202,000 Walleyes
Harvested from
Pond
|
BY BRIAN
MULHERIN,
LUDINGTON DAILY
NEWS, June 3,
2015 |
Ben
Molitor, a DNR
summer helper,
Joe Mickevich,
Department of
Natural
Resources
fisheries
technician, and
Jody Johnston, a
hatchery
technician,
empty a fyke net
while harvesting
walleye from the
Mason County
Walleye Pond
Tuesday. The
first day the
DNR collected
more the 202,000
walleye. The
group will be
back today to
continue the
harvest.
|
It has not been
a spring of
warm, sunny
skies, but on
Tuesday the
Mason County
Walleye
Association got
to enjoy a
perfect day and
a promising
harvest as the
Michigan
Department of
Natural
Resources netted
more than
202,000 walleyes
out of its pond. |
Walleyes
typically need
lots of days
like Tuesday for
good growth, but
at almost an
inch and a half
long and with
more netting
planned for
today, it looked
like this
spring’s clouds
would carry a
silver, err,
gold, lining for
area walleye
anglers. |
About 167,000 of
the fish were
put in Hamlin
Lake on Tuesday
and the
remainder of the
pond was
expected to be
used to stock
Big Star Lake in
Lake County,
Portage Lake
and/or Bear Lake
in Manistee
County and
possibly Rose
Lake in Osceola
County. |
Michigan
Department of
Natural
Resources
Supervisor Joe
Mickevich, who
recently took
that position
from Scott
Heintzelman who
is now a
biologist
supervisor, said
things were
going well. |
“These guys have
been doing a
great job
managing
things,”
Mickevich said.
“It’s the nicest
pond in the
state.” |
The MCWA does
not own the
fish. The group
simply takes
delivery of tiny
just-hatched
walleyes and
raises them for
5-6 weeks in the
MCWA pond. The
decisions about
where the fish
will be stocked
are left to the
DNR.
|
|
GREAT HARVEST
|
Ben
Molitor, a DNR
summer helper,
Joe Mickevich,
Department of
Natural
Resources
Fisheries
Technician
Supervisor, pour
a net full of
walleye into a
bucket to be
weighed Tuesday |
Department
of Natural
Resources
Fisheries
Technician Eric
Askam works with
Carter Cole on
the number of
walleye being
taken from the
Mason County
Walleye Pond
Tuesday.
|
The fisheries
crew knew things
would go well
when the first
three of their
13 Fyke nets
brought in
47,000 walleyes. |
“We’re seeing a
lot of fish, DNR
Fisheries
Technician Eric
Askam said. “The
(Mason County
Walleye
Association)
guys did a great
job again.” |
The DNR’s timing
was also very
good, as the
fish were just
starting to show
signs of
cannibalism,
some thing
expected if the
young fish sit
in the rearing
pond too long.
|
|
DIRTY WORK
|
More
than 202,500
walleye were
collected at the
Mason County
Walleye Pond
Tuesday.
|
Several times a
summer, the
Mason County
Walleye
Association
members will
visit the
Ludington
wastewater
treatment plant
and net out tiny
aquatic
organisms called
daphia or
waterfleas. The
daphnia are
placed in a
small food pond
adjacent to the
main rearing
pond. Once the
rearing pond is
drained, then
the food pond is
drained into the
dry basin. The
daphnia go into
kind of a cocoon
and wait for
more water,
which comes in
the spring when
the ponds are
refilled.
|
There was some
concern this
year with the
weather because
it wasn't
consistently
warm like the
walleyes prefer,
but it was
apparently warm
enough. Another
reason for
concern seemed
to be the lack
of daphnia
during surveys
of the pond
while the young
fish were
growing, but
Koles said it
appears there
was just enough
for the fish to
grow on. He
noted that the
MCWA directors
had filled and
drained the food
pond (into the
main pond)
multiple times
during the
spring, giving
the walleyes
more food.
|
"I'm real
surprised,"
Koles said of
the numbers of
fish. "So far,
so good. It's
going to be
another good
year."
|
|
PAYING THE BILLS
|
The MCWA pond is
staffed entirely
by volunteers.
The budget for
the group is
about $5,000 a
year, with most
of that going to
electrical
bills. Other
expenses include
grounds keeping
on the pond,
which is
necessary
because any
overhanging
brush can
provide places
for dragonflies
to lay eggs.
Dragonfly larvae
are predatory
and reduce the
harvest.
|
The funds come
primarily from
earmarked
donations to the
Community
Foundation for
Mason County,
but also from a
dinner that
takes place at
the Ludington
Boat Club each
summer. This
year's event is
June 20. Tickets
are available
from Ludington
Truck Tops or
any MCWA
director.
|
|

BRIAN MULHERIN,
DAILY NEWS STAFF
WRITER
|
|