Editors Note: Special thanks to Keevin Erickson and Marcel Laferriere for sharing this article from the Hunt/Fish Mb archives.
Making Sense of the Walleye Spawn
In Manitoba, walleye are attractive for both catch-and-release and the frying pan. The quality and quantity of Manitoba’s walleye and their host fisheries are well known across North America and for good reason. However, what’s often celebrated can also be misunderstood. Understanding walleye habits and what they need to spawn successfully is a topic of great importance. Here are some fun facts about the walleye spawn and their behaviour and some information on the aggressive post-spawn walleye bite!
Two Keys to the Walleye Spawn
There are many factors that affect and trigger the walleye spawn. Of these factors, the photoperiod and water temperature are kings.
The photoperiod is a crucial signal for the walleyes’ spawning journey from their deeper winter environment to their shallower spawning grounds to begin. The amount of light a walleye is to encounter throughout the day will eventually hit a critical point. This amount of light will trigger an internal signal in the body which initiates the releasing of hormones to begin preparing the walleyes for the spawn.
The photoperiod is one of the only factors that allows for an exact date every year in relation to the spawn. No matter the weather or temperature, the amount of sunlight during a specific time will always be the same year after year.
When thinking about the timeframe of when the actually spawning of walleyes occurs. Anglers often refer to certain weeks of the spring. However, what they are referring to is the time of year when the water temperature is generally suitable for spawning. The temperature of the water is a key ingredient for the walleye to spawn. In Manitoba’s northern climate, this magic temperature is typically around the mid 40 degree Fahrenheit range. During a warm spring this 44-48°F range can happen very early in the spring, during the fishing closures across the province. However, in my experience, cool springs can yield waters too cold for the walleye to spawn right away. This can push the spawn much later into the spring. This will sometimes leave you with pre-spawn walleyes into the early weeks of the reopened angling seasons.
Stream and Lake Spawning = Success
Walleyes have particular preferences when it comes to spawning locations. This differs a lot based on the lake. Typically, there are two types of spawning walleye in a lake: stream spawners and lake spawners. The primary environment for lake spawning walleye is in water shallower than 20 feet with a rocky bottom such as a reef or point. An excellent example of this would be the Canadian Shield lakes found across the province. A secondary environment lake spawning walleye prefer, especially when a rocky shoreline is absent, is sandy beaches. An example of this in the province would be Lake Manitoba. These sandy shorelines have many sand bars throughout, providing excellent protection for the walleye to drop their eggs. For stream-spawning walleye they will migrate to creeks and rivers during the spring run-off to spawn in the rocks and gravel substrates of the waterway. Having both the stream and lake spawning walleyes in the same waterbody is an excellent way to ensure spawning success for the population.
Spawn out and Cross your Fins
One incredibly interesting fact about the walleye spawn is that the average female deposits around 100,000 eggs at once, and after fertilization, neither the male nor female provides any parental care to the eggs. This just goes to show how relevant natural selection is in the process of walleyes reproducing. They simply deposit eggs, cross their fingers (or fins), and hope as many as possible survive.
The majority of walleyes spawn during the night, and a single walleye will completely spawn out in only one night. Although the migratory spawning journey takes time, the actual act of depositing and fertilizing tens of thousands of eggs happens in only a few hours.
Importance of Maturity
The age and size in which a fish becomes sexually mature is an incredibly important piece to the spawning puzzle. Typically, female walleye mature around the age of 5 and males around the age of 3. This is important to realize with walleye because of their exceptional table fare. While fishing throughout the year, it’s good to keep this in mind when deciding which fish to keep and release. Due to natural selection, there are way more immature fish than mature in a waterbody. Therefore, keeping sexually mature fish damages a fishery much more than an immature fish. This is why numerous fisheries have regulations surrounding slot limits.
Post-Spawn Walleye Fishing
Many anglers across the province partake in the amazing fishing opportunities for post-spawn walleyes each spring. During this time, these fish are hungry and often quite aggressive. In some of the larger bodies of water, like Lake Manitoba, there is an epic window of time to target these fish. Following the opening of the spring fishing season in the southern portion of the province. These post-spawn walleyes can be found in the shallows and are accessible to all anglers. One of the biggest perks of targeting these spring walleyes is they will eat just about anything you throw. From jerk baits to crankbaits, spoons to spinners, all the way to a jig and minnow and the famous pickerel rig, These fish will eat them all.
One thing to always remember when fishing during the spring season is inconsistent spring temperatures. During a colder spring season, many waterbodies can still be in the low 40s for water temperature upon the season opener. This means many of the walleye were still in their pre-spawn phase. In a statement released in 2022 by the Manitoba Conservation Officer Association, anglers were asked to protect fish stocks by releasing any fish discharging eggs back into the water due to the late spring conditions.
So, like in any angling situation, pay close attention to water temperatures. In the spring, they will tell you a lot about what the fish are doing. If you see temperatures still in the low to mid-40s, protect our resources and release fish that are discharging eggs or milt. As the water temperature approaches 50 degrees, the majority of walleye will be in their post-spawn mode and will be ready to eat your lures!
To check out this article on the Hunt Fish Manitoba website, click here.