Guess the goal of wiping out the walleye is well on the way. Still, sounds like a blast!

Thank you for keeping them, from one fisheries biologist to another.

As biologist it is obvious your goals aren't to manage the Columbia as the World Class walleye fishery it has been and could be. One Washingtonian questioned why In-Fisherman magazine did not herald the Columbia River system as one of its top ten picks for best on the continent. Reason given was that WA fish and wildlife doesn't protect the fishery. Fire all the biologist and burn their gill nets and we will all have better fishing.

bullpine - The fallacy with your point of view is a simple one. Walleye, although very populous and sought by many anglers, including myself, in the area, are not indigenous to Washington. The fishery is not protected, as same is the case with carp bow-hunting. However, the largest concern with walleye is that it directly contradicts the efforts put forth by the country to preserve and prosper a Salmon fishery that has been the backbone of Washington, even prior to apples, being that the crab apple is the only indigenous apple to Washington. Salmon are the true deity of the mighty Columbia and with the amount of money invested in these 'kings' of the river, to not put a bulls-eye on these 'premier' walleye, who gain their reputation on the plentiful diet of salmon smolt, would be contrary to tax payers, Washingtonians, and fisherman alike. I agree that gill nets should be removed and the word is that purse-seine nets will be the future of netting on the Columbia. In short, let people fish walleye hard. It's obvious they are still flourishing without any limits, restrictions, or help of hatcheries, besides their prey.

wow spoken like a true un professional .... thanks for destroying a world class fishery......

I was afraid of this when they took out the limit. IMO and I am not a biologist, the walleye do not seem to live in waters the smolts use to get to the ocean. Plus, the walleye are notorious for eating the shad smots and crawdads. I can see eliminating the smallmouth bass which seem to live in shallower water in that lake. I throw them on the bottom of my boat and unload them in the shallows even though I love catching a large smally.

The biggest culprit to a limited salmon production are the seals. Why or why do they want to eliminate a great fish like the walleye and continue to allow the seals to take so many spawners??

Sorry if my observation kicked up a storm. I do think the walleye have proven their worth in Roosevelt, and will miss them if they are successfully wiped out. I do agree with Bullpine's sentiments, and think part of this is because there isn't much direct profit to the state in any self replicating fishery, hence the overly intense emphasis on trout and other hatchery fish, but this is more of a forum topic. Kyle, thank you for an informative report. Tight lines!

How sad to see any fishery treated like this.