# C.J. Brown Walleye stocking



## BlueBoat98 (Nov 5, 2004)

I keep hearing that the state has stopped stocking Walleye in C.J. so I broke down and wrote to ODNR. The attached table contains the actual numbers for the last several years. You'll see that the numbers were normal in 13 and 14 but down A LOT in 15 and 16. The numbers stocked last year were the most ever. There will be a fresh stocking this Spring once the weather warms up enough for the little ones to grow in the ponds.

A 15" keeper Walleye is basically 3 years old. Recruitment (survival) for these stocked Walleye fingerlings is generally estimated at around 3% but always less than or equal to 10%. Fry survival is much less. Even so, that leaves several thousand year class Walleyes in the 2000 acre lake and they don't spread out evenly!

See you out there

MC


----------



## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

BlueBoat98 said:


> I keep hearing that the state has stopped stocking Walleye in C.J. so I broke down and wrote to ODNR. The attached table contains the actual numbers for the last several years. You'll see that the numbers were normal in 13 and 14 but down A LOT in 15 and 16. The numbers stocked last year were the most ever. There will be a fresh stocking this Spring once the weather warms up enough for the little ones to grow in the ponds.
> 
> A 15" keeper Walleye is basically 3 years old. Recruitment (survival) for these stocked Walleye fingerlings is generally estimated at around 3% but always less than or equal to 10%. Fry survival is much less. Even so, that leaves several thousand year class Walleyes in the 2000 acre lake and they don't spread out evenly!
> 
> ...


MAN !!! that place should glow at night with all those eyes (under a spot light)


----------



## walleyejigger (Sep 29, 2009)

19 boats in tourney sunday and 1 dink caught but I think water is still to cold


----------



## All Thumbs (Apr 11, 2004)

BlueBoat98 said:


> A 15" keeper Walleye is basically 3 years old. Recruitment (survival) for these stocked Walleye fingerlings is generally estimated at around 3% but always less than or equal to 10%. Fry survival is much less.


great info blueboat - do you know how long it takes for a fry to become a fingerling? it gives no length for fry in your table -


----------



## BlueBoat98 (Nov 5, 2004)

All Thumbs said:


> great info blueboat - do you know how long it takes for a fry to become a fingerling? it gives no length for fry in your table -


The fry are literally just hatched and are smaller than the smallest guppies you might see in a fish tank. Some places say "the size of a match head." They grow into fingerlings within a couple of months given the correct temperatures and food. You see that the fry stockings are earlier than the fingerlings. I believe ODNR stocks fry when they have more than they want to feed to the fingerling stage. In a lake like CJ with very little vegetation cover for hiding I imagine that the vast majority of fry get Hoovered up by everything else that swims pretty quickly.


----------



## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Everyone broke even in the walleye tournie sunday. 19 boats 0 fish weighed. Rufff!
Thanks for the stocking info blueboat


----------



## walleyejigger (Sep 29, 2009)

Saugeyefisher said:


> Everyone broke even in the walleye tournie sunday. 20+ boats 0 fish weighed. Rufff!
> Thanks for the stocking info blueboat


19 boats


----------



## Lowell H Turner (Feb 22, 2011)

They are still in the lake but just been working too much to get to go. Last night managed to hit the Tower for a hour, many splashes and 4 hits but no prize. Left reeking of Pepe La Phew...


----------



## All Thumbs (Apr 11, 2004)

you gave the percentages for fingerlings and frys, now find the percentage of them going out the dam. 75%? lol


----------



## BlueBoat98 (Nov 5, 2004)

All Thumbs said:


> you gave the percentages for fingerlings and frys, now find the percentage of them going out the dam. 75%? lol


Yeah, that is the big question. I believe it's a lot and the COE absolutely doesn't care about anything but the water level and ODNR has no control over them. So, no matter how much is spent on stocking in a given year a lot of it goes down the drain.


----------



## crappie hunter (Apr 14, 2004)

Took the boat out yesterday to get the "rust off", didn't expect much and expectations were met, one WB on a crank bait. Water temps ranged from 51.2-54.6, did get "surveyed" on my thoughts on the walleye and other species. Apparently 400,00 fingerlings stocked this year, I did bring up different theories of survival. From not being able to get out of the boat ramp due to the wall and becoming easy prey before they can find their way into open water, as well as a high % going down the drain, all points brought up in these forums. I did suggest an alternate stocking point ie the campground beach/public beach as well as the northern section, his response was access might be difficult, I guess backing the truck down the boat ramp is most convenient. On a side not, he did indicate that CJ is being looked at as a possible muskie lake as the state has an over abundance of muskie for their stocking program, I guess more to come, but he was pretty certain CJ would be the next lake to receive these toothy critters.


----------



## Troy Dave (Jan 26, 2007)

I heard the musky rumor last fall and I can't say I'm real excited about it. CJ is pretty much a big bowl with no weed beds or classic points or deep coves and hardly any lay downs along the shore to cast to. I'm not sure how you would fish for them other than aimlessly troll the lake. If they have excess I would rather see them added to existing stockings. I started fishing for them some at Caesars Creek and actually caught a few last year. I guess that is a benefit of the stinky walleye fishing at CJ, it made me try something else.


----------



## crappie hunter (Apr 14, 2004)

I brought up the lack of structure that muskie relate to and his answer was that the islands in the north end of the lake along with access to the creek made CJ a viable option according to their study. I'm with you Dave, have been fishing CC more to target muskie and have started to find a little success. If the walleye fishing continues to get tougher and tougher it's going to get hard to fight the crowd every weekend for "stinky walleye fishing". See you out there soon!!!!


----------



## boaterfisherdude (Feb 16, 2005)

Blueboat shhhhhh there's no walleye in CJ  

Interesting data. I wonder if there will be more room/forage for these smaller year classes to grow bigger!


----------



## BlueBoat98 (Nov 5, 2004)

boaterfisherdude said:


> Blueboat shhhhhh there's no walleye in CJ
> 
> Interesting data. I wonder if there will be more room/forage for these smaller year classes to grow bigger!


Yeah, all you guys go to Caesar Creek. Nothing to see here.


----------



## david11959 (Apr 22, 2004)

I don’t think the musky stocking will do any thing with the walleye the musky main diet is shad they tryed to say the same thing up north and they only found musky they found only 3% that musky had walleye in them sailt fork has musky and walleye in the lake


----------

