Exploitation of Walleye in Milford Reservoir, Kansas with an Emphasis on a Large Fishing Tournament

Abstract

We estimated exploitation of walleye at Milford Reservoir in 2015 by tagging 433 walleye with reward tags and monitoring their returns for one year. Estimates of annual exploitation varied from 22% to 50%, depending on angler nonreporting rate. An objective of this study was to determine effect of a large walleye tournament on exploitation of walleye. Exploitation of walleye by tournament anglers was low and immediate mortality associated with tournament weigh in procedures was also low. In general, most harvest of tagged walleye came from recreational anglers who resided in Northeast Kansas near Milford Reservoir. Approximately 85% of tagged fish reported by anglers were caught in April through June. Linear regression indicated a negative relationship between proportion of tagged fish caught per length group and increasing size, suggesting catchability of tagged fish decreased with increasing size. Male and female walleye were caught by anglers in approximately similar proportions to those in which they were tagged.