Walleyes in Cayuga

[Second Chance 22]

You gents that would like to see walleyes in Cayuga need to be d*mned careful what you ask for.

Walleyes destroyed the rainbow and brown fishery in Owasco and their wholesale introduction into Cayuga would probably produce the same results. So if you don't want to catch landlocks, rainbows and browns; feel free to stock walleyes.

[OldTex]

Thank You.22 for posting that..Over in Otsego ( Cooperstown ) Lake ..they stocked walleyes several years ago and although they stay mostly in the north end around " sunken island ".I believe what you stated is happening there.My son and I fish this lake once in spring (shakedown) and in the fall ( after our camps at Cayuga ) are closed....The catch ( we catch and release ) is not as great last year as in years before the walleye....even though the limit has been lowered to ONE on trout and LL..

[skanperch]

I wouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions and blame walleyes for the severe deterioration of the the bow and brown fishery in Owasco.....

As I have pointed out on this forum before,over the past 10 -15 yrs or so, during the same time that Owasco suffered that decline, Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka and Canandaigua all experienced similar radical declines in their non-lake trout trout populations. As there are not walleyes in those other lakes, there is lots of suspicion that the invasive species, mussels, fleas, and God knows what else etc might have had something to do with it.

Even last yr, the diary data showed that, for example, in Cayuga, rainbows accounted for only 4% of the trout catch, and 2% in 2009. Similar declines have occurred in the other lakes mentioned. The famous spring rainbow runs are a small fraction of what they once were, and not just in Owasco. Back in the 70s and 80s, rainbows were far more prevalent, if I recall correctly, they comprised 20 -30% of the Cayuga catch. Admittedly the browns and salmon are looking better in Cayuga now, but this may be due to stocking policy vs Owasco. Certainly that applies in the case of the salmon.

I think it is simplistic to knee-jerk and point the finger at walleyes as the sole destructive force to Owasco's rainbows and browns, and I am not so sure that a thriving walleye population in Cayuga would be anything but a good thing, adding some intriguing

variety to Cayuga's angling options. Cayuga's a big lake, and IMO, could accommodate another tier of game fish species. And if I wrong about that, the fishery could always be curtailed by stopping the stocking. There may or may not be some walleye reproduction going on in Cayuga now, but if it exists, it obviously is not enough fill the lake with walleyes.

Ain't gonna happen anytime soon, though - the state has no surplus walleyes for stocking, even if it wanted to.

[Second Chance 22]

Your absolutely right that many things have impacted the ecosystems of our lakes during the last 15 years of so. None of our lakes are as productive, especially in terms of forage, as they used to be. Walleyes would depend on the same limited forage base that trout do.

As far as jumping to conclusions goes, please read the angler diary summary reports for Owasco Lake. You will see that my opinions reflect the writings of fisheries biologists that know a whole lot more about this than I do.

[Guest coreysheils06]

Owasco still produced good trout when the walleye were there. Ive also caught walleye in Cayuga and Secena River in the past so I cant say walleye hurt the population. Just my 2 cents.

[lyk2fish]

The biologists also admitted, although not writen, that they put too many lake trout in Owasco.

Back in the hay days of browns in Owasco, before I was there I know many were getting yanked out according to some old timers I know, Especially those fat Sea-furs.

I'm a walleye fisherman there and a former student of fisheries, and the only thing I have found in the walleye stomachs for the past 4 years in the spring or fall is alewife and perch. I have never seen a trout in their stomachs. However I have caught a few northerns with small trout in their stomachs on the south end.

By far the most aggresive predator in that lake by numbers is the lake trout, and I wouldn't even blame them.

Got to consider that any rainbow or brown that runs that outlet to spawn in the spring or fall surely has a chance to get swept over. I have seen in recent years the walleye in the spring and the lakers the fall loaded in that spillway.

Although I can't use Cayuga as an example, I would agree with the earlier post sighting seneca and kayuka comparing their similer decline of rainbow and browns with no walleye present.

[skanperch]

Chance - oh yeah, I sure read the Owasco diary report for 2010...... And frankly, I think it's an example of bureaucratic ass covering ( for the possiblity of having mismanaged Owasco's fishery with too many lakers) or not having an answer and not wanting to admit it, and pretending they know by scapegoating the walleyes. There are simply too many holes in that explanation for me to buy it.

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