Courtesy photo Katelyn Beaver, owner of Beaver Lures in Escanaba, shows off one of the Walleye she has caught over the years. Walleye season starts Sunday.

Andie Balenger | Daily Press
Katelyn Beaver, owner of Beaver’s Lures, poses with a variety of her hand-brushed trolling spoons. Beaver is one of many local anglers who have been preparing for the opening of walleye season on May 15.

ESCANABA — Boat launches at the head of Little Bay de Noc are expected to be packed Sunday for the opening of walleye season, which runs from May 15 to March 15. This possession season includes both walleye and northern pike for Upper Peninsula anglers, with many other species, like smallmouth bass and muskie, being open for catch and immediate release.

Due to the extended winter year, walleye spawning season is about a week and a half behind what is considered to be normal. John Bauman, fisheries biologist for the Michigan DNR Fisheries Division, said this may alter prime fishing locations this walleye season.

“The amount of snowpack and ice on the lake tends to delay spawning, so the walleye spawned the last week of April and were probably done by the first week of May,” Bauman said. “Since they have spawned, they have migrated from their tributaries and are probably consolidated in respectable numbers at the northern end of the bay.”

In terms of game fish populations in Little Bay de Noc, a research unit out of the Marquette Fisheries Research Station has been gathering relative abundance information through standardized gill net assessments every fall. These surveys are used to determine the general demographic and population of the specific species of fish.

“Walleye numbers have increased this past fall compared to the year previous, which was good to see,” Bauman said. “Northern pike were slightly lower. In recent years, lake sturgeon, which is very interesting, have really increased in terms of catch rate during the fall gill net assessment survey.”

In his most recent catch-at-age model, Dr. Troy Zorn, fisheries research biologist based out of the Marquette Fisheries Research Station, estimated the 2019 adult walleye population in Little Bay de Noc to be around 177,000 walleyes. According to Dr. Zorn, the number is believed to be relatively the same for 2022.

The four main tributaries connected to Little Bay de Noc, the Ford River, Escanaba River, Whitefish River, and Rapid River, boast the natural reproduction of walleye. This feat, according to Bauman, is a gem, for it costs virtually nothing to have a large population of walleye every year. Still, Bauman’s work with walleye revolves around the collecting and stocking of the species in local waters every spring.

“Annually, we do an egg take in the northern end of Little Bay de Noc,” Bauman said. “We will set a half a dozen nets or more to get 600 to 1,000 adult walleye, and we gather gametes from male and female walleye to supply the Thompson State Fish Hatchery with eggs. Those fish are then used as the brood source to stock a lot of inland lakes as well as Little Bay de Noc.”

Over the past decade, the water in Little Bay de Noc has gradually become clearer. While “cleaner” water is generally perceived as a good thing, this trend is due to an increase in the number of zebra mussels, an aquatic invasive species, occupying local waters.

“Because of the increase in abundance of zebra mussels, they are filtering out a lot of the nutrients that tend to be the foundation or building blocks of life,” Bauman said. “So while the water is more transparent and cleaner looking, there’s fewer nutrients in it to grow forage fish and things of that nature.”

As anglers rush to Little Bay Sunday, it is important to remember the rules and regulations that help protect the fish and waters that are being enjoyed. Anglers should have their 2022 fishing license and abide by the five fish bag limit. Of these five fish, only one is allowed to be over 23 inches.

When it comes to advice for local anglers, Katelyn Beaver, owner of Beaver’s Lures in downtown Escanaba, is well-prepared through years of fishing and outdoor experience to answer questions regarding the upcoming walleye season.

“There are several spoons and harnesses that you can use for walleye,” Beaver said. “Casting spoons are going to be great if you are casting from shore or off a boat, while trolling spoons you will obviously want to be in a boat trolling so your lure is constantly moving in the water.”

Because walleye are generally nocturnal, Beaver notes the best time to fish for walleye is either at sunrise or sunset. Some anglers even seek out the “night bite,” which is the practice of fishing throughout the dark hours in search of the big catch. Glowing blades will benefit those taking the night shift, their shine helping to catch the eyes of both the walleye and the angler.

“For walleye, I prefer to use lures that have fire tiger patterns,” Beaver said. “But you can catch walleye with anything, like wounded minnows, grubs, and worms. Things that walleye typically eat in the wild will work great as bait.”

For local anglers, like Beaver, the opening of walleye season is a significant aspect of not only Upper Peninsula culture, but the local tourist industry as well.

“Walleye season brings business to our communities, and fishing in general is a big part of that as well,” Beaver said. “I love to fish, so seeing the community get excited to go fish walleye, or just get outdoors, is great.”