Walleye reproduction

[Scott M]

The perch comparisons come up every once in a while. How come southern Minnesota doesn't have perch lakes like parts of eastern South Dakota or Devil's lake North Dakota?

For one, our lake's are older with established, diverse fish communities. The lakes (glorified sloughs in many cases) being compared are newer with simple fish communities. They are generally hard bottomed lakes that are benefiting from changes in the watershed that are growing the respective waterbodies. Most of these great perch fishing lakes in the Dakotas started out as small duck sloughs that are getting larger each year - and keep growing. This means new, former terrestrial habitats are now becoming aquatic. Expanding a basin's size and flooding former terrestrial habitat is a boon for many fish. There are new spawning substrates, more productive littoral area introduced, and these lakes benefit from a part of these lakes becoming a virtual unexploited vacuum for fish growth. Again, these are simple fish communities so any new water available are more resources for the inhabitants, be it perch, pike, or walleye. Freshwater shrimp drive growth on a lot of these basins. The basins are hard bottomed, with lots of cattail and other submergent and emergent vegetation. Back in Minnesota, we have soft bottomed waterbodies, with most emergent vegetation gone and submergent vegetation very limited. We have lakes with freshwater shrimp, but nowhere near as abundant as the lakes and sloughs in North and South Dakota.

The closest Minnesota comes to replicating those super perch lakes of North and South Dakota are a handful of lakes in extreme western Minnesota. Shaokotan, Hendricks, Big Stone, Traverse, and a few smaller slough style lakes.

In south central Minnesota, the closest thing we get to the perch lakes of glacial country in eastern SoDak or some of the perch sloughs in NoDak are a few winterkill basins in Freeborn and Blue Earth county. Ida and Armstrong have had big perch - matter of fact before this past winter, Ida had some very nice perch coming along. Pickerel, Albert Lea, and Freeborn all have produced huge perch. I saw some real monsters (13-14 inchers, approaching 2 pounds) on Pickerel and managed to catch a few in the winter of 2012-2013. Even last winter before it killed a few locals found some for the taxidermist. They aren't one after another like you can sometimes find in the Dakotas, but there are some really big fish and decent abundance too. These waterbodies, operated as boom and bust fisheries, are as close as this area can come to what you see in the Dakotas.

[kerryd15]

Thanks for the info Scott. Is there a place to find info on the trapnet on area lakes this spring after the winterkill.

[PurpleFloyd]

Back in Minnesota, we have soft bottomed waterbodies, with most emergent vegetation gone and submergent vegetation very limited.

Any info on the cause of the loss of vegetation?

[bigsam]

Any info on the cause of the loss of vegetation?

Lake associations having the DNR come in and chemically remove it so they can swim.

[PurpleFloyd]

Any info on the cause of the loss of vegetation?

[bigsam]

They just kill certain areas. Lakehome owners want that pristine swimming area to show off to their friends. So, it's not a total loss of vegetation. Just a good-sized portion of it. Perch like to hang in the weeds for cover. Less cover, more predation. Nature of the beast big boy

[PurpleFloyd]

They just kill certain areas. Lakehome owners want that pristine swimming area to show off to their friends. So, it's not a total loss of vegetation. Just a good-sized portion of it. Perch like to hang in the weeds for cover. Less cover, more predation. Nature of the beast big boy

Isolated weed control is not the determining factor in the number of Perch in the prairie pothole lakes vs the lakes in SD and ND.

[flipper]

Population density, shoreline development, bottom content, and several other factors play a role. I don't believe walleye stocking is much of a factor in why we don't have great perch fishing here.

[brian6715]

People keeping every perch they catch might be rather high on the list.

[Matt C]

Scott, as always. Excellent information!

[Slab_Supper]

Decreased water quality from draintiling is killing the weeds. Increase nutrients causes more algal growth which blocks the sun which kills the vegetation. Less weeds less shrimp.