Walleyes on the Rebound - Lake Sakakawea

Rising water levels on Lake Sakakawea already improving the outlook for walleye fishery

It was a scene that had been missing from the cold, wind blown shores of Lake Sakakawea in early May for the past few years metal holding tanks filled with fat, healthy walleyes. Peering into the tanks were curious onlookers, some with stares of complete disbelief, and members of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Spring walleye netting was under way at Parshall Bay.

Each year, often when ice remains on the main lake and cold waves whip newly opened water along shorelines and in bays into an icy mist, Game and Fish biologists put all-weather clothing to the test while conducting their annual egg-taking operations. Pike are the first to spawn. Then the warmer weather favoring walleyes take their turn.

Biologists need to capture female fish before they drop their eggs. By doing so, they can artificially remove eggs and transport them to a fish hatchery where the hatching success rate is much higher than what would occur in the wild. This past week fisheries crews finished up their egg-taking operation at Van Hook and Parshall Bay. They met their quota for walleye eggs without even having to put nets out elsewhere in the reservoir. From all appearances, it has been a banner year and a big improvement from the past couple of marginal spawning runs on Lake Sakakawea.

"Definitely better, especially compared to two years ago. Last year we improved a little but that 2007 bunch was in real bad shape in the spring," said Dave Fryda, district fisheries supervisor stationed in Riverdale. "This is probably one of the better runs we've seen in a while. We caught good numbers of fish and they are in good condition.

"The fish this year are definitely better than last year," he added. "They are looking good."

The walleyes in the holding tanks waiting to be artificially spawned were long, fat, broad-shouldered and feisty. They were much different appearing than the fish referred to by Fryda that showed up in the nets during the spring of 2007. Those

Kim Fundingsland/MDN - - Walleyes of this size, held by fisheries biologist Dave Fryda, have been hard to find in Lake Sakakawea the past couple of years. Many fish of similar size and larger turned up in spawning nets set in Parshall Bay and Van Hook this spring.

walleyes were skinny and their egg quality was poor. It marked a low point for the Lake Sakakawea fishery. Biologists weren't sure how soon the fish would return to the normal, healthy state for which Lake Sakakawea walleyes have become famous. Now, based on catches of fat walleyes both at Van Hook and Parshall Bay, it appears that Lake Sakakawea walleyes may be regaining their old form.

"Things are definitely turning around. Fifteen months ago it was a different outlook than we've got right now," Fryda said. "Obviously our water levels have increased. This is the year we should start to see substantial turnaround with our productivity. We should see that bottom of the food chain turn up and everything start to respond. We just hope this year and next year the trend continues and it's not just a one-year event."

Looking good

Much has happened to underwater life in Lake Sakakawea during eight consecutive years of below-normal runoff and shrinking water levels. As the lake level plummeted, the amount of cold water habitat decreased and there was less room in the reservoir to accommodate cold water roaming salmon. Cobble-covered shorelines where small smelt would deposit millions of eggs every year became exposed as water levels fell during the critical spawning run. The result? The amount of smelt, Sakakawea's No. 1 salmon and walleye food, dropped over 90 percent in just a few years. The average size of salmon and walleye declined accordingly.

Natural reproduction for wall-eyes and pike and perch came to a virtual halt. Test netting showed that reproduction for those species proved to be some of the poorest in the history of the reservoir. The smallest but most vital part of the food chain, zoo plankton, dropped to extremely low levels. That meant there was little to eat for the few new fish entering the system. Without little fish in the food chain, big fish have little to eat and their growth rate is minimal.

Runoff into Lake Sakakawea this spring has been above normal. The lake jumped four feet in April, flooding thousands of acres of previously dry shoreline where bugs and small invertebrates abound. By the end of May Lake Sakaka-wea is projected to be more than 23 feet higher than it was in 2008. Without the influx of water, the reservoir might have suffered another serious setback. For now, the news couldn't be better for fish, fishermen and fisheries biologists.

"Water-level wise we're doing good," Fryda said while surveying the noticeable rise at Parshall Bay this past week. "We've got flooded vegetation. The pike should be doing good. Perch should do good and the walleyes should be pretty good too. Weather and other things can play a factor but, habitat-wise, it's the best we've seen in a lot of years out here."

Nearly perfect

It is exactly what biologists and fishermen have been hoping for, life-giving water that will at least provide Lake Sakakawea's fish population with a chance to rebound. Muddy shorelines that did little to aid spawning fish have slipped below the water. Rock and gravel substrate, much of it beginning at the 1825 level, is flooded once again and being visited by spawning walleyes.

Northern pike and perch, fish that require vegetation on which to lay their eggs if a successful spawn is to occur, have found nearly perfect conditions for raising their young all along Lake Sakakawea. If the weather stays warm and windy conditions remain minimal, biologists expect millions of new pike and perch

Kim Fundingsland/MDN - - The female walleyes netted at Parshall Bay showed none of the stunted growth that had been evident in spring netting in 2007 and 2008. The walleyes were fat and healthy, indicating the fishery may be on the rebound.

and walleyes to enter the system. Waiting for the newly hatched fish will be an abundant supply of plankton which will sustain them until they are big enough to feed on a larger selection of food. Biologists emphasize that there are no guarantees but, for the first time in several years, they are confident conditions are right for an excellent hatch.

While the walleyes netted at Van Hook and Parshall Bay were the healthiest seen in two years, with several approaching the whopper class of walleyes for which Lake Sakakawea has become famous, results elsewhere in the reservoir have not been quite as good. Walleyes netted at White Earth Bay, farther to the west, were in improved condition as compared to 2008 but not as robust as the Van Hook and Parshall Bay walleyes. Nevertheless, the news from the nets was encouraging.


"The fish weren't in quite as good of condition up there," Fryda said. "They are not real bad but not as good a condition as the fish here at Parshall. The run at White Earth wasn't as strong, but White Earth is typically better when the lake is at a higher elevation. It'll only be better in the future."

Although a certain amount of intermingling occurs, Lake Sakakawea walleyes are considered to consist of three separate populations - upper end, middle or Van Hook Arm walleyes and east end walleyes. Fryda hopes that improvements seen in the Van Hook walleyes will spread throughout the lake.

"The upper end and the east end of the lake will be a little slower to come back. The Van Hook Arm area is a little more productive," explained Fryda. "The middle portion is the walleye factory of the reservoir and is the first to respond to better conditions."

Surveys

The next snapshot of walleye growth in Lake Sakakawea will come from fishermen that are expected to launch their annual assault on the lake on many fronts, usually no later than Memorial Day. Biologists will conduct an adult walleye survey in June, giving them solid data to compare with previous year's catches. Based on the current trend, more positive results might be in the offing.

As for fishing on Lake Sakakawea this summer, it might be quite different than what Lake Sakakawea anglers have become accustomed to in recent years. While the old standby of a bottom bouncer and a spinner can still be counted on to catch fish in certain areas of the lake, it is miles of shoreline covered with submerged weeds and trees that will provide the biggest challenge to fishermen.

"There's a lot of people out there that have never fished conditions like this, a flooding reservoir with a lot of vegetation and timber and things like that," remarked Fryda. "It's going to require some new techniques because a lot of those fish are going to relate to that stuff pretty heavily. There's a lot of productivity that is shoreline related and the predators will be there too. The best news though, obviously, is that the health of the fish is coming back."

Walleye stocking had come to a halt in Lake Sakakawea in recent years. The reason given was that adding additional predator fish to a system already lacking in forage would lead to too many mouths trying to survive on a very limited food source. In the meantime, fishermen have been pulling an estimated one million walleyes per year from the lake. Rising water means there's more room to roam for a smaller population of fish but, if this year's spawn is as successful as biologists think it might be, Lake Sakakawea could take a huge step toward returning to the glory days of fishing that existed just a few years ago.

Fact Box

Hatchery filled to the gills This spring has proven to be one of the busiest on record for the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery. Topping the list is the 29 million walleye eggs the hatchery has received from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. If all goes as expected, the department's quota for 5.5 million walleye will be surpassed. "Hatching success for walleyes usually runs about 40 percent, but this year's eggs are looking really good" said Rob Holm, hatchery manager. "After hatching they are transferred to outdoor ponds where the survival rate is about 50 percent." Much of this year's crop of northern pike has already been hatched and moved to outdoor holding ponds. They will be stocked out as one- to two-inch fish in early June. The total request for northern pike destined for North Dakota lakes is 2.7 million. That request will likely be exceeded. "We had 21.3 million green pike eggs. Normally the eye-up on those eggs is 35 to 40 percent, but our last group of eggs was close to 76 percent eye-up," Holm said. In addition to walleyes and pike, eight outdoor ponds at the Garrison Hatchery are filled with 9.4-million perch that will eventually be stocked within the state's borders. At the Valley City National Fish Hatchery, also managed by Holm, 407,000 crappie and 183,000 bluegill are being raised for distribution by the N.D. Game and Fish Department. The Valley City facility is also the current home to 78,000 largemouth bass and thousands of young lake sturgeon. Although 13,000 largemouth are scheduled for release into North Dakota waters, most of the largemouth are being raised for the state of Wyoming in exchange for trout coming back to North Dakota. The lake sturgeon are being raised in a similar arrangement with the state of Minnesota. -- Kim Fundingsland