TOPIC:

Would be nice to see Indiana try to stock walleye. They like lakers would find and eat the gobies, and they are natural to lake Michigan. That could be our way of helping the federal laker program. Establish walleye on the outer reef from the port, enhance the ones already in Michigan City, and calumet river area. There is nothing that can come close to the fishery we have been fishing but, if it collaspes we need a viable substitute for a back up plan.

I tend to think we do not have the best habitat for Walleye down here, else I would think we would at least see somewhat of a small sustained population. I know there are some around and caught here and there, but certainly not many. I cant help but think the St. Joe is loaded with them and none really make their way down here and set up shop. It would be good to hear an experts take on the subject matter. If possible a walleye fishery would be great.

One of the best kept secrets to this area. The hot water discharge in the port produces all winter long. Michigan city at night in close has had fish there for along time late in the year. New Buffalo same way. Calumet. They are there, and are a natural that has always been part of the system just like the pike that are showing up more, along with catfish, crappies, etc. They are there, just need some help to extend what is already there They will hold on this end, the gobie numbers should allow for this. It just might be time to be re-thinking what we have to work with. If more of the fishery is being hurt then we thought and is effecting coho, steel,and the rest, then we had better start thinking out of the box and start looking ahead for something that will work for Indiana. More of my fishing was in other state waters, rather then Indiana. If the alewives crash, and we play sit and wait, it will put us further behind. The .05 percent return will get worse rather then better. Each year has been worse then the other.
The fish are not seeing adult age because their isn't enough young forage to feed young fish, so they are dying off before they are adults. The gobies are something that are not going away and should be looked at the same way the alewives once were. There is ample oppertunity to move part of the fishery into something new even if we continue to try to keep the other fishery going. I do not think that Atlantics or any other salmonoid other than lake trout will be able to withstand the crash of alewives. If we are going to look at Huron graphs then its time to see what helped supply a fishery there.

This conversation was brought up once again last night over a few beers with some my buds! Myself a few others have been fishing walleyes out on the southend for many years and it's hit or miss just like any other fishery. Weather conditions must be just perfect to have perfect boat control. Here are a few pics of some walleyes we have caught over the past few years. You really have to know what your doing out on the lake in the pitch dark and freezing temps.

I have never seen another boat out there fishing walleyes at night but they are there!

Poorboy

Impressive photos. Not to belittle you or your fun, the operative word is fishing at night with ideal conditions and evidently part of ideal is freezing temperatures. I don't mind the cold so much since I start fishing way early in March, but I'm not much on night fishing (though I've done that for salmon, plenty-O-times.

What's your success to skunk ratio? I mean I could show you a photo of every (name a species) goose, deer, pheasant, etc.) that I've shot and you'd think I was the best hunter, ever. I didn't show the number of days I came home and had Campbell's Soup for dinner.

My guess is if the DNR were able to stock enough walleyes to create a fishery (questionable on a lake the size of LM) it would be more akin to fishing for walleyes in eastern Lake Erie, which I've done on a few occasions.

Fishing as they do down by Erie and Dunkirk, it only reinforces the maxim "the only good thing about a walleye as a sport fish is its flavor." The times I've fished the eastern (and central basin) in Lake Erie walleye, we caught big sumbidges, 5 to 10 pounds - and to say it's ho-hum is selling it long. Most trips we "accidently" caugh a laker or three and BY FAR, they were funner fish to catch than an equally-sized walleye on a 10-color or Dipsey Diver. And part of the reason people here in LM don't like lakers is their fight compared to salmon.

I agree with DX, if we had the habitat for walleye, we'd have them and in larger numbers. The St. Joe, MC, Port, Cal Park walleye would have proliferated by now and just as most of us have hooked numerous gaspergoos (and it sometimes seems the 'goo fishing is getting better) how many have caught a walleye?

Me? ZERO.

Walleye aren't going to cut the mustard and dumping in a half million fingerlings each year isn't going to make much difference and I don't think they'll ever set up a "breeding population" on our basically reefless and river-less South End.

From a $ and cents proposition, charge $15 per year for a LM walleye stamp, Then have the state go to Stracks and buy two pounds of walleye filets for every stamp buyer and hire a cute babe who can sing and dance to deliver the filets to the stamp purchaser. In the end, the stamp buyers will have more walleye filets in the freezer than what they could catch in LM and have more fun listening to and watching the cute babe singing and dancing than they would have had out bouncing across the waves in the dark and freezing or dragging 10 colors in the daytime that trying to catch one of the $$$$ walleye the DNR stocked.

Personally, I think the DNR would do better stocking gaspergoos. They eat mussels and gobies, are a hoot to catch and not too shabby in a skillet.

BNature wrote:

Impressive photos. Not to belittle you or your fun, the operative word is fishing at night with ideal conditions and evidently part of ideal is freezing temperatures. I don't mind the cold so much since I start fishing way early in March, but I'm not much on night fishing (though I've done that for salmon, plenty-O-times.

What's your success to skunk ratio? I mean I could show you a photo of every (name a species) goose, deer, pheasant, etc.) that I've shot and you'd think I was the best hunter, ever.

I have spent nights out there freezing my ass off and never got a bump. Ya don't know unless you go out and specifically target them. The photos I added to this post were all caught within the past 5 yrs or so and it's been very late in the season. Though I gotta say pulling cranks and holding the rod is a blast over leaving them in a rod holder and waiting for a release. If you noticed in one of those pics above the fish has a pierced lip and that fish was released in the St. Joe according to the Michigan DNR. And the IDNR are very aware of some monster walleyes in LM and looking at these pics with the background maybe one can get a good idea where those fish were taken.








I agree that what is needed to hold these fish here in big numbers isn't in our area but when the water cools down these fish IMO are leaving home and out for a cruise. But most of the guys I know have a good idea on how to fish these walleyes and keep their mouths shut and sitting on the couch watching TV when it's +20* outside alot of people will say negative things because they never gave it a try.

Poorboy

Those be alot of sexy walleyes!

Put in the time late in the day for these yesterday. Lost one behind the boat a half of a net hoop away that would of been close to 10lbs. Here is the better half with one as he came out of the net.

Great looking walleye, my stomachs growling now.