Wildlife and Parks

State fisheries’ biologists are embarking on a saugeye project that promises positive effects on the state walleye population, as well as other species.

Because walleye populations in some lakes have struggled despite stocking programs, Wildlife and Parks has helped fill this niche by stocking hybrid saugeye – a cross between the walleye and the sauger.

The resulting fish is one that displays hybrid vigor, growing faster and larger than the sauger and perhaps more adaptable to high flow-through reservoirs than the walleye.

The problem with the normal cross-breeding process – which produces a diploid hybrid – is that diploid saugeye may spawn with pure-strain walleye, diluting the genetics of the walleye population.

They may also be washed out of a reservoir and travel downstream to another lake, with the potential to dilute another walleye population’s genetics.

The new process for creating saugeye – called triploid induction – may solve the problem. Triploid induction is a technique that allows genetic manipulation of a chromosome number to create a potentially faster-growing, but sterile, fish.

Wildlife and Parks biologists will be using hydrostatic pressure chambers on the agency’s walleye barge right where eggs are harvested on Milford Reservoir.

The goal is to produce a million saugeye. After hatching, some of the fry will be stocked in Lake Afton, Harvey County Lake East and Wellington City Lake. Others will be held at the Pratt Hatchery and grown large enough to take blood samples to test the success rate.

The new process holds promise for other species, too. White crappie, which can quickly overpopulate and stunt fish growth in smaller impoundments, could be triploid-induced, making white crappie stocking of smaller state fishing lakes and community lakes possible.

Grass carp, which are stocked to control aquatic vegetation, could also be put through this process, eliminating reproduction of an essentially undesirable nonsport fish in Kansas waters.

Fishing report

CLINTON LAKE (Updated 3-30) – Sauger poor. A few fish have been caught trolling deep-diving crankbaits. Note 15-inch length limit. Walleye poor. A few have been taken in the outlet area, a few have been caught by crappie anglers and some have been caught off the face of the dam at night using curly-tailed jigs and crankbaits. Crappie fair. Action has slowed with most fish being caught on tube jigs around brush near river channels.

LONE STAR LAKE (Updated 3-30) – Largemouth bass fair on jigs and plastic worms. Crappie fair. Most fish are small and caught mainly around the marina.

DOUGLAS STATE LAKE (Updated 3-30) – Closed to fishing. Lake has been drained for repair of dam and water-intake line. Weather has hampered recent construction. Little progress occurred during last week.

LEAVENWORTH STATE LAKE (Updated 3-30) – Largemouth bass fair using jigs, plastic worms and suspending crankbaits. Crappie poor using jigs at 10-25 feet. Some fish were caught in coves at about 8 feet. Walleye should be moving into rocky areas to spawn and anglers may have success through mid-April casting floating-diving crankbaits or jigs along dam at night.

PERRY LAKE (Updated 3-22) – Channel catfish slow using shad. Sauger fair on rocky points on west side towards the dam on crankbaits or twisters. White bass fair on rocky points, using twisters or shad colored crankbaits. White crappie fair on tube jigs and minnows at 12-16 feet.

LAKE SHAWNEE (Updated 3-30) – Crappie fair near heated dock using minnows and jigs. Trout fair. Action has slowed, but some trout still being caught on Little Cleos, roadrunners, roostertails and power bait.