04-25-2011, 01:54 AM
After reading the IDFG technical research data on walleye in Salmon Falls, Onieda, and Oakley I got to say I am not worried about it at all about walleye spreading. So far in the waters I have listed the F&G can not prove any natural reproduction at all. Oakley and SFCR are being planted with 500,000 or more walleyes every year or two. I know that in the OP I posted above it said three age classes were found. If that is true Ririe has the ONLY official breeding population of walleye in the state. IF that did happen I am thinking it was more of a fluke breeding. Walleyes like weeds and they like rocks for ambush cover. From May through the fall they live in fairly shallow water like 15 foot to 2 feet deep. They do like shallow flats and soft bottom. From what others have said about this Res it is my understanding that Ririe is not a good habitat for them. I am thinking that they could be somewhat productive in perfect years but most years their breeding won't keep up with mortality. I don't remember who said it but someone said the perch are stunted and the bass were stunted. A small number of top tier predators could actually help. If you look at SFCR the perch kind of come and go. In my opinion it is not because of the walleye. I think it has more to do with the draw down of the lake at the time the eggs are not hatched yet leaving the eggs high and dry. I do know one thing SFCR even with millions of walleye planted in it had some FANTASTIC perch and Bass fishing last year. I had some super fantastic day of fishing at SFCR last year.
That was the good news. This is the Bad news.
SFCR used to have HUGE numbers of kokanee. I have talked to lots of old timers that used to fish for them. They also talked about all the kokanee spawning on the beaches and up the river. IDFG plants a LOT of trout and kokanee in that Res. I don't know of anyone that actually catches them. To be honest I don't think many people target them. I don't know of anyone that sees that many trying to spawn. I am sure that the F&G are planting them for feeder fish. The water also gets the famous green slime about July, and the water gets real warm. Climate change and nutrient load have changed SFCR to a slightly warmer water Res.
If the walleyes in Ririe do have a reproducing population, I am afraid that the kokanee will most likely be thinned out severely.
At this point it is a wait and see thing now. We wait to see what happens and hope for the best. No amount of arguing is going to change what happened. All we can do now is see how the F&G handle it and go from there. Ron
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That was the good news. This is the Bad news.
SFCR used to have HUGE numbers of kokanee. I have talked to lots of old timers that used to fish for them. They also talked about all the kokanee spawning on the beaches and up the river. IDFG plants a LOT of trout and kokanee in that Res. I don't know of anyone that actually catches them. To be honest I don't think many people target them. I don't know of anyone that sees that many trying to spawn. I am sure that the F&G are planting them for feeder fish. The water also gets the famous green slime about July, and the water gets real warm. Climate change and nutrient load have changed SFCR to a slightly warmer water Res.
If the walleyes in Ririe do have a reproducing population, I am afraid that the kokanee will most likely be thinned out severely.
At this point it is a wait and see thing now. We wait to see what happens and hope for the best. No amount of arguing is going to change what happened. All we can do now is see how the F&G handle it and go from there. Ron
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