Fishing the Muskegon River this spring? Be on the lookout for Michigan Department of Natural Resources personnel collecting walleye eggs below Croton Dam. Egg collections with electrofishing boats will start as early as the week of March 24 and conclude by April 12.
Four days of egg collections are planned this spring. The date those collections will begin depends on water temperatures and the presence of ripe fish (fish that are ready to spawn), and the schedule may change based on conditions.
The egg-take zone runs from Croton Dam downstream to the Pine Street Access Site, so anglers who wish to avoid the walleye collection activities should fish downstream from the Pine Street Access Site. Anyone fishing near the egg-collection zone should use caution when fishing near the electrofishing boats. For safety, anyone wading will be asked to exit the water when electrofishing boats approach.
Electrofishing usually begins at Croton Dam each day at 8 a.m. and proceeds downstream to the Pine Street Access Site. If more eggs are needed, additional collections may occur downstream to the Thornapple Avenue (High Rollway) Access Site.
The DNR plans to collect approximately 26 million walleye eggs from the Muskegon River this year. Some of the fry (fish that have just hatched) from these eggs will be directly placed in waters throughout the Lower Peninsula and some will be sent to rearing ponds. Walleye fry transferred to ponds will be raised to fingerling size (approximately 1.5 to 2.5 inches) and stocked in late spring or early summer in lakes and rivers throughout the state. A smaller number of fish will be reared through the summer months in select ponds and stocked as fall fingerlings (approximately 6 to 8 inches).
Lake Michigan and many inland lake walleye populations in the Lower Peninsula depend on the fingerlings produced from Muskegon River eggs. The number of spawning walleye in the Muskegon River has been estimated at 40,000 to 50,000 fish. DNR crews will collect milt (sperm) and eggs from approximately 400 adult fish on-site this spring. These fish are immediately returned to the river — except for 60 fish, which will be collected for routine, annual health and disease surveillance testing at Michigan State University.
The Muskegon River has the largest run of walleye in the Lake Michigan watershed, south of Green Bay, and its adult walleye population is primarily stocked fish. These walleye contribute to populations in other areas, based on fish tags that are returned to the DNR by anglers. Walleye from the Muskegon River have been recaptured in Lake Macatawa, Spring Lake, Manistee Lake and Pigeon Lake, as well as the Grand, Kalamazoo, Pere Marquette and White rivers.
