Winter Walleye Harvest on Lake Francis Case Reasonable

2/13/2006

PIERRE, S.D. – Game, Fish and Parks officials say January’s unusually warm temperatures have some anglers concerned that fishing has been too good on the upper end of Lake Francis Case.

There are not many years when weather conditions allow anglers to access the lake by boat in January. Over-harvest concerns were voiced as anglers took advantage of the good weather and good fishing opportunities available on Lake Francis Case.

Creel survey data indicate that there is little cause for concern. Game, Fish and Parks fisheries biologist Jason Sorensen said a winter creel survey is being conducted for the upper half of Lake Francis Case this year, and results for January indicated there were 1,305 angler trips (5,443 hours of fishing use) on Lake Francis Case during January.

“While this is not excessive, the perception of heavy fishing use exists because nearly all of January’s angler trips occurred in the upper 20 miles of the reservoir,” Sorensen said. “Essentially, there are 87 miles of reservoir with little or no fishing pressure right now.”

Anglers kept an estimated 3,560 walleye during January, of which 14 percent (498 walleye) were 18 inches or longer. To put that into perspective, the harvest estimate for June 2005 was 30,472 walleye, of which six percent (1,828 walleye) were 18 inches or longer. During January 2006, the average angler took home an average of 2.7 walleye, and 54 percent of anglers kept a four-fish limit.

 “Anglers often assume that every boat is catching and keeping a limit of walleye and that every fish is a large fish,” Sorensen said. “This is generally not the case. Actually, the majority of walleye caught and kept were less than 18 inches long.” The average length of harvested walleye for January 2006 was 16.7 inches.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2006, the daily limit for walleye/sauger was increased to four fish, with the possession limit remaining at eight fish. At most, one walleye/sauger 20 inches or longer may be taken daily. The 15-inch minimum length limit, in effect for all month except July and August, is unchanged.

 Regulations for 2006 were changed because the three-fish daily limit and the one-over 18-inch regulations were having limited biological effect. Sorenson noted that the changes were made to standardize Lake Francis Case regulations with statewide regulations and reduce regulation complexity while retaining the effectiveness of the regulations.

“It is the philosophy of GFP to maximize opportunity while maintaining quality fisheries for the use of our residents and visitors,” he said. “When we have mild winter weather, it is great to see people take advantage of the special opportunities that South Dakota’s outdoors provide.”

-GFP-

Click Here To Return To The Previous Page