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Posts: 59
| The following podcast by MPR, (Minnesota public radio) acknowledges significant declines in walleye populations in Wisconsin and Minnesota. They cite warming water lowering reproduction rates, and invasive species as the culprit. Never once mentioning muskies. Give it a listen. Great info to combat misguided musky haters.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/climate-cast-mpr-news/id62845592...
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Posts: 7
| natural walleye populations go boom and bust don't they? |
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Posts: 409
Location: Almond, WI | There was a great article in In Fisherman probably 7-8 years ago where they interviewed biologists from across the range and basically said the same thing. Water temperature and water level both have dramatic effects on walleye spawning success. I don't envy a biologist's job--it's trying to hit a moving target while people scream into your ears.
Unfortunately I'm pretty sure the musky haters ain't listening... |
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| I live on a small chain of lakes in northern WI. The walleye population crashed after the severe drought the area experienced from 2004 to 2010. Oneinda county stated that in that period of time ground water levels fell almost 48", a far greater drop than anything ever recorded. The chain is a flowage, created by #*^@ing a river back in the late 1800s. There are three creeks that feed the flowage, and they drain a very large area of wetlands. I am convinced that when those marshes virtually dried up during the drought, walleye spawning was severely damaged. Lake Winnebago walleye fisherman know that the best year crops happen when the upstream marshes have plenty of water and hold that water until the fry move back into the river. However, the hard core walleye fisherman in our lake association refuse to accept this. They want to blame the Indian spearing, which took a grand total of 40 fish during the drought years and only occurred one year in ten. They blame the muskies, which are native and have not been stocked. When told this, they argue that now they are not kept. When asked to explain why there are still tons of small to medium perch, they claim muskies prefer walleye.
Edited by North of 8 10/8/2016 8:49 AM
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Add to that on many lakes the explosion of Largemouth Bass, and it's not looking real good for getting back to historical levels. |
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Posts: 59
| The podcast says that the largemouth bass has the advantage in clearer (zebra muscle) and also warmer water. Bass numbers up and walleye down. The ecosystem will always have a predator species, but the environmental factors are negative forbwalleye who prefer murky cold water. |
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| North of 8 - 10/8/2016 8:47 AM
I live on a small chain of lakes in northern WI. The walleye population crashed after the severe drought the area experienced from 2004 to 2010. Oneinda county stated that in that period of time ground water levels fell almost 48", a far greater drop than anything ever recorded. The chain is a flowage, created by #*^@ing a river back in the late 1800s. There are three creeks that feed the flowage, and they drain a very large area of wetlands. I am convinced that when those marshes virtually dried up during the drought, walleye spawning was severely damaged. Lake Winnebago walleye fisherman know that the best year crops happen when the upstream marshes have plenty of water and hold that water until the fry move back into the river. However, the hard core walleye fisherman in our lake association refuse to accept this. They want to blame the Indian spearing, which took a grand total of 40 fish during the drought years and only occurred one year in ten. They blame the muskies, which are native and have not been stocked. When told this, they argue that now they are not kept. When asked to explain why there are still tons of small to medium perch, they claim muskies prefer walleye.
I like your logic.
Everything always works around to the average again. Its called nature.
Edited by 4amuskie 10/8/2016 6:58 PM
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Posts: 3867
| Things do not always work around to average again. Ask any passenger pigeon. |
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| Ranger - 10/9/2016 3:20 PM
Things do not always work around to average again. Ask any passenger pigeon.
The author of 1491 makes a convincing argument that the huge numbers of passenger pigeons was an aberration or irruption, influenced by man and his early impact on the environment. Man certainly hastened their demise as well but they were not in a natural state anywhere near that numerous. |
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Posts: 3867
| Man, you trippin. |
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