is this something different?
I thought they had quit stocking in bass because they weren't growing. That's why it had a lower size limit. Seems like a waste
Makes sense bigr,Where I go in Iron County in UP they had a really good walleye stocking program from 1983 until 2003. Majority of fish came out of Little Bay De Noc. DNR was stocking 48 lakes in Iron County. Once they took hold in the lake I fish it was great!!! They wouldn't reproduce naturally in this chain as there wasn't enough flow or wave action. On any given year they would stock from a low number of 40, 6 inchers to 1,862, to a high of 12,886 - 2.56 inchers.Some years in the spring and the fall. In the 20 years they stocked Fortune Lakes the state planted approximately 139,000 fish. Survival rate is 1-10 %, which would calculate out to 13,900 fish. We didn't catch limits but we caught 3-5 a night. Fish were really healthy. 2- 5 lbs. There were a few 7 pounders caught. They got a disease in the Bay in 2004 plus that's when DNR had their budgets cut so they stopped stocking. They now started stocking again but only 8 lakes in Iron County are receiving fish. I caught my last walleye 5 years ago.The "LADY" ? that is now the fish biologist told me, "Walleyes just didn't do well in Fortune Lakes plus they hurt the bass population so I am no longer going to stock walleyes in Fortune Lakes." @#$#!*&$!! What a Crock!!!!!!So she planted Rainbows, which to date none have been caught!!!Teach
Taxid, I've been going up there for 40 years, always the first two weeks of July and the 2nd week of September for a week.During that time I have seen 3 periods when the big female bluegills seemed to disappear. Normally in July the second spawn or for some the first, takes place during those two weeks. The big females will stage in 16' to 20' of water opposite where the beds are. The last 3 years and twice before they just seem to disappear for a year or two? But then they come back.There is a good population of largemouth and smallmouth. During those years you mentioned about Indiana fishermen hurting the bluegills is true. Resort owner told me of Indiana boys coming up with huge cricket cages and hammering the big gills in June. He had to warn them of over harvesting and breaking the law. That would have been in the early '80's.Teach
Past owner of resort use to call the DNR, The Do Nothing Right Boys! One year they put some gill nets out in 6-8 feet of water along the banks. When Resort Owner asked them what they were doing they informed him they were going to check the walleye population! ? He argued they wouldn't get good results in such shallow water. So the next spring right at ice out, the Owner called DNR and told them to meet him at the small bridge between Lake One and Lake Two at 7:00pm. There is a slow flow of water between the two lakes. When DNR arrived he shined his light under the bridge where water is about 2 feet deep. There was a school of about 20 , 2lb walleyes finning in the light current. After a while they moved into the Second Lake and about 30, 3lb walleyes moved under the bridge. This took place for as long as they stood there. The DNR Boys were shocked!Tells you something!!Teach