Stocking or rearing ponds??

[BUSCHY]

A few friends and I fish a gfp production area slough and you really have to work to find the perch, but they are in there.  Anyway this year we go in there and are catching bunches of 10-12 inch walleyes.  They have never been there before and there has been no fresh water coming in there for years.  We talked to a couple of CO's who say they know nothing about it and I asked if GFP stocked it or what.  They said they had no record of it.  They must have been stocked, cuz they are all the same size, we have not caught one that was 9 inches or one that was 13.  Would gfp be using it as a rearing pond and take them out in spring??  I guess it is possible that someone privately put the fish in (although illegal).  Anyone have any experience or ideas of what the answer could be??

BUSCHY

[iceman15]

is it illegal for a land owner to stock his own ponds? im not sure on that issue i would think not but the fact that it is a game production area is kinda funny but you never know sometimes with those game production agrements they can ask to be allowed to do certaint things. im not sure what the deal is sounds kinda weird to me.

[BUSCHY]

It has been gfp production area for quite sometime (over 20 years) and that would make it illegal for anyone to stock it on their own correct?  They own all the production areas don't they?  It is not a walk-in lease type area.  It has all of us with nothing but questions, but if the fish stay there in a few years it will be a great area.

[pbc]

Are you going to put up some meat - what county is this slough in?

[Brian]

If it's the one I'm thinking, it was supposedly stocked by the GF&P.  Not sure who else would be able to stock a large number of i's.

[iceman15]

yes i would have to agree with buschy that if the fish do stay there and survive that there should be some great fishing and now that you mention it i had the walkin areas and the game production areas mixed up it had to have been the gfp that did it if they are all the same size i know sometimes you can buy fish for stockin in your own ponds we have a man near where i live that did that with crappies bass and bluegill and it is turning into one hell of a fishing spot sorry cant tell anyone where its at due to the fact that he doesnt want tons of persure and its private but buschy i was wondering where might this gpa be located if you dont mind.

[pbc]

I thought if the GFP stocked it ( in other words, we the license payers) the private land owner is supposed to let the public fish it.  If not, why should we pay for someone's private fishing, or fee fishing?  Is there a GFP website for all stockings, including private waters?  Why shouldn't we know about all stockings in all waters by the GFP?

[BUSCHY]

 

I thought if the GFP stocked it ( in other words, we the license payers) the private land owner is supposed to let the public fish it.  If not, why should we pay for someone's private fishing, or fee fishing?  Is there a GFP website for all stockings, including private waters?  Why shouldn't we know about all stockings in all waters by the GFP?

As I stated I talked to the local CO's and they said they did not know anything about stocking it by the state, so the only thing I could come up with is that if the state was putthing them there they may have the intention of removing them.  Questionable but it's just a guess.  It is in Lake County.  Also as I stated it is not privately owned.

[Vanwalleye]

The local CO probably wouldn't know all the locations that receive walleye stockings.  If you really want to find out call the local fisheries biologist or hatchery manager (Blue Dog).  These fish were stocked into a Game Production Area so this information should be public knowledge.  I don't think GFP provides walleye fingerlings for private stockings.  I think the reason why we don't know about all stockings is because GFP will use some of these sloughs as temporary rearing ponds and then harvest what fish they can and stock them elsewhere.  Plus, once anglers catch these fish at these "no name" sloughs the word usually spreads like wild fire.  Part of the fun is taking a risk and fishing some of these sloughs!  I would imagine there are many GFP sloughs that have been stocked with fish at some point.  Hatcheries probably need all the space they can get.  As far as stocking your private lake I believe that is perfectly legal with regards to whatever permit or notification is needed through GFP...if any.  There are several private hatcheries in Minnesota that produce walleye and are available for sale.

[BUSCHY]

UPDATE........I talked to one of the local CO's again and I misunderstood him the first time on the location .  We were talking about different sloughs.  The one in Lake County was stocked 2 years ago.  They are hoping it will reprduce and take off, but so far all they are seeing out of there is the 12 inchers (size now) that they stocked.  I suppose their offspring would be only 4-5 inches so might not be bite yet on jigs.  If this one takes off it will be a nice spot.  Also from what I understand you can stock your own sloughs, dugouts, or whatever with any kind of fish that you want even if you catch them in a neighboring lake, as long as a creek does not run threw it off your property.  Just my understanding.