ACCL Fishery Outing
On April 26th 2025 a beautiful sunny spring day we were able to observe the abundance of walleyes the MN state fish. We met at the Boy River west of Longville. There was a great turnout of observers. A big thanks to Jody Derks, Walkers DNR Fishery, for arranging and education
The Procedure: As you saw, the DNR sets traps when water temperatures hit roughly 40–45°F. Workers carefully "strip" or milk the eggs from females and milt (sperm) from males into a bowl.
The Feather Technique: Stirring the mixture with a turkey feather is a traditional, gentle method to ensure fertilization without crushing the delicate eggs.
Preventing Clumping: Often, a clay slurry (bentonite) or tannic acid is added to the mixture to keep the naturally sticky eggs from clumping together, which ensures they get enough oxygen to hatch.
The Hatchery Journey: After "hardening" in coolers for a few hours, the eggs are shipped to the hatchery facilities.
In about three weeks, they hatch into fry, which may then be raised into fingerlings before being stocked into lakes across the state.
ACCL wants to host future events like this. Please let us know what your interests are.
Chris Weegman
President/Fisheries
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