Walleye Report in Connecticut warm waters....

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

WARMWATER FISHERIES...

WALLEYE.   A total of 27,900 walleye fingerlings was stocked into state-owned management waters on October 20, 2017. Similar to last year, 12% of the fingerlings the Fisheries Division (FD) purchased were larger than the typical size fingerlings (averaging 7 inches instead of the typical 5 inches in length). These larger fingerlings have been stocked into Mashapaug and Gardner lakes for the last three years because the adult walleye populations had been declining in the two lakes since 2009. As a result of this experiment, spring electrofishing catch rates of yearling walleye have more than tripled in both lakes, suggesting improved overwinter survival of the larger fingerlings. Based on walleye growth rates these fish should be reaching legal size (18 inches) in spring of 2018 in Mashapaug Lake (3.4 years to reach 18”) and 2019 in Gardner Lake (4.3 years to 18”).
The remaining standard 5-inch size fingerlings were stocked into Batterson Park Pond, Beach Pond, Cedar Lake (Chester), Coventry Lake, Lake Zoar, Mount Tom Pond, Squantz Pond, and for the first time,
Long Pond in North Stonington. Stocking in West Thompson Reservoir was discontinued this year because it did not meet expectations; after 5 years of stocking only one Walleye was ever sampled via nighttime boat electrofishing. Standard size fingerlings were also purchased by Aquarion Water Company and by South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority, and stocked into Saugatuck Reservoir and Lake Saltonstall respectively. Due to budget constraints, fish were not purchased by the Town of East Hampton this year for stocking into Lake Pocotopaug.