SHORELINES

Rider doesn't believe walleye will become a year-round fishery. But during the spawn, they could become fish that anglers seek intentionally rather than catch occasionally by accident. "We want people to be able to go out and target them," Rider said. In addition to capturing fish to spawn them in a hatchery, state biologists have tagged fish with radio transmitters and released them. at allows biologists to follow their movements and learn their habits. McKee, who is based in Tuscaloosa, has been working with a population of walleye living in Mulberry Fork, a branch of the Warrior River. "We're probably going to start looking for more populations," McKee said. "We've had reports from the Cahaba River. Mulberry Fork is the population we're most familiar with. at's where we've tagged fish and released them." e state has also gotten reports of walleye in the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers, but there have been no reports from the Tallapoosa. Walleye in the Tennessee River system and its drainage are Northern walleye, a different strain, McKee said. It is illegal to catch or attempt to catch walleye in White Plains Reservoir, Sweet Water Lake, Shoal Creek upstream of White Plains Reservoir and all tributaries of Lake Mitchell, including Hatchet Creek. Elsewhere in the state, the limit is two per person per day. But McKee strongly suggests anglers release any walleye caught outside of the Tennessee River Drainage. If anyone catches a walleye in any state waters where they are legal to keep outside of the Tennessee River Drainage and can keep it alive and in good shape, McKee asks that they get in touch with him at 205-561-4030. Rider would like to hear from anyone who catches a walleye in water where it is legal to possess them. Email him at Steve.Rider@dcnr.alabama.gov or call him at 334-850-6123. He also recommends that they release any Southern walleye, even where it is legal to keep them. Part of the reason that Alabama anglers know little about walleye is that they have different habits than more popular gamefish. "ey are a deep-water fish," McKee said. "And they spawn in February, which is not a time when a lot of people fish." Walleye seem to prefer oxygenated water about 20 to 25 feet deep where the temperature is 60-65 degrees, McKee said. Once the water cools in fall and winter, they disperse throughout the river. e restocking program's immediate goal is to capture enough fish to allow the hatchery to begin a restocking program. Once biologists have the breeding fish, they want to stock walleye in the state's waters and hopefully restore the fishery. "We want it to be a fishable population all over the state," McKee said. 27 www.apcshorelines.com

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