Where they spawn and why Q & A.

[Walleye Express]

Hey Capt. so you don't think there are many reef spawners in the inner Bay. What about the the Rifle Bar and out in the Outer Bay? Like Point lookout? I launch out of Au Gres, and those places are closer to me than the Inner Bay. I was thinking that the Inner Bay walleye have greatt rivers like the Sag/Tib, Kawkawlin, etc. so that there would be fewer reef spawners. But the Outer Bay eyes have ferer good rivers to run up to spawn in. What do you think? Thanks, Jim

Jim.

We have kicked this (where they spawn and why) question to death on all the boards for years. Truth is, there has never been a scientific study done by any DNR agency to see if some walleyes are genetically disposed to spawn in one area over the other. They do not see it as very important. But their thoughts are that indeed there is two seperate sub species that fallow their parents spawning habbits, and like salmon have similar genetic traits, and spawn where their parents do/did. That fact alone lends credibility that the majority of our walleyes are river spawning fish, especially since our new fishery was first built on river spawners from the Muskegon River and then later on with Tittabawassee River fish. There were a few off years when Lake Erie fish were added to the mix. I personally keep falling back on the fact that walleyes prefer baseball size rocks to broadcast their egss on. Not many places on the inner Bay that I know off has this type bottom strata.

Edited March 16, 2009 by Walleye Express