Dept. of Game, Fish and Parks
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 25, 2003
For more information:  Jim Riis, 223-7700

WALLEYE REGULATION CHANGES EFFECTIVE JULY 1 ON SOME WATERS

PIERRE - Game, Fish and Parks officials are reminding anglers that walleye minimum size limits on Lakes Sharpe, Francis Case and the Missouri River below Fort Randall Dam downstream to the South Dakota/Nebraska border end June 30, and will not become effective again until Sept. 1. Additionally, anglers need to remember that the regulation of one walleye of 18 inches or longer is still in effect on these waters during July and August.

Missouri River Fisheries Administrator Jim Riis said one reason the size limits are removed during July and August on lakes Sharpe and Francis Case is to allow some harvest of smaller walleyes if they are abundant, as they are this year on Lake Sharpe.

"Lake Sharpe currently has a lot of walleyes between 13 and 15 inches in length, and the food base has been slow to develop this year," he said. "Allowing anglers to keep walleyes shorter than 15 inches helps reduce the number of these fish and allows the remaining fish to grow better. While some harvest of walleyes shorter than 15 inches during July and August will not hurt the Lake Sharpe walleye population, excessive harvest may reduce the number of these fish anglers have available next year." Fish shorter than 15 inches are protected in May and June, when most anglers are fishing shallow water with jigs and minnows, and survival of released fish is generally high.

According to Riis, rising water temperature results in walleyes moving to deeper water in these reservoirs, and survival of fish released under these conditions is low.

During July and August, anglers are still encouraged to practice selective harvest. "Anglers can make the best decisions on the chances of a released fish surviving under these conditions. Should anyone catch a small fish during July and August that they know will not survive if released, they should include it in their day’s harvest."

Anglers targeting Lake Oahe will not find any changes after June, but they must remember that the 10-walleye daily limit is only applicable to Lake Oahe, not other waters.

"Lake Oahe anglers can keep four walleyes 15-inches or longer, of which one may be 18-inches or longer," Riis explains. "However, an additional six fish under 15 inches in length can be added to a Lake Oahe angler’s daily limit, for a daily total of 10."

Anglers should note that all 10 walleyes of the Lake Oahe daily limit could be less than 15 inches. The possession limit for Lake Oahe is 30, taken in accordance with the daily limit.

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