Why isn't there a closed season or other walleye harvest restriction on Devils Lake or other North Dakota water bodies in the spring?

To answer this question, we must first determine if there is a problem with harvesting walleye in the spring. Some opponents of spring fishing argue that it has the potential to result in over-harvest of big females, which would seemingly hurt reproduction potential for the year. This becomes a moot point on most North Dakota lakes that are sustained through stocking rather than natural reproduction.

On walleye fisheries that do reproduce naturally, environmental factors have played a far stronger role in successful reproduction than harvest. For example, the strongest walleye year class on record in Devils Lake was produced in a year (2009) when spring fishing, and presumably harvest, was very good. It’s also noteworthy that the Missouri River System has been open to year-round fishing since 1975 and the rest of the state, including Devils Lake, has been open year-round since 1993. Through the test of time, Game and Fish biologists have not documented any negative effects on walleye reproduction in Devils Lake, or anywhere else in North Dakota, from spring fishing.

While spring fishing at historic levels hasn’t posed a reproductive (i.e., a biological) problem, it still has social implications for some who feel that spawning fish in the spring may be too vulnerable to harvest. Spring fishing often involves fish that are concentrated and more accessible at that time, particularly for shore anglers. While some anglers view this practice as acceptable, others believe that anglers who harvest big fish in the spring are "taking more than their fair share," which diminishes opportunities for others to catch big walleyes.

However, the early spring period usually accounts for less than 5 percent of the total open-water walleye harvest at Devils Lake. While spring anglers have the potential to harvest more large walleye than at other times, creel surveys generally show that about 80 percent of walleye harvested during the spring at Devils Lake are under 20 inches. Moreover, spring fishing is a prime time for shore anglers to experience good fishing success that boat anglers may experience throughout the open water season. Closing the season in the spring would seriously diminish opportunities for shore anglers.

The Game and Fish Department carefully monitors fish populations and would consider appropriate regulations if they would result in actual improvements in population structure or health. But when regulations would have no effect on the population, the Department leaves the personal decision whether to harvest a fish up to the anglers.