Walleye

[wssmwhistler]

Hello. I was wondering at what depth does it affect walleye to catch them at as far as their air bladder comes up. Also does tempature affect it or them and all. I'd like to understand them more and if you don't know you simply don't know .thanks folks

[wildwoods]

Are you worried about fatally fatiguing them? I don't believe I've ever caught one so deep that it ever worried me....

[Team Beef]

One atmospheric pressure.
At this altitude, So. Alberta,
you can expect to have the "Air Bladder" expand if you catch fish at 30' or deeper.
If you keep your fishing to depths of 25' or less you should be fine.

[Dan Foss]

Typically I never fish for them deeper than 26 feet max and even then I bring them up slow. Anything over 30 is pretty much a guaranteed kill. between the 25-30 mark is still a risk as you dont know if they recently were deeper. Same with perch.

[Mackinaw]

I believe he is refering to the inflating of the fishes bladder from being brought up from 30+ ft.



Mack

[cube]

Hello. I was wondering at what depth does it affect walleye to catch them at as far as their air bladder comes up. Also does tempature affect it or them and all. I'd like to understand them more and if you don't know you simply don't know .thanks folks

less than 18 degrees C surface water temp. But noticeble loss is evedent at 13.5 degrees

less than 7.5 meters deep. best practice is less than 17 feet deep.

Please note though, as many others have pointed out on this forum before, as long as it's legal and it is except for tournaments, you are free to catch them at any depth or water temp.

[cube]

less than 18 degrees C surface water temp. But noticeble loss is evedent at 13.5 degrees

less than 7.5 meters deep. best practice is less than 17 feet deep.

Please note though, as many others have pointed out on this forum before, as long as it's legal and it is except for tournaments, you are free to catch them at any depth or water temp.

Forgot to add that the depth comment comes with the fact that its for open water season and not for ice fishing. Walleye seem to be better able to handle the depth change when cold.

[Shmag]

A lot of derbies are going to the 18 ft rule, I thought I read in the fishing regs a while back to try stay shallower than 23 ft.

Also if you are fishing that deep its always good practice to reel them in slowly giving them a chance to release some air...

As far as temp goes, I believe the ideal temp that walleye like is 65 degree's, this time of year when the lakes are still cold you will find them shallower, as the summer goes along and shallow waters heat up they will move deeper...

[Drewski Canuck]

We all are aware of the problem, even SRD!!!

However, why not adjust the regs so that a soon to be dead fish is not being wasted in say, the month of AUGUST??

I have said this many times, and many Fisheries Bios who troll this board have read, that maybe where there is a slot size for the month of AUGUST allow a big fish to be kept.

We know fish are being wasted in accordance with the rules, so allow the fish to be kept, and force an end to fishing for the day after the fish is kept.

No secret that the big ones have a harder time absorbing and releasing the air than the small ones, and people churning through fish are causing incidental mortality, so allow the big fish to be used, and end the churning for the day.

There, a positive point which will be ignored again until it comes up again next year, to be ignored by SRD again.

Drewski

[cube]

A lot of derbies are going to the 18 ft rule, I thought I read in the fishing regs a while back to try stay shallower than 23 ft.

Also if you are fishing that deep its always good practice to reel them in slowly giving them a chance to release some air...

As far as temp goes, I believe the ideal temp that walleye like is 65 degree's, this time of year when the lakes are still cold you will find them shallower, as the summer goes along and shallow waters heat up they will move deeper...

The regs on P 25 does indeed recomend less than 7 meters (23 feet) they also say "Fish for walleye and Perch in relatively shallow water"

Reeling in walleye and perch slowly does not really help as they have no quick way to get rid of the gas in there swim bladders. You would have to play them for a very long time which itself has a number of draw backs when relating to fish mortality. Probably better to just get them up quick and release them so they can head back down ASAP. Lake Trout on the other had are a different story.

It is kind of interesting when it comes to preferred/optimal temps for adult walleye. They prefer and grow better etc at 20-23 degrees but as you know are also much more susceptible to hooking mortality above 14-18 degrees.

[cube]

We all are aware of the problem, even SRD!!!

However, why not adjust the regs so that a soon to be dead fish is not being wasted in say, the month of AUGUST??

I have said this many times, and many Fisheries Bios who troll this board have read, that maybe where there is a slot size for the month of AUGUST allow a big fish to be kept.

We know fish are being wasted in accordance with the rules, so allow the fish to be kept, and force an end to fishing for the day after the fish is kept.

No secret that the big ones have a harder time absorbing and releasing the air than the small ones, and people churning through fish are causing incidental mortality, so allow the big fish to be used, and end the churning for the day.

There, a positive point which will be ignored again until it comes up again next year, to be ignored by SRD again.

Drewski

I have been saying the same thing for 20 years now but the problem with that supposition, as well as others, is that it is predicated on enforcement which we all know is never going to happen.

[wssmwhistler]

Thanks for the input guys. I just want to learn and know all I can about walleye. Tips and tactics . I've done some reading and watching and puting time on the water but when a person is useualy solo I'm sure there's things not thought of or factors but that's why I ask for input. I mainly fish outa my boat spring and summer and seem my best action is 8:00am and usually 14 feet of water and started to try and pay attention to temp.

[cube]

Thanks for the input guys. I just want to learn and know all I can about walleye. Tips and tactics . I've done some reading and watching and puting time on the water but when a person is useualy solo I'm sure there's things not thought of or factors but that's why I ask for input. I mainly fish outa my boat spring and summer and seem my best action is 8:00am and usually 14 feet of water and started to try and pay attention to temp.

Depth can be very varible. Some lakes just about all the fish are at the same depth range but others have different populations of walleye. Ie on one lake I fish there is a shallow population where you catch them all year long in 4-10 feet. Go to a different part of the lake and for most of the year that population hangs out at 12-16 ft. Then there is yet another population in a different part that hangs out at 20+ feet. If you care to look they all seem to be specialized in eating a certain type of forage. This seems to be true for that lake all year long except for the spawn.

What I am saying here is just because you found walleye at a certain depth on a lake you still have lots of looking to do because if you move they could well be at a very different depth.

Have a great season.