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!
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.
Looking for the latest fishing hotspots? From perch to pike and everything in between, here’s the inside scoop on where the bite is on and where patience is key. But remember—no ice is ever completely safe!
From drilling holes to reeling in their first catch, Kids-N-Snow is turning West Yellowstone’s little adventurers into ice fishing pros! Check out their March Kids Ice Fishing Camp highlights!
From DIY lures to a booming tackle business, Dave Chichester of Plugit Tackle spills the secrets behind his wooden plugs, monster trout tactics, and the surprising twist on the wood he uses—tune in to this week’s Montana Outdoor Podcast to reel in all the details!
Discover how Plugit Tackle’s handcrafted wooden lures are reeling in Montana’s biggest fish, from giant Rainbow Trout to Walleye and Pike! Check out this exclusive sneak peek before the big episode drops tomorrow!
Montana’s best-kept fishing secret is hiding in plain sight—check out this new episode of the Montana Outdoor Podcast as Downrigger Dale and Brian Olson reveal the untapped ponds of Region 6, where monster fish are just waiting to be caught!
Fillet your walleye your way—but if you want a fast and easy way to filet those walleye cheeks and wings (plus super simple recipes), we have you covered here…
Montana’s 2025 hunting regulations are out, and hunters will notice a big change—no more misleading drawing odds charts, but better resources for accurate stats online!
New funding is now available to help Montana communities implement bear-resistant infrastructure and education initiatives to reduce human-wildlife conflicts—apply by March 24!
