(Orleans)– Gillnetting operations on the Iowa Great Lakes have concluded for another year. Kim Hawkins, Fishery Manager at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fish Hatchery in Orleans, tells KUOO news the conditions turned out being ideal…
“Even with that early ice-out and that super warm weather we all enjoyed early in March, it cooled back down and it straightened the fish out out in the lake and so we only netted for about two and-a-half nights this season to catch over a thousand walleyes.”
She says that was a record as far as how long it took…
“We usually think we’re going to net about four to six days and we got two and-a-half days done and enough females captured in that time even with less boats on the lake this year, so it was quick, done in a hurry and I think it surprised us all with this spring weather.”
Hawkins adds the quality of the fish was excellent…
“They were very robust, they were very big fish. We were averaging four to five pounds for the female walleyes so they were looking really good.”
She says the 990 quarts of eggs are currently incubating, a process that will take 18 to 24 days. The fry will then be stocked in lakes throughout Iowa…
“So we get our requests from the Fish Management sections all over Iowa. Mike Hawkins is the Northwest District for us and then there’s also fish management biologists all over the state. They request fish each January for the upcoming season and then it is our job to fulfill those requests.”
Hawkins says the fish hatchery has now reverted back to its regular hours for visitors, now that the gillnetting is over.
