12-18-2003, 02:02 AM
[cool][size 2]Walleyes have been introduced into a few waters in California, but never successfully. The big issue is not food or habitat, but water temps. Unless winter water temps get somewhere below about 40 degrees, walleye will not spawn.[/size]
[size 2]I lived in Santa Barbara in the late sixties, just after the last attempt to start a walleye population in Lake Cachuma. Nobody was bringing in any walleyes to the marina, mostly because most fishermen were going either for trout or bass, and not fishing where the walleyes were. Also, the lake was closed to fishing after dark...or before daybreak.[/size]
[size 2]I made a couple of walleye-specific trips one spring and managed to hang several walleyes up to about 5 pounds...on the old reliable crawler and spinner harness rig. I also hung some big largemouth and a couple of nice channel cats. Never caught any more walleyes after that, and never heard of anyone else catching them either. [/size]
[size 2]There are quite a few nice lakes in northern California that would probably be very good for walleyes. However, the state fisheries departments manage the waters carefully and are not too wild about experimental plantings of carnivorous species...especially where there might be smolts of steelhead and/or salmon present.[/size]
[size 2]We have several lakes in Arizona that have small populations of walleyes...where the water never gets cold enough for spawning. That's because there is a regular stocking program for walleye fry and fingerlings. They develop roe and milt, during the right time of year, but there is just not a low enough temperature to trigger the spawn.[/size]
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[size 2]I lived in Santa Barbara in the late sixties, just after the last attempt to start a walleye population in Lake Cachuma. Nobody was bringing in any walleyes to the marina, mostly because most fishermen were going either for trout or bass, and not fishing where the walleyes were. Also, the lake was closed to fishing after dark...or before daybreak.[/size]
[size 2]I made a couple of walleye-specific trips one spring and managed to hang several walleyes up to about 5 pounds...on the old reliable crawler and spinner harness rig. I also hung some big largemouth and a couple of nice channel cats. Never caught any more walleyes after that, and never heard of anyone else catching them either. [/size]
[size 2]There are quite a few nice lakes in northern California that would probably be very good for walleyes. However, the state fisheries departments manage the waters carefully and are not too wild about experimental plantings of carnivorous species...especially where there might be smolts of steelhead and/or salmon present.[/size]
[size 2]We have several lakes in Arizona that have small populations of walleyes...where the water never gets cold enough for spawning. That's because there is a regular stocking program for walleye fry and fingerlings. They develop roe and milt, during the right time of year, but there is just not a low enough temperature to trigger the spawn.[/size]
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