(Orleans)– Here’s another sign of spring and the ice going out of the Iowa Great Lakes: the state fish hatchery in Orleans has started its annual gillnetting operations.
Hatchery Manager Donna Muhm says they started operations last (Wednesday) night on East Lake Okoboji, netting about 190 Walleye. She says crews will try East Lake again tonight (Thursday) and maybe the northern part of Big Spirit Lake, which as of today (Thursday) was still partially covered with ice.
Muhm says the late ice-out is impacting their operations by compressing the season into a shorter one, rather than stringing it out over a couple weeks. She says that may actually be beneficial, though, as they’ll be able to get everything done sooner.
Muhm says they have six permanent crews of two to three people conducting the gillnetting this year, with three crews each on Big Spirit Lake and East Lake Okoboji. She says volunteers and DNR law enforcement officers are also assisting again this year.
Now that gillnetting is underway, Muhm says the fish hatchery in Orleans has extended its hours to give the public an opportunity to view the operation. The facility is now open from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. seven-days a week. Female walleye are usually stripped in the morning; males in the evening.
Muhm says the gillnetting itself will continue over the next week to 10 days with the fry hatching over the next three weeks or so.
