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walleye in stagecoach

4K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  Rip Lip 
#1 ·
not sure how they got in there and doubt if they can reproduce but that is what I heard.
 
#2 ·
A few years ago, I talked to a stagecoach veteran who also frequents this site (and has posted 30+lb pike photos from stagecoach), and he told me he's caught a couple nice walleye out of there. In the 2 dozen or so times I've been there, I've never caught or seen one. I've only caught brown trout (2, a small one on a grub and a 4 lb on a crank, lost like a 7 lb brown on a buzzbait tho), rainbow trout (many, up to 5-6 lbs on many things, spoon, spinner, buzzbait), and pike (up to about 20 lb landed, but I've had some on much larger). I've seen many fathead minnows as well.

I bet they CAN reproduce in there, however I doubt that hardly any of the fry survive, what with all the teeth (pike and trout) in there
 
#7 ·
unless there was a massive stocking of many, many walleye (at least several hundred thousand every year for 5 years+) in there not enough would be able to reach adult size to be able to sustain a population. Predation by all the pike and all the trout in there would do it. I've fished that lake and had hundred pike days so I know what I'm talking about. not many places (read, just there, nowhere else) have I caught that many pike in a day. The lakes I fish in Michigan have both pike and walleye but let me tell you the pike are in a much lower concentration in the good walleye fisheries, in comparison to how many pike are in stagecoach/in colorado fisheries. Stagecoach has many long grassy flats its prime breeding ground for pike...there will ALWAYS be a lot of juvenile pike there and juvenile pike are very picivorous. You are in over your head trying to argue with me swimbait so don't even bother.

Also, not to mention the trout that are stocked in stagecoach have a ridiculous growth rate and are quite voracious in their own regard.
 
#8 ·
The main thing with walleye is water fluctuation!! Do they draw down Stagecoach early in the spring?

Most resevoirs don't have much natural reproduction because the eggs and fry get left high and dry. The DOW doesn't put them in small lakes and pits here on the east slope because they will reproduce and quickly become the dominent preditor! Not saying that is a bad thing ;D They use Saugeye instead.

To build a population in Stagecoach you would have to stock them heavily for two or three years and if they have proper spawning conditions? They could establish themselve's no matter what else is in there. Do trout and Pike eat small walleye? Yeah. So do Perch until the tables get turned!

There has never been a recorded instance where trout have decimated a Walleye fishery, but there are plenty examples of the reverse!!! Walleye ate entire 2 million fish stocking of trout in Seminoe in the early 90s. Both the trout fisheries in Seminoe and Pathfinder were severely damaged. The Wyoming Dow started palnting trout in both, in the fall with 10 inch trout as a remedy and the rest is history! Glendo was a trout fishery until walleye's made their way down the Platte from Pathfinder!

Maybe a Bucket Biologist put some adult walleye in Stagecoach?
 
#10 ·
TroutFishingBear said:
water levels hold pretty consistent
See they do at Glendo thru spring and early summer. Glendo has massive shallow spawning habitat and a massive walleye population. They usually don't start drawing down Glendo till late summer! But then they really pull the plug!

The eggs have time to hatch and the fry have lots of flooded brush and trees to hide in.

Even if the water did stay stable at Stegecoach? You will never get the DOW to stock walleye on West Slope anyway! Maybe you already have a small population in Stagecoach?
 
#11 ·
yeah glendo has always intrigued me. I think your assessment of the adult walleye probably being a factor of bucket biologist as correct, however that's hard to say for certain, as I recall from several years ago I talked to a guy that said his grandson caught 1 walleye in the yampa river, near dinosaur ntl monument (so way the hell downstream of the coach)...this was actually before that reliable member on here told me he had caught a total of 2 walleye in stagecoach...so Idk...who knows how long they've been there, or in the river...
 
#15 ·
I've personally caught several out of Stagecoach. This was 4 or so years ago, but I heard of one being caught this fall up there, so there are still a few in there. I doubt that many are in there, but there are a few. The abundance of craws and fattheads in there would certainly support them, but who knows if there are enough to spawn and increase numbers.
 
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