By Steve Weisman
(photo submitted) Hatchery worker holds a nice northern pike taken during the early spring netting.
As I headed to the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery to talk to Kim Hawkins, Hatchery Manager, I wondered to myself, “Wonder what she will have to say about the fact that the ice has not left our lakes. So, when I peeked through her open door and asked the question, she smiled and said, “I don’t think it’s that Spring doesn’t want to arrive, it’s that Old Man Winter doesn’t want to give up!”
Really, what else can we say at this point? Ice out will come when it comes! My greatest concern was what will happen with the annual gill netting, where ripe-ready to spawn walleyes are captured, their eggs collected and then fertilized to help restock many of Iowa’s water bodies.
Hawkins quickly reassured me that “everything is fine. It might seem like a really late spring, but the past few springs have come abnormally early.” Even though lake lovers and dock workers like early spring iceouts, the early iceout is not necessarily good for walleye spawning. “Walleyes are triggered to spawn by two things. First is the photo light period or length of day. The optimal date is somewhere around mid-April. Water temperature is also important with most spawning happening when the water temps hit the mid-40s.”
When abnormal early iceouts occur, the spawn becomes more drawn out with temperatures yo-yoing as weather fronts move through. “When we have the later iceout, the netting period becomes more compressed and we usually catch more fish in a shorter period of time.”
The good news is that by last weekend, netting had begun in earnest at Lake Rathbun, was just beginning at Storm Lake and with workers checking Clear Lake out later this week depending on the weather. Each year hatcheries are given quotas to fill from requests from biologists across the state. Hawkins says, “This year’s quota for the Spirit Lake Hatchery is to collect 120,000,000 eggs and then hatch and raise 82,000,000 walleye fry.” This would require netting about 1,100 female walleyes.”
As usually happens, the local crews will begin on East Okoboji because it opens before Big Spirit and West Okoboji. “Being shallower, it warms more quickly. When the netting really gets into full swing, we will bring in other DNR crews from around the state to help out.”
The northern pike collection has already been completed. It is relatively quick and easy with the pike moving to the entrances of sloughs. Traps are in place, and the pike are taken in a few days.
Hawkins notes that regular hatchery hours will remain in place until the walleye netting begins in earnest. Normal hours are Monday through Friday from 8 am. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. When that happens, the hours will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. Media will be notified so people can take advantage of these extended hours to view operations and the big broodstock being collected and held temporarily in the hatchery.
Leave Old Man Winter
As I conclude this week’s column that is my greatest wish right now: Leave Old Man Winter! You have given us several hits, especially the blizzard last weekend. Enough is enough. We really do need Spring to arrive!
