Blue Ridge Lake
Walleye Creel Limit
Change: Q&A
In April, we asked anglers to complete a survey
about walleye fishing at Blue Ridge Lake. As part of that survey, we
asked anglers for questions or comments related to walleye fishing at Blue
Ridge Lake. Here are answers to some of the
most common questions received from the anglers who were surveyed. If you have any further questions or
concerns please contact us directly with the information found in the footer of
this email.
If you reduce
the walleye limit, would that reduce harvest and increase the population, and then
we still wind up with small walleye?
Our data suggests
that reducing the creel limit will not actually result in any change in the walleye
population. Walleye are a difficult fish
to target in our lakes, and very few anglers can catch more than a handful of
walleye in an outing. Using the results
of the present survey as an example, only 2 out of 154 walleye anglers (1%) said
they harvested more than 8 walleye in any trip last year at Blue Ridge
Lake. If keeping more than 8 walleye is
such a rare occurrence, then reducing the limit to 8 will have very little
effect on anglers or on the walleye population. To clarify, the primary goal of the proposed regulation change would be
to simplify fishing regulations for Georgia anglers by removing an outdated and
poorly-functioning special regulation.
Would this change increase the size of the catch?
No. We don’t expect that the
change would impact walleye numbers or the average size of walleye caught. However, it should be noted that blueback
herring have provided additional forage for walleye, and Blue Ridge Lake now
grows larger walleye than it did prior to the introduction of blueback
herring.
Will restocking the lake with walleye do any
good?
Since the walleye
population in Blue Ridge Lake has sustained itself since the 1960s without
stocking, we had hoped stocking walleye would not be necessary. However, our most recent net survey data
shows that walleye numbers continue to decline, and supplemental stocking may
be necessary to maintain the walleye population in the future.
Sure would be
nice if there was a way to eliminate or reduce the amount of bluebacks on many lakes. But how could that be done?
Unfortunately, we
are not aware of any successful methods for completely eliminating blueback
herring (“bluebacks”) from a large reservoir once they are established. Now that bluebacks have been illegally
introduced, they are probably here to stay. Blue Ridge does have plenty of predator fish including largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted
bass, white bass, walleye, flathead catfish, channel catfish, crappie, and even
a few brown and rainbow trout. With the
abundance of predator fish already present in Blue Ridge Lake we hope to keep the population in check.
Would an increase
or introduction of spotted bass and/or hybrid bass help with overpopulation of
bluebacks?
Spotted bass have
already been illegally introduced into Blue Ridge Lake, and their population
has increased dramatically over the last 10 years. They are now by far the most common bass
species in the lake, and they compete and hybridize with the native smallmouth
bass. The illegally introduced spotted
bass now pose a serious threat to the native smallmouth bass fishery at Blue
Ridge Lake. Increasing the spotted bass
population would only cause more trouble for the smallmouth fishery. Blue Ridge Lake is one of the only
major reservoirs in North Georgia that has never been stocked with any striped
or hybrid bass. We prefer not to stock
these species in Blue Ridge to maintain a diversity of fishing options across
our lakes. We also have concerns about
these species potential impacts (or perceived impacts) on the trout fisheries
of the Toccoa River above and below the lake.
Do anglers fish
for the blueback herring?
No. Blueback herring
are generally small in size and not considered a game species, so there is
little angling for them. However, many
anglers do use bluebacks for bait when pursuing other fish. These anglers often use cast nets to capture
herring for use as bait, but there are just not enough people cast-netting the
herring to make an impact on the population. Possession or use of live blueback herring for bait is illegal except in
certain lakes, like Blue Ridge, where they have already been established.
Are there other
means to reduce the herring populations?
Blueback herring
are sensitive to cold temperatures, and can die during severely cold winter
weather. Such a herring die-off occurred
at Blue Ridge during the winter of 2009-10. This die-off reduced herring numbers enough that walleye spawned successfully
and produced a strong year class the following spring. Unfortunately, we have no control of the
weather or how cold the water is in Blue Ridge Lake, so we cannot use the
cold-intolerant nature of the herring to our advantage.
Has DNR stocked pike, muskie, trout, largemouth,
or smallmouth bass?
Yes. DNR has stocked
many species of fish into Blue Ridge Lake in the past, including muskellunge
(muskie), rainbow trout, walleye, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish,
gizzard shad, and threadfin shad. All of these stocking occurred prior to 1991. We are currently considering stocking smallmouth bass and walleye to
restore these two fisheries.
Georgia has really good fishing. How can
anglers help the DNR?
The best way you can
help keep Georgia’s fishing great is by purchasing your fishing license every year. Another thing anglers need to know is they should not move fish around from one waterbody
to another. Blue Ridge Lake is a prime
example of what happens when anglers illegally move fish around without considering
all the consequences of their actions.
|
