question for backwater eddie

[Guest]

hey ed i was wondering if you have ever experianced this. I fish a tributary on the red north of you and every year we catch walleyes but it we only seem to catch so many. for 15 years we would catch walleyes all winter but then somebody figured out what we were doing and now so many people come down the bite only lasts a few weeks. on the red do you think there are only so many fish that use this tributary and when they are gone they are none to replace them but next year they will be back have you ever experianeced this thanks for your answer

[Guest]

That would depend on if they can travel in and out of the trib easily, forage availability, and the river flow.

Fish that are basic stranded generally get harvested out in a short time. Fish that can move back to the main river may do so in response to forage movements.

Fall movement of certain forage may led the walleye up into the tribs where they hang out tell the pickings get slim, then they return to the main channel, if they can.

Walleye treat river flow like we do if we are walking into a cold wind. Given a choice we opt to skip the wind, and hang out where the walking is easy.

If the flow is high on a trib they back off to look for areas that will require less energy to hang out in. Conservation of energy is often there key to winter survival, and availability of forage.

Walleye build up the majority of their winter stores of fat in the fall. They live off this through lean times under the ice. If forage is abundant they hang tight to those areas and feed at will, if not, they are forced to hunt wider areas to cope.

High flows under the ice often has walleye hunkered down in deep pools, or behind obstructions(snags). Slow to moderate flows they may wonder longer distances searching for forage thus making them more difficult to pinpoint.

On our central region of the Red River you may often find a bunch of walleye holding on or near a pool today, gone the next, "POOF".

The slower the flow the more they go, that is what I see very often.

Flows are slow this winter, I suspect fish are on the move more then holding tight to deep pools.

Hope this helps?

What tribs you fishing?

------------------
Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson..><sUMo>

Backwater Guiding
"Ed on the RED"
(701)-281-2300

[email protected]

http://ed-carlson.fishingbuddy.com