The Indiana
Department of
Natural Resources
has always done
everything possible
to help walleye
anglers catch fish.
From stocking
millions of fry
every year to
working with private
groups to plant
larger fingerlings,
the only thing they
haven’t done is tell
us exactly where the
walleyes live in the
lake.
That just
changed. As
of this past
spring, they
started
telling us
where the
walleyes
live.
There goes
one of our
last excuses
for not
catching
fish.
In April,
DNR
fisheries
biologist
Sandy Clark-Kolaks
and team
implanted
electronic
transmitters
in 33 Monroe
Reservoir
walleyes.
The goal is
to track
movements of
walleyes in
the
11,000-acre
lake to
manage for a
better
walleye
fishery and
improved
walleye
fishing.
For those of
us who
regularly
fish Monroe,
the early
data has
been both
affirming
and
frustrating.
Every week,
the DNR
“walleye
team” boats
the lake
searching
for tagged
fish. They
initially
found
several
spawning
sites and
confirmed
that many
fish move to
deeper water
as the
summer
progresses. |
Larry Mulligan releases a nice
walleye. Monroe Reservoir is Indiana’s biggest
manmade lake and is now home to a walleye
tracking program. Photo by Don Mulligan |
Some of the
fish have
settled on
predictable
walleye
structure,
while others
are not
where
they’re
supposed to
be. To find
the
unconventional
fish without
the DNR data
would be
like finding
a needle in
an
11,000-acre
haystack.
Main points
near the dam
are, not
surprisingly,
some of the
most
frequented
spots for
Monroe
walleyes.
Since Monroe
is a
comparatively
shallow
impoundment,
the fish are
likely there
looking for
the deepest
and coolest
water
available.
It’s the
fish that
continue to
linger in
shallow,
back bays
that are
interesting.
Are they
just
homebodies,
unwilling to
leave
familiar
water, or
are they not
as dependant
on cool
water as
conventional
wisdom
dictates?
Other
reasons are
possible,
including
the chance
that the
fish are
dead at the
bottom of
the lake in
the shallow
bays, and
the
transmitter
is still
signaling.
Either way,
the
theorizing
and
strategizing
by walleye
anglers and
biologists
is what
makes
fishing fun.
What has
been amazing
for me is
that places
where I have
always
caught
walleyes in
Monroe, have
yet to be
visited by
tagged fish.
I have
always
caught the
majority of
my fish on
the flats
around the
Paynetown
ramp. In
fact, in one
very
specific
spot I have
caught quite
a few. That
spot has yet
to reveal a
single
tagged
walleye
within 1000
yards.
Does this
mean I have
been fishing
unproductive
spots and
would have
done better
over the
years to
fish other
locations?
Or does the
data simply
mean one of
the 33
tagged fish
likes the
other spots
better than
mine and its
presence
does not
imply a
school or
trend?
While the
data
provides a
lot of
critical
information,
it clearly
also creates
a lot of
questions.
It certainly
doesn’t make
catching
walleyes in
Monroe like
shooting
fish in a
barrel.
In fact, my
first trip
to the lake
with data in
hand turned
out no
better than
several
previous
outings
where I had
only my wits
and a fish
locator to
help me
catch fish.
Like a fish
locator,
tagging data
can only
tell you
where fish
hang out.
Getting them
to bite is
still chore,
especially
when it
comes to
walleyes.
Perhaps
finding a
way to make
the walleyes
bite can be
the next
project for
the DNR
walleye
team.
View updated
maps of
walleye
locations
at: in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3280.htm.
If you catch
a tagged
fish at
Monroe
Reservoir,
the DNR asks
that the tag
number be
written down
and the fish
released.
Call the
South Region
Fisheries
Office at
(812)
279-1215. Be
prepared to
provide the
date,
location of
capture and
tag number.
If the
yellow
spaghetti
tag is no
longer on
the fish,
the fish
should still
be released.
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