Colby Mulder assisted with the delicate process of stirring the eggs during the fertilization process.
The walleye trap netting and egg collection effort is in full swing in the Big Dry Arm of Fort Peck Reservoir! Water surface temperatures have bumped up slightly to around 50-53 degrees throughout our trap netting locations. These are still VERY favorable for walleye spawning activity.
These warm and stable water temperatures have continued to push the walleye up shallow and into our trap nets. Once again, a large portion of the females we’ve been capturing have been ripe and releasing their eggs. In fact, we’ve been able to bring in over 100 ripe female walleye each day over the last two days.
However, we have observed a few more spent female walleye over the last couple of days as well. It’s likely this will be a very short and condensed walleye spawning season based on the large numbers of walleye we’re seeing all at once.
On Monday, we collected a little over 18 million eggs from 112 ripe female walleye. We also had another egg collection today (Tuesday) from 114 females which should give us close to another 15 million more eggs. These three egg collection efforts should put us a little over 50 million walleye eggs total thus far for the 2023 season. This has been an amazing amount of eggs collected in a very short period of time and quite unexpected considering the later than normal start.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Update by Fort Peck Reservoir Biologist Heath Headley
Feature photo: Colby, Will, and Selby Mulder doing some walleye wrangling. Thanks for the help!
Since 2022, CDFW has awarded or approved $3.1 million in compensation for livestock loss es, for indirect impacts of wolf prescence, and costs of nonlethal deterrence.
Donald Trump Jr.’s hunting trip in Italy just went from a wild adventure to a legal quagmire after he allegedly poached a rare duck—now, the hunt is on for answers.
Carr was convicted of two counts of unlawful possession of wildlife, two counts of hunting or killing an overlimit of game animals, two counts of waste of game animals, and a single count of loan or transfer of a license.
With warmer spring weather drawing more people outdoors, the Bureau of Land Management is reminding the public to follow safe and responsible shooting practices on BLM-managed lands in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Spring 2025 has the Yellowstone flowing with color, the spring creeks buzzing with baetis, and hungry trout snapping out of their winter slumber—just in time for some seriously good fishing…..
As Canyon Ferry’s ice fades fast, one last thrilling ice fishing adventure delivers big trout and bigger lessons—before the season slips away! More from Montana Grant here!
What do you get when a seasoned angler takes his date fishing, forgets to mention the eel-like fish might hug her arm, and somehow still ends up married? Hook into this MT Outdoor Podcast episode to hear it all!
Ready for the ultimate fly fishing adventure? Tune in to the Montana Outdoor Podcast as Shaun Jeszenka reveals how you can catch six trout species in one day across Southwest Montana’s legendary waters!
Ever wondered how to catch six different trout species in a single day? Tune in for this exclusive MT Outdoor Podcast sneak peek of insider tips from the legendary Shaun Jeszenka of Frontier Anglers…
Tired of playing keep-away with your dog while you’re at hunting camp, fishing, on the trapline or hunting? Even well-trained dogs have their moments! Learn the secret to achieving total recall—no chasing required!
Whether it’s sharp eyes, pure skill, or just a dog with a better nose, shed hunting success is up for debate—but this video might just tip the odds in your favor…
Before the Bald Eagle soared into the spotlight, the wild turkey almost strutted away with the title of America’s national bird—and after reading this, you just might agree Ben Franklin wasn’t so crazy. More from Montana Grant here…
