By Steve Weisman
Broodstock collection at the Spirit Lake Hatchery is officially over, and the numbers for northern pike, walleye and muskie were once again excellent. However, it was also a season that tested the patience of Spirit Lake Hatchery manager and the broodstock collection crews. The patience tester was Mother Nature and the up and down temperatures. Each year the Hatchery receives requests for number of fry for stocking, the number of eggs to be collected and the number of eggs to reach the request. Here is the long, winding and I mean winding journey to collect the 2026 broodstock!
The long journey for northern pike broodstock
It all began with the northern pike. The request for 2026 was 930,000 fry, which meant 1.0 million eggs or 27.4 quarts. This would require 30 ripe females and about 50 males.
There are two locations that the hatchery personnel can always rely on: Hales Slough and Buffalo Run. Both have shallow water wetlands that lure the northern pike right to the gates of the slough. Typically, this begins the end of March and is usually completed in two to three days at the most. In 2025, for instance, a total of 133 adult northern pike were collected in one day and then transported to the Spirit Lake Hatchery.
This year became a marathon because of the yo-yo temperatures. This is how it played out. Crews first set their nests at Hales Slough and Buffalo Run on Sunday, March 29, but the first check on the 30th found only one northern pike. The next check on Tuesday produced only 5 pike in the nets, and none were taken at Hales Slough. So, that area was abandoned.
Then on Thursday, it was 11. By Friday, 20 pile–12 males and 8 females- were caught.
So, after an entire week, a total at this point was – 18 males and 19 females had been taken, which means there was still a long way to go.
Then the next day, there was finally a breakthrough with 43 females and 31 males for a total of 74 northern pike collected in one day. Things finally concluded on April 17 with a final total of 136 broodstock, enough to complete the request…but what a marathon to reach the finish line. The northern pike broodstock have now been released back into Big Spirit Lake.
Walleye gillnetting
The request for 2026 was 49.2 million fry, which would require 585 quarts of eggs with about 600 ripe females needed. The walleye gillnetting began much the same way as the northern pike collection. Part of the issue here was battling the strong winds that affected where the netting crews could net.
The walleye gillnetting took four nights. It began on Friday, April 10. with 110 females and 32 males, followed by 136 females and 18 males on Saturday, April 11 and 252 females and 22 males on Sunday, April 12. Visiting with both Kim Hawkins, Spirit Lake Hatchery manager, and her husband Mike Hawkins, who is the Northwest Iowa Regional Fisheries Management supervisor, on Monday morning, they both felt that Monday night would be the final night of gillnetting. They also alluded that this had been one of the most unusual springs they could remember with temperatures yo-yoing and strong, inconsistent winds.
Mike reflected about Sunday night’s gillnetting. “On Sunday night, we made three pulls in an area where the walleye broodstock usually are, and we caught no fish. Ironically, we found most of our walleyes in Hales Slough!”
Then came Monday, and Mother Nature still was not done pushing a strong storm through the area in the early evening. The netting crew was able to wait out the storm and captured 165 females and 9 males for an additional 174 walleye netted.
That meant in four nights, 663 females and 81 males brought the broodstock total to 744 walleyes captured. “Even though it took longer this year, the females coming into the Hatchery were very healthy with an average of 4-8 pounds. There’s a series of great year classes out there.”
Even though the gillnetting was completed, the spawning process continued for the rest of the week as the “green” females were ripened to complete the spawning process to reach the quota of 585 quarts of eggs. The walleyes were then released back into Big Spirit.
Muskie broodstock
The request for 2026 is 200,000 muskie fry, which requires about 900,000 eggs. The goal was to capture 85 muskies with 15 ripe females needed. Starting the same night as the walleye gillnetting began, after four nights, 46 females and 83 males were captured. So, it was the exact opposite of the long-lasting northern pike broodstock collection.
The muskies will be kept through the week of April 20th because they need warmer water to spawn. Once the adult females are ripe, the eggs will be collected, and then the muskies will be returned to the lake.
Hatchery hours
The extended hours in place during the broodstock collection have now returned to the normal 8-12 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. during the week and closed for the weekend.
(photos by Steve Weisman)
Another healthy female being stripped.
Getting eggs from a northern pike.
