Photo by Ron Sinfelt

By Walt Tegtmeier

The wait is nearly over. The post-spawn feeding binge that signals the unofficial start to walleye season will soon be upon us. And no matter where you go across the Great Plains, it won't be far from good walleye water. Many anglers in Nebraska, Kansas and the Dakotas rated 2003 as a good to excellent year. Now, area guides and fisheries biologists are cautiously optimistic that another good year - in some instances a better one - is in store.

It may sound like a broken record to anglers in these parts, but it's the case: Many of the region's top walleye fisheries - mainly those associated with irrigation reservoirs in the western halves of each state - continue to experience record-low water levels. But though some lakes may be living on borrowed time, the immediate future still looks pretty bright. Various year-classes of walleyes have come on strong in several fisheries, and some bigger mature fish are also living large for the moment. Also, lower water levels reduce the area to cover while trying to find fish.

Walleye buffs have another boatload of options around the Great Plains this year. Though there are very few "secrets" in walleye-fishing circles these days, many of our lakes may put on a somewhat different face from what we saw last season. Here's what to expect at the region's traditional walleye waterways, as well as a few sleepers that you may have overlooked.

"I say Milford will again be good," he said, "probably not quite as good as last year, due to a heavy harvest in 2003. But there will be good numbers of fish coming through the system that will break the 18-inch length limit this year, and I'm sure there will also be fair numbers of bigger fish too."

Richardson says that despite the crowds before and after the tournament, Milford has handled the pressure well. "We saw a lot of anglers come from everywhere to cash in on the good bite," he recalled, "but my clients and I still caught lots of fish in the 4- to 6-pound range. My biggest was a plump 7-pounder."

A combination of creel surveys and fall population sampling has given fisheries biologists a good idea of what to expect at Kansas' walleye lakes this year. Doug Nygren, fisheries chief for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, reports that despite low water, the reservoirs in the northwest - the state's longstanding walleye hotspots - should hold their own in 2004.

"Kirwin was more than 20 feet low, but we saw good numbers of fish over 20 inches, and our largest sample was 7 pounds," he said. "I rate it as good for this season. Webster will have strong numbers again, but not as many fish over 20 inches as Kirwin. And they are really stacked up at Norton (primarily a saugeye fishery) - lots of sub-legals, but there are some 20-inchers or better. Those lakes are really low, but there's definitely fish there. Cedar Bluff held up a lot better (only 6 feet low), and it should have large numbers of small- to medium-sized walleyes, but not many large fish."

Water levels aren't a problem in central Kansas, where Wilson and Glen Elder lakes look promising for 2004. "Wilson is full and should be excellent," Nygren said, "and Glen Elder should again produce good sizes and numbers, too."

Moving south, things look really good at El Dorado and Marion lakes. Chad Richardson, who fishes various tournament trails across Kansas, believes that El Dorado may be the best in the state for 2004, thanks to a finely-tuned balance of small, medium and big fish. "And if you want sheer numbers but not much of a chance at a big one," he offered, "I recommend Marion. My tournament partner and I caught so many sub-legals there last year that we quit counting. Many of those fish will be keepers this year."

In terms of the east, both Nygren and KDWP biologist Leonard Jirak expect a bright picture at Coffey County Lake. "Coffey is going to be as good as any this year," noted the latter, "and has probably the highest density of quality walleyes in the state."

In order both to thin out Coffey's high numbers and to protect its medium and large fish, Jirak proposed a special 18- to 26-inch-slot limit on the lake for 2003. The catch-and-release opportunities will be excellent in 2004, and anglers can keep two fish under the slot. Don't expect to see many fish above the slot length, however.

"We're still trying to ride through this drought," said Daryl Bauer, program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. "Things are OK for now, but we could see tough years down the road." He notes that while low water has hurt recruitment and reproduction over the past few years, some lakes boast strong year-classes that are scheduled to bloom into keeper fish this year.

That the state is still a great place to take a monster fish is evidenced by the 214 Master Angler walleyes (8 pounds or 28 inches) registered last year - of which half can be laid to the accounts of Lake McConaughy and Harlan County Reservoir (57 and 50, respectively). While Bauer expects worthwhile fishing to continue at both lakes this year, he feels that indications point to the popular big-fish waters' slow evolution into numbers venues. One marker: During sampling last fall, Harlan County was at historically low water levels, yet its per-net average more than doubled over 2002 figures.

"Most of those are the result of a big year-class of 3-year-old fish," Bauer said. "Those are getting close to legal size, but probably not by this spring. Still, it could be a good place to go catch a bunch."

Throw in the lunker fish that still inhabit the lake, and Harlan should be a compelling choice in 2004.

Longtime Nebraska guide Dan Ferguson predicts a stellar year of action at McConaughy, albeit not the customary "Big Mac" bite. "I expect to see a lot of 17- to 21-inchers this year," he said. "There are tremendous numbers of those in the lake. Last year, we didn't get as many big fish, but the bite kept going from April on through November."

Ferguson also has high hopes for Elwood, which is currently being managed with an 18- to 24-inch-slot limit. "You can really see the effects of the trophy program there, and I look to catch a lot of fish within the slot this year. The lake has a strong alewife population, and last year the fish were all fat. It promises to get even better."

Three lakes for which low water is rarely a problem are Sherman, Merritt and Calamus reservoirs; Sherman registered 25 Master Angler walleyes in 2003. The NGPC's Bauer says that any of the three lakes is a good bet for healthy limits and a shot at a giant.

"Merritt is going to be good all around," he stated. "I would say we've got more smaller fish than we used to have. The average is 15 to 18 inches now, though they still pull some 8- and 9-pounders out of there.

"If you just want to catch lots of fish, Calamus would be right up near the top. On a good day in May or June, make sure you take dozens of crawlers or leeches, because you can average 20 to 30 fish. You many only end up with two or three keepers, but you will catch fish."

Bauer awards honorable mention to a few other waterways that Nebraska anglers won't want to neglect. Johnson Reservoir, between Elwood and Lexington, had the highest 'eye density of any lake sampled last fall, though most of those fish were sub-legal. In the Panhandle, Lake Minitare is down 32 feet but had the second-highest number of walleyes sampled. For the southwest, Bauer gives the thumbs-up to Red Willow and Swanson.