(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa D-N-R recently collected millions of walleye eggs from fish in Rathbun, Storm and Spirit Lake to raise fish to stock back into the lakes and waterways. The D-N-R’s Jay Rudacille oversees the process, and says the collection shows the walleye populations are strong.
“The Storm Lake population, the average size of females was 23-point-two inches, and about 22 percent of those were 25 inches and above. And so that population is very strong,” he says. “The walleye population in Rathbun Lake is at a 20 year high according to our management biologists that manage that lake. So very, very strong there.” He says it’s the same story for Spirit Lake where anglers can 25 to 30 inch walleyes.
Rudacille says it is a lot of work collecting the eggs, but he says there’s excitement as it signals spring is here. “It’s a busy time of year. It’s a time of year that we look forward to. It kind of kicks off our production season and our warm and cool water hatchery system,” he says. Rudacille says it’s a case where they get to see their effort pay off. “They start out very yellow in color, and as they develop, they get darker and darker.
“And yeah, you can we look at them under the microscope and we monitor how they’re developing and what they look like so yeah you can see things developing just on a day-to-day basis right in front of your eyes,” Rudacille says. He says the walleye is one of the favorites of anglers in Iowa and the Midwest, so it’s important to keep the population strong.
