleven Point River, the Grand River near Chillicothe and the Salt River tributaries to Mark Twain Lake. An established fishery for walleye and sauger below dams on the upper Mississippi River in northeast Missouri will be evaluated.

One part of the initiative is a study to determine what factors affect the survival of the 2-inch fingerling walleye that the Conservation Department stocks in various waters.

Genetic analysis will enable fisheries biologists to track the survival and growth of stocked fish from various sources, so they can find out which ones are best suited to Missouri waters. The study will also reveal whether unique genetic markers exist that could be used to mark specific sizes or year classes of walleyes during hatchery propagation. Purposes of the walleye initiative include intensifying and expanding walleye management, identifying lakes and streams best suited for walleyes, increasing hatchery production and providing better walleye fishing and harvest.

On all of the priority waters the Conservation Department will conduct annual walleye population surveys, interview anglers, determine stocking success, seek changes in fishing regulations where they appear needed and evaluate the success of the overall program.

Expectations for the effort include improved fishing within the next year, increased walleye stocking through the year 2000 and the consideration of length limits and other regulations in the year 2000 or beyond. Length limits on other species of fish have resulted in profound improvements in the quality of angling on some waters. The same could be true for walleye.

Casting a spinner and grub combination or a jig tipped with a minnow can bring explosive results just about anywhere in walleye country. That's a pleasure more Missouri anglers will enjoy in years to come.