It’s simple math really: Zero eggs equals zero fish for future stocking programs.
So, the spring walleye and steelhead egg collections by the Michigan DNR are critical components of the strategy for maintaining world-class fishing opportunities in the Great Lakes State.
Nearly fifty years have now passed since the first paddletail swimbaits splashed down in U.S. waters, the earliest designs having likely originated in France. Today, paddletails have almost singlehandedly rewritten the rules of soft plastics engagement. Fans of catching bass, crappie, walleye and inshore slams nearly always cast these ingenious tail-driven baits, each version capable of different retrieve speeds, actions and the almighty thump.
Lew’s introduced the Custom Lite SS at the 2024 Bassmaster Classic in Tulsa, Ok.
The 200 size Custom Lite SS Spinning Reel fits in perfectly with the lightweight design and smooth drag offered in the rest of the series, but specifically excels in situations where one would normally use backing tied to a braided main line.
By Louie Stout
When Barry Ukele and a handful of others started the Michiana Walleye Association in 1993, they shared a dream of consistently catching keeper walleyes from the St. Joseph River.
They launched a stocking program with help from the DNR, and while the river has produced decent walleye fishing, keeper-size fish have been scarce.
Until this year.
Weve always been able to catch 6 or 8 sub-legal and maybe one legal fish (15-plus inches), noted Ukele. But this season has been different. One week this summer, I was catching 8 to 10 keepers and 6 non-keepers. Its been fantastic all year.
The difference? River biologist Neil Ledet credits the cooperative efforts with the club to stock larger fish in fewer numbers. The survival is much better as the bigger walleyes survive the winter better and grow faster.
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