# 2014 Muskegon River Walleye Egg Take Reminder



## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

We are tentatively scheduled to check walleye for ripeness Monday March 31st. We will be shocking between Croton and Pine Street access. What we find then will dictate what date the egg take begins. Thanks again for all your cooperation. Below is the press release for this year.

Mike Wilson
DNR Fisheries 
Plainwell

*Anglers reminded of Muskegon River walleye egg collection to occur this spring*
Contact: Cadillac Operations Service Center, 231-775-9727 or Ed Golder, 517-284-5815 
Agency: Natural Resources


March 17, 2014
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds Muskegon River anglers that Fisheries Division personnel will be taking walleye eggs below Croton Dam this spring.
The DNR plans to collect approximately 62 million walleye eggs from the Muskegon River in 2014 that will result in 13.4 million fry for transfer to rearing ponds throughout the Lower Peninsula. These walleye will be raised to fingerling size and stocked in late spring or early summer in lakes and rivers throughout the state.
Lake Michigan walleye populations in the Lower Peninsula depend on the fingerlings produced from Muskegon River eggs, as well as many inland lakes in the Lower Peninsula. The size of the walleye spawning run in the Muskegon River is presently about 40,000 to 50,000 each year. DNR crews will strip milt and eggs from approximately 700 adult fish, which will be returned to the river - except for 60 which will be sent to Michigan State University for fish health testing.
"This adult population consists of mostly stocked fish," said Rich O'Neal, fisheries biologist for the Central Lake Michigan Management Unit. "The Muskegon River has the largest run of walleye in the Lake Michigan watershed south of Green Bay."
The DNR plans to collect walleyes with an electro-fishing boat beginning as early as the week of March 24 and concluding by April 15. Eight days of fish collections are planned during this period. The actual date when collections will begin depends on water temperatures and the presence of ripe fish. This schedule can change on a daily basis for many reasons, but it is anticipated most work will be completed during the last week of March through the second week of April.
Sampling using electro-fishing usually begins each day at Croton Dam at about 8:30 a.m. and proceeds downstream to the Pine Street access site. If more eggs are needed, additional collections may occur downstream to the Thornapple Street access site.
Egg collection and fertilizing is conducted at the Pine Street access site, about 2 miles downstream of Croton Dam. This process generally begins between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. The public is welcome to observe how the eggs are removed from the fish and fertilized before they are packed and shipped to Wolf Lake and Platte River state fish hatcheries.
Anglers who wish to avoid the walleye collection activities should fish downstream of the areas of the river previously noted. The DNR asks anglers to exhibit caution when fishing near the electro-fishing boats. Wading anglers will be asked to exit the water when the boat approaches to ensure anglers' safety during the electro-fishing work. The DNR appreciates angler cooperation during this critical egg take operation.
Learn more about fisheries management and fishing opportunities at the DNR website www.michigan.gov/fishing.


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## Randle (Nov 6, 2000)

Thanks for the information! Monday is March 31st though. Will it be starting Monday or Tuesday April 1st?


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

Monday March 31st. 

Thanks


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## rickasha (Jan 22, 2011)

R they still collecting eggs?


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

We checked the river today. Not many walleye in the river yet. There was decent numbers of steelhead, but not many fresh fish. Water temp was 36 this morning and the gates were spilling water. I will update when we decide which day to check again.


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

We will be starting the walleye egg take Monday March 7th. Tentative plans are to continue the egg take the 8th and 9th and go from there. I will give an update Monday evening.


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## rickasha (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks for the up date. Me and a buddy went today anyway to check out the dam, didn't get to see your post till we were 1/2 way there,hehehe o well. Hope to see them next week.


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## riverbob (Jan 11, 2011)

wilsonm said:


> We will be starting the walleye egg take Monday March 7th. Tentative plans are to continue the egg take the 8th and 9th and go from there. I will give an update Monday evening.


 I don't think they will be ripe, by the 9th. but hell what do I know I'm just a fisherman, not a fish guy. I'm thinkin the later the spawn, the better the opener. I'll be waiting for your report. Thanks Mr. Wilsonm


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

Just a reminder that the egg take will start 4/7/14. We will be on the water around 8:30am. We will have to make several runs between Croton and Pine Street each day of the egg take to cover all the water. Thanks for your cooperation.

Mike


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## Walleye Wizard (Feb 5, 2006)

How many ripe fish wilsonm? Seems a little cold yet. Please update if you took eggs today.


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

We spawned 75 pairs of walleye today. About 75% of the females were green so it looked like we hit the beginning of the run which is what we aim for. Temperature peaked at 35.5 today on the USGS site so the water is still quite cold. Photoperiod also plays a role in spawning time so the temperature isn't the only factor dictating spawning time. We are planning another egg take Tues 4/8 and tentatively 4/9 and 4/14. As always, the run dictates our schedule so I will update after each days egg take. Like last week, we did see a decent number of steelhead, but only a handful of fresh fish seen. Only saw one steelhead landed today as we were shocking which is unusually low during the egg take. We will probably start shocking around 9am at Croton. As usual, we try to do all our shocking between Croton and Pine Street. I will update after tomorrows egg take.

Thanks,

Mike Wilson
MDNR Plainwell Fisheries


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## abstract_72 (May 27, 2007)

How do you think this effects fishing below Pine on a day like tomorrow? Does this have any impact downstream?


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

Our shocking won't have any effect below Pine Street. Above Pine street, there is always some effect as it takes the fish caught in the electrical field a while to recover. The boats electrical field is about 15 ft wide so even with many passes, there are a lot of fish that never get stunned in the electrical field. In years past, if the steelhead are active, people still catch fish even as we shock. I think it was 2 years ago that one day we saw about 15 to 20 steelhead landed while shocking. We try to work around boats and shore anglers, but eventually we have to shock along both riverbanks all the way down to Pine Street.


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## abstract_72 (May 27, 2007)

Ah ok. I was deciding where/if to try tomorrow. Thanks!


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## A.M. General (May 3, 2001)

You guys did a good job today. It was a nice morning to take the kids out and watch the show. Good conversations and an enjoyable time. Huge fish, I was impressed! Keep up the good work!


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

The egg take continued today, but we only spawned 55 pair. We were hoping for 80 pair today, but ripe females were a little hard to come by. We will continue the egg take tomorrow 4/9 and tentatively 4/10 and 4/14. We will try to start shocking below Croton by 9am. A minor mechanical issue set us back an hour this morning. We have to try to get our quota by 2pm each day because the water hardening process of the eggs, travel back to the hatchery, and the jarring and enumerating the eggs takes over 6 hours. This is why we usually run up river on plane. One guy took issue with us this morning. If we idled past everybody every time we ran upstream, it would be hard to make our egg quotas like what happened today. Thanks to all the other guides and others fishing out there for your kind words and understanding and to all those who watched the egg take process at the Pine Street access.

Mike


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## Walleye Wizard (Feb 5, 2006)

Mr Wisonm, do you think the walleye will still be in there when the season opens back up or do you think the majority will have left?


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

Walleye Wizard said:


> Mr Wisonm, do you think the walleye will still be in there when the season opens back up or do you think the majority will have left?


There will probably be a better chance this year than in past years. The majority of spawning run lasts about two weeks, but there will probably be a few stragglers. The really big females seem to show up early in the spawning run and then drop back. There are a few resident walleye up by the dam all year long.


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

We spawned 65 walleye pairs today. Still about 70% green females. Temp almost got up to 37 today. Still not many fresh steelhead at all up by Croton. We are planning on our next egg take Monday April 14th. Tuesday the 15th is probable, but still tentative. I'll update after Monday's egg take.


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## irishmanusa (Mar 10, 2009)

wilsonm said:


> We spawned 65 walleye pairs today. Still about 70% green females. Temp almost got up to 37 today. Still not many fresh steelhead at all up by Croton. We are planning on our next egg take Monday April 14th. Tuesday the 15th is probable, but still tentative. I'll update after Monday's egg take.


Thanks for all of the updates!!!


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

Just reminding anyone fishing from Croton Dam to Pine Street access that we will be shocking for the walleye egg take Monday and Tuesday this week. We will have to work both banks eventually down to Pine Street as the walleye are closer to shore and in the downed trees. Hopefully we will be done by Tuesday, but I can't say for sure at this point. I will update Monday evening.

Thanks,

Mike Wilson
MDNR Fisheries
Plainwell


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## riverbob (Jan 11, 2011)

wilsonm said:


> Just reminding anyone fishing from Croton Dam to Pine Street access that we will be shocking for the walleye egg take Monday and Tuesday this week. We will have to work both banks eventually down to Pine Street as the walleye are closer to shore and in the downed trees. Hopefully we will be done by Tuesday, but I can't say for sure at this point. I will update Monday evening.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> ...


 It looks like the egg take will be called off ( that's what I'm thinkin)


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

We spawned around 55 pairs today. The local authorities closed off the accesses to the public today for the high water river closure. We are exempt from the closure, but will proceed with caution. Egg eye ups last week were low and will result in us needed to collect more walleye for the egg take and extend the egg take through this week to meet the quota for spring stocking. Decisions for spawning this week will be on a daily basis now with conditions what they are.

Mike Wilson
MDNR Fisheries 
Plainwell


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## tsr770 (Mar 3, 2010)

wilsonm said:


> We spawned around 55 pairs today. The local authorities closed off the accesses to the public today for the high water river closure. We are exempt from the closure, but will proceed with caution. Egg eye ups last week were low and will result in us needed to collect more walleye for the egg take and extend the egg take through this week to meet the quota for spring stocking. Decisions for spawning this week will be on a daily basis now with conditions what they are.
> 
> Mike Wilson
> MDNR Fisheries
> Plainwell


Mike, if it isn't possible to get the eggs from the Muskegon have you guys ever considered a back up river? I know that some of the East Side rivers are absolutely jammed with eyes, maybe adding some different genes into the pools would be a good thing anyway?


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## Boozer (Sep 5, 2010)

I was thinking the same thing, maybe a different river would be better...

The rivers further South did not get all that rain, may be a better option or the East side of the state, couldn't hurt to get some fresh genes in the pool...


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

Due to the river conditions, we have moved the next egg take to Saturday, April 19th. We try to avoid egg takes on the weekends, but this year has thrown a wrench at us. The water temperature is still below the normal peak of 40 degrees for walleye spawning and about 60% of the females were green as of yesterday which means we are about in the middle of the spawning run. It will just take longer this year. We can only adapt to what mother nature throws at us this year




tsr770 said:


> Mike, if it isn't possible to get the eggs from the Muskegon have you guys ever considered a back up river? I know that some of the East Side rivers are absolutely jammed with eyes, maybe adding some different genes into the pools would be a good thing anyway?


The other major rivers with walleye runs in Mid to Southern Michigan are either in flood stage or the majority of walleye are done spawning due to much warmer water temps. Using another river would create the need to isolate those eggs from existing Muskegon River eggs due to disease concerns. (facility issue) They would have to be disease tested also. We already have a second egg take location that we use every year at Little Bay Denoc. We just have to wait it out this year.


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

Saturdays egg take is very tentative and is based on river conditions. I will try to update when I know for sure when we are going next.

Mike


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

So why would any other river be any more disease prone than the muskegon? Just curiouse as to how you guys base that, seems like you have to test them from any river. The kazoo, seem likes would make the most sense if the MO was out, another river they can get past with a great run.


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## Steelee (Aug 26, 2003)

Saw shocking boats towed by DNR trucks on the way back from the Pine St. ramp yesterday. Ramp was closed to general public- didn't realize dnr was down there. This has to be about the latest date for winding up the walleye egg take.


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

Yes we did finish the egg take yesterday. After watching water temps continue to be in the low to mid 40's through Sat morning, we decided that Monday would probably be too late. We finished with 70 pair and got the eggs we needed for the year. It was a unusual year and lasted almost 3 weeks. The good thing about it being over a longer period is that it gives the walleye rearing ponds in the north more time to de-ice and warm up before receiving fry.




Sparky23 said:


> So why would any other river be any more disease prone than the muskegon? Just curiouse as to how you guys base that, seems like you have to test them from any river. The kazoo, seem likes would make the most sense if the MO was out, another river they can get past with a great run.


All egg takes have to have disease testing done on a minimum of 60 fish from each source, including the Muskegon. Eggs and fry from each source have to be isolated from each other in case testing comes up positive for one of them. Results for some of the diseases tested for can take a few weeks. 


Mike Wilson
MDNR Fisheries
Plainwell


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## limpinglogan (Sep 23, 2009)

Interesting...thanks for the updates...


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## magnumdeke (May 6, 2009)

So do you think most of them have dropped back?
Do the males stay on the spawning grounds for awhile?


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## riverbob (Jan 11, 2011)

magnumdeke said:


> So do you think most of them have dropped back?
> Do the males stay on the spawning grounds for awhile?


 I think it will be a Great opener on the lower grand (below town) I,m hopein we don't get to much rain before then.( Going for steel, for the last time, right now. good by)


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

magnumdeke said:


> So do you think most of them have dropped back?
> Do the males stay on the spawning grounds for awhile?


There were still a few green females Saturday and the males do have a tendency to stick around a while after the females are gone so there should still be some fish up there for the opener. Good luck.


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