Do you dream of being able to fish for walleye at any point in the year? Or being able to fish for them in a controlled environment so that you can use that experience to master fishing for them anywhere else? If so, you may want to consider stocking your pond with walleye.
Walleye are one of the most popular game fish in North America. Anglers go out to fish for them year after year. Not only are they a fun fish to reel in, but they taste great, too. It’s no wonder that there’s an interest in stocking ponds with them. Learn everything you need to know about the walleye’s habitat, as well as how to stock a pond with them, using this article.
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Best Habitats For Walleye
In the wild, walleye tend to inhabit lakes and rivers with deeper waters and gravel or rocky bottoms. During the day they tend to stay near the bottom of the body of water that they inhabit, as they are primarily nocturnal fish.
If in a lake or pond, walleye will spend their time around underwater structures throughout the day. However, on overcast days they may be able to be found moving throughout the body of water, feeding on their prey. They will also venture into shallow waters if the water has high turbidity. Walleye enjoy water with a maximum visibility of 3 to 6 feet in most cases.
The Features Walleye Like in the Water
As mentioned before, walleye are inclined to spend their time near underwater structures. These structures can include fallen trees, large boulders, or any other area large enough for the walleye to hide in. The fish also enjoy a rocky or gravel bottom with reefs and vegetation.
In addition to the items listed above, walleye also enjoy water with shaded areas. The shade can be produced by overhanging trees or manmade structures. Since walleye have such sensitive eyes, they can be found in shaded areas during daylight hours.
Stocking Your Pond With Walleye
For a long period of time, it was said that stocking a pond with walleye wasn’t possible. This is because of the sensitive nature of the fish. However, in more recent years people have been seeing success stocking ponds once thought to be too small with walleye. There are some caveats on how to do so, though, and specific conditions need to be taken into account.
Water Movement
Walleye require moving water during the summer months because of their need to stay near the bottom of the pond. Should the water in a pond or small lake stagnate, it will kill the walleye. The pond being considered for walleye stocking needs to be reviewed and checked for moving bottom water. If the pond lacks the appropriate amount of water movement, water circulators can be installed to simulate the current that walleye need to maintain healthy lives.
Aeration
Walleye are some of the first fish to die in bodies of water that have depleted oxygen levels. Evidence of this can be found in smaller bodies of water during the winter months, when surface aeration is impeded due to freezing water. Installing an aeration system in most ponds being considered for walleye stocking is a must. Not only will this benefit the health of the walleye that you’re raising, but it will benefit the health of the entire pond.
Competition
While we plan on discussing exactly what fish to stock with walleye in a pond, it’s also important to explain how competition will affect a budding walleye population in a stocked pond. Walleye, while they are voracious predators, aren’t highly aggressive like other predatory fish. If you’re planning on stocking a pond with walleye, it may benefit you and the fish in the long run to remove other, more aggressive predatory fish beforehand. Fish to consider for removal are both small-mouth and large-mouth bass, as they will ferociously compete with walleye in the same body of water.
Additionally, walleye will compete with one another. When stocking a pond with walleye it’s recommended only to stock 20 to 25 fish per surface acre of the body of water.
Breeding
In most cases, walleye are not considered to be able to breed in a healthy manner in a pond. While some breeding may occur (though it is rare), the population of fish will only decrease over time. Ponds are not ideal breeding grounds for walleye, and if they do breed after being stocked in a pond, the resulting offspring likely won’t make it into adulthood. If they do, there won’t be enough to keep a self-sustaining population alive in the pond.
Feeder Fish to Stock With Walleye
When stocking walleye, there are a few foraging fish that can be stocked alongside them to ensure that they have a healthy amount of fish to live off of.
Fathead Minnows
Fathead minnows are excellent fish to stock with walleye. Both juvenile and adult walleye enjoy feeding on fathead minnows. Fathead minnows will typically spawn frequently enough (3 to 4 times a year) to create a self-sustaining population without any issues. Furthermore, they’re an important part of most pond’s ecosystems. They feed on plankton and mosquito larva, making them very desirable foraging fish to keep with walleye. A starting population of fathead minnows should be stocked at 100 to 150 pounds per surface acre of water.
Bluegill and Hybrid Bluegill
If you’ve got a pond that’s overrun with bluegill, stocking a few walleye can help solve your problem and create a healthy ecosystem once more. Walleye are fantastic population control for overactive bluegill. That being said, should you lack any sort of bluegill in the water, stocking hybrid bluegill alongside walleye could be a good idea. Hybrid bluegill will provide a good food source for the walleye you plan on keeping, on top of being another fun fish to catch. These fish also won’t overpopulate, as they are sterile. If you’re considering stocking hybrid bluegill with your walleye, it’s recommended to stock 500 to 1,000 fish per surface acre of water.
Yellow Perch
These are a favorite of walleye in the wild, and should most definitely be stocked with them when stocking a walleye pond. Yellow perch can be fairly problematic fish to stock, however. They have very few requirements when it comes to spawning, and as such populations can become out of control quite easily. While a healthy population of walleye can prevent that, it’s important to keep an eye on the population so that stunting doesn’t occur. Walleye are very sensitive to oxygen levels, and too many perch may end up killing walleye in the long run. If stocking yellow perch alongside walleye, it’s recommended to start with 300 to 500 per surface acre of water.
Key Takeaways
For decades it was thought that sustaining a healthy population of walleye in a pond was unable to be done. However, after many attempts and studies of the fish, it has been determined that ponds can, in fact, be stocked with walleye. These populations are unlikely to become self-sustaining, breeding populations, but they do make for good game fishing should their conditions be met.
Ponds will need adequate aeration and water circulation, as well as the right foraging fish stocked alongside them. Should all the conditions be met, there’s no reason that trophy-sized walleye can’t be homegrown in a pond.
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