10-13-2003, 05:07 PM
[cool]I lived and fished all over California, and I can pretty well confirm that your favorite fishy is not stocked or maintained anywhere in the state. When I lived in Santa Barbara, in the late sixties, there were a few holdover walleyes still being taken occasionally from Lake Cachuma. They had been stocked there, on a trial basis, but, I have not heard of any coming out of there for many years.
I have been told that the water just does not get cold enough for natural reproduction in any flows that they might want to introduce walleyes. In some of the colder rivers to the north, the decision has always been that they would rather maintain them as trout, steelhead and salmon habitat. Walleyes would munch a lot of the salmonid smolts before they could migrate downstream. In other parts of the state, even the coldest winter waters do not get down below 40 degrees, which I think is the temperature necessary to trigger walleye spawning.
The same is true in Arizona. Most walleye in this state are planted as fry or fingerlings because there is not suitable spawning temperatures or spawning gravel habitat. But, there are a few lakes that kick out some decent 'eyes. The state record is over 16 pounds, from Showlow Lake, a small lake up on the MOgollon Rim...about 7,000 feet in elevation.
When I lived in Denver, I used to do some damage on Cherry Creek Reservoir, right in town. They get some fish over 14 out of there, as well as large specimens of several other species too. I don't know all of the lakes in Colorado that have walleyes, but there are several that are dedicated to "warm water" fisheries and have decent populations for walleye fans. Again, most of the suitable waters for walleyes...those that are cold enough...are managed for trout. The state's fly flingers go ballistic whenever there is talk of dropping those toothy dudes into their pristine trout flows.
Fortunately, there does not seem to be the numbers of "bucket biologists" over there that help the fisheries department out by stocking new species...like there are in Utah. Although there are some reservoirs that have received "outside help" in introducing northern pike. I think it is Eleven Mile Reservoir, down below Denver, back in the mountains, that is producing northerns over thirty pounds. It used to be a great lake for ice fishing for rainbows up to 5 pounds. Now it is not uncommon to have a trout taken off your line as a light snack by Mr. Esox.
Wow. Really got off the subject of nightcrawlers here.
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I have been told that the water just does not get cold enough for natural reproduction in any flows that they might want to introduce walleyes. In some of the colder rivers to the north, the decision has always been that they would rather maintain them as trout, steelhead and salmon habitat. Walleyes would munch a lot of the salmonid smolts before they could migrate downstream. In other parts of the state, even the coldest winter waters do not get down below 40 degrees, which I think is the temperature necessary to trigger walleye spawning.
The same is true in Arizona. Most walleye in this state are planted as fry or fingerlings because there is not suitable spawning temperatures or spawning gravel habitat. But, there are a few lakes that kick out some decent 'eyes. The state record is over 16 pounds, from Showlow Lake, a small lake up on the MOgollon Rim...about 7,000 feet in elevation.
When I lived in Denver, I used to do some damage on Cherry Creek Reservoir, right in town. They get some fish over 14 out of there, as well as large specimens of several other species too. I don't know all of the lakes in Colorado that have walleyes, but there are several that are dedicated to "warm water" fisheries and have decent populations for walleye fans. Again, most of the suitable waters for walleyes...those that are cold enough...are managed for trout. The state's fly flingers go ballistic whenever there is talk of dropping those toothy dudes into their pristine trout flows.
Fortunately, there does not seem to be the numbers of "bucket biologists" over there that help the fisheries department out by stocking new species...like there are in Utah. Although there are some reservoirs that have received "outside help" in introducing northern pike. I think it is Eleven Mile Reservoir, down below Denver, back in the mountains, that is producing northerns over thirty pounds. It used to be a great lake for ice fishing for rainbows up to 5 pounds. Now it is not uncommon to have a trout taken off your line as a light snack by Mr. Esox.
Wow. Really got off the subject of nightcrawlers here.
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