By Steve Weisman

This is the time of year that northwest Iowans get excited for the annual spring gill netting by the DNR personnel at the Spirit Lake Hatchery, especially this year when the ice leaves the lakes by late March. One of the most amazing things to me is how quickly the northern pike netting goes. Many times, this can even happen under the ice.

As water temperatures warm in late March and early April, the northern pike will move to shallow marshy areas to stage before spawning. In visiting with Kim Hawkins, Natural Resources Biologist and Spirit Lake Hatchery Manager, the fyke nets were set on Monday, March 31 at two different sites: the Hales Slough Trap and Buffalo Run. These are the two prime areas on Big Spirit Lake that northern pike will move to.

According to Hawkins, the precipitation that occurred the previous weekend was a huge help. “It gave us a little more water, which certainly helped at Hales Slough.”

By the very next day, on Tuesday morning, the northern pike collection was completed.  “Numbers were really good. We caught a total of 133 pike just at the Hales Slough trap with 86 males and 47 females. That was all that we needed, so the crew let the 14 that they caught at Buffalo Run go.”

Walleye gill netting next

Now everybody’s attention turns to the annual walleye gill netting process. Again, everything has to do with the water temperatures. Last week’s rainy, snowy weather with cool temperatures moved the gillnetting to this week with the goal of starting Wednesday, April 9. With stable weather conditions and temperatures forecast to be in the 60s to low 70s during the day dropping to the upper 30s to low 40s at night, the gill netting should go well.

“We will have three to four crews working, but we won’t have to collect as many eggs as we have in the past, because our walleye populations are in really good shape.”

Hawkins invites the public to the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery. “While the crews are netting, the hatchery will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., including the weekend. Once netting is complete, the hatchery will plan to go back to normal hours: Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hatchery hours will also be updated on the front door to the hatchery as well as updated on the hatchery answering machine.”