where do I buy Walleye fingerlings from??

[lakesbison]

i have a private deep lake, looking to buy 1000 walleye fingerlings.

any suggestions?

[SkunkedAgain]

call the DNR

[LightningBG]

Goeden Fisheries

Alexandria, MN

[MN_Jay]

This post has me curious, how much does fingerlings cost? I also have a spring fed private lake that I'm not sure would support walleye or not. The bait guys pull some decent size leaches out of there now so there is some food source.

[lakesbison]

I heard $1 per fingerling is that right?

thanks for the goeden fisherie tip, thats an ex-gf of mine, there goes my good deal! haha

[smallie_hawgin]

i have a private deep lake, looking to buy 1000 walleye fingerlings.

any suggestions?

10,000 Lakes Aquaculture

West Central bait

a couple of relatively reputable resources. Both can be googled easily...

Walleye tend to cost about $20-$25/lb of fingerlings. Usually amount to between 15 and 25 fish/lb. General stocking rates are 1-2 lbs per littoral acre (area less than 15 ft deep).

Good luck!

[Angstman]

Is it possible to stock walleyes in a small private lake (40-50 acres) that is overrun by small bass? Also the lake has a max depth of 12-13ft.

[mainbutter]

Anyone who sells fish for stocking purposes are professionals when it comes to suggesting what is capable of being stocked in a lake. They rely on repeat business for profits, and no one is going to buy another year class of fingerlings if the first didn't do well.

[Getanet]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but does anyone know if you can buy bullheads? My grandfather moved into a recently built retirement community in Mora. Part of the development was a run-off pond that's only about 1/2 an acre, but 20 feet deep.

Lots of old guys bored out of their minds living in that place, and unfortunately most of them just aren't physically able to go fishing without help from friends/family. I think if there was anything in that pond to catch you'd have quite a few old timers out there.

I should also add there is a bait shop (more like a rundown building with a pond) just south of Mora on Hwy 65 that has a sign reading "Game Fish." Not sure if anyone is familiar with that business or if they sell walleye fingerlings.

[smallie_hawgin]

Is it possible to stock walleyes in a small private lake (40-50 acres) that is overrun by small bass? Also the lake has a max depth of 12-13ft.

This depends... First of all, even if it is a private pond, you will need a stocking/transportation permit to do this legally. Almost all waters in MN are considered public and therefore you need a permit from the DNR to stock fish. Secondly, realize that with that depth, odds are that it winterkills on a relatively frequent basis. This may mean it needs to be restocked with something down the road and your best bet might be waiting until the pond is relatively "clean" before you think about walleye.

WI biologists feel (and there is some evidence to suggest) that the expansion of largemouth bass in the last 15 years has contributed to the decline in walleye survival. We in MN have also seen a lack of success trying to stock walleye where they really don't belong (typical bass-panfish systems). That said, if you combine an aggressive harvest of the largemouth bass with some stocking, you may have some measured success in a small pond environment. Just don't expect the walleye to become the dominant species.

In systems where the state has had a history of stocking walleye in bass-panfish type lakes, our gill net catch rates are usually very low (1-2/gill net). Systems where conditions are more conducive for walleye that we stock, can produce upwards in the neighborhood of 15/net (fry stocking) and about 5-7/net (fingerling stocking). The question I always have to ask, is why? Why mess with the walleye in a small pond? work with what is conducive to that environment- Bass and bluegill. Manage the pond aggressively (and yes this means harvest) and you may be surprised with the results.

On the bullhead question, I would be hard pressed to believe the pond does not have some bullheads already. Almost any interconnected water in central MN has bullheads, green sunfish and usually a pike or two that find their way to those ponds.

[Angstman]

I don't plan on putting them in the lake (I'd be more interested with crappies), I was just wondering if it would work.