Ortonville Area Newsletter March 2021

Big Stone Lake has been a Yellow Perch factory!

By BJ Bauer

Anglers familiar with Big Stone

Lake know what an amazing Yel-

low Perch fishery it has. In fact,

the 2020 net catch was the highest

on record for Big Stone! The popu-

lation, has high numbers of young

perch in the 5 to 7-inch range but

also many in the 8 to 9.5-inch

range as well. While the size

structure of the population does

fluctuate over time, tremendous

natural reproduction and survival

of young fish to adult-

hood continue to provide

excellent numbers of perch.

So how does the lake

keep producing? Big Stone is a

large and very productive lake in a

very fertile part of the state. The

nutrients that produce algae

blooms in the summer

are also an important part of

the food web for zooplankton

and other aquatic inverte-

brates (insects). Aquatic inver-

tebrates and small prey fish are

abundant and allow perch of all

sizes to grow fast in Big

Stone. It typically takes 3

summers for a Big Stone perch

to reach 9 inches, which is

some of the fastest growth in

the state. It is remarkable how

the quality of the Yellow Perch

population has maintained

itself over the last 30 years.

There are very few lakes in the

state of Minne-

sota that can compete with Big

Stone Lake in regard

to numbers and average size of

Yellow Perch. Check

out the graph to see how the

Yellow Perch population in Big

Stone Lake compares to some

other large lakes in the state,

based on recent surveys.

Assessing our fisheries

By BJ Bauer

Various nets and other sampling gear

are used in our area lakes to gather

information about fish numbers, sizes,

ages, food and health. Annual fish pop-

ulation surveys occur on Artichoke, Big

Stone, Hendricks, Lac qui Parle and

Traverse Lakes. In 2020, other lakes

surveyed were East Toqua, Long Tom,

Steep Bank, Little Long and Marsh lakes.

Results of these surveys and stocking

records can be found at the Lakefinder

link on the Minnesota Department of

Natural Resources website at

mndnr.gov/lakefinder Also, check out

the 2021 Fishing Outlook on the

Ortonville Area Fisheries webpage.

In addition to the annually sampled

lakes, we will assess John Reservoir,

Porter Reservoir, Perch Lake, Marsh

Lake and Canby Creek this season. We will have preliminary data available by early fall. Full reports will be completed by the following March.

Walleye Harvest 2020

By Kyle Anderson

In 2020, COVID 19 brought

challenges to the entire globe.

Nearly everyone had to learn

how to deal with shutdowns,

restrictions, and new ways of

doing things. The Department

of Natural Resources Section of

Fisheries was no different. For

the first time in over a century,

the spring walleye egg take op-

eration was suspended at all

seven collection sites. Because

of this, the 250 to 300 million

walleye fry normally stocked

each year into lakes and rearing

ponds across the state were not

available. The Ortonville Area

Fisheries office typically stocks

20 to 25 million into rearing

ponds, to be harvested during

the fall as fingerlings. With fin-

gerling harvest not an option,

the Ortonville Fisheries staff,

using new COVID safety proto-

cols, concentrated their efforts

on ponds that had not winter-

killed in recent years to harvest

carryover walleyes.

The Ortonville Area’s

average yearly harvest of walleyes is a little over 15,000

pounds of combined

fingerlings, yearlings, and

adults. In 2020, the harvest

included 3,356 pounds of adult

walleyes and 4,844 pounds of

yearling walleyes, for a total of

8,200 pounds. Adult walleyes

averaging one pound or more

were primarily stocked within

the Ortonville Management Ar-

ea. Basins stocked included

Kids Fishing Ponds located in or

near the cities of Appleton, Can-

by, Clinton and Marietta, and

small lakes, including Botkers,

John, Long Tom and Porter.

Over 500 pounds of these larger

fish were transferred to the East

Metro office to stock Fishing in

the Neighborhood ponds, which

are small basins stocked to

enhance urban shore fishing

opportunities.

Most of the yearling walleyes

were transferred to other DNR

Areas, including Detroit Lakes,

Fergus Falls, Glenwood, and

Hinckley, to help fill their

stocking quotas.

Yearling walleyes were also

stocked into the west basin of

Oliver Lake, north of the City of

Appleton. The right pelvic fin of

each walleye stocked into West

Oliver was clipped prior to

stocking. Fin clips allow survey

crews to use future netting as-

sessments to evaluate the con-

tribution these stocked walleyes make to the overall population.

The year 2020 certainly

came with many challenges, but

with some effort and

cooperation, most local and

statewide stocking quotas were

met. We are hoping 2021 brings

us back to more normal

operating conditions!

Photos of adult walleyes being stocked into Clinton Kids Fishing Pond.

Why Stream Connectivity Matters – Dams

By Chris Domeier

A friend called me one

evening in December and

said there were ten fish

houses on the West Branch

of the Lac qui Parle (WBLQP) River in Dawson. It was

welcomed news, especially

when he said that anglers

had been catching good

numbers of nice sized wall-

eyes.

To understand the good

fishing, we need to look

back to 2009 when Dawson’s

100 year-old dam was

removed and replaced with a

rock-arch rapids fishway.

Dams limit or completely

prevent desirable fish

species from swimming

upstream and accessing

important habitats. Quite

typically, the only species

that are capable of

“jumping” the dams are the

non-desirable carp species.

By removing dams or con-

verting them to fishways,

the desirable fish species

can access those important

up-

stream habitats.

Following completion of

the fishway, I expected to

see a substantial increase in

native fishes upstream in the

WBLQP, and also in its many

tributaries including Florida,

Lost, Crow and Cobb Creeks

to name a few. With more

streams and wetlands acces-

sible to fish, more fish

would be produced and

available for anglers to

catch. It’s sort of like

expanding your garden, one

acre is good, but five acres is

considerably better. If all

streams and wetlands were

well connected in the WBLQP

watershed, it would amount

to hundreds of miles of

streams and hundreds of

acres of additional fish habi-

tat.

During wetter periods,

such as 2017-2019, adult

game fish will use these hab-

itats and substantially ex-

pand their populations.

During the winter, larger fish

typically move downstream

and congregate in pool are-

as, similar to the one in Daw-

son. This is especially true

following drier years such as

2020 when many of the up-

stream areas are too low to

provide good wintering habi-

tat. This is what probably

caused the high numbers of

walleyes this winter in Daw-

son. Some fish may have also moved upstream from

the main stem of the LQP

River or LQP Lake, which is

approximately 30 stream

miles downstream.

The important take home

message is that fish popula-

tions will increase as good

habitat increases. And if

people can provide fish with

good habitat, fish will pro-

vide people with good fish-

ing!

Pic. 1 shows Dawson Dam during spring of 2009 prior to replacement with fishway. The dam was a bar-

rier to most desirable fish. Pic. 2 is Dawson rock-arch rapids fishway that fish can easily swim through.

Why Stream Connectivity Matters – Culverts

By Chris Domeier

In the previous article I discussed how

removing a single dam can allow native fish

species access to hundreds of miles and

acres of upstream habitat. Unfortunately,

there is always more to the story. Typically,

fish will encounter additional barriers at nu-

merous road crossings due to “perched” cul-

verts and culverts that have fast flows

through them. The sizes and species of fish

that will not be able to swim upstream will

depend on the height of the perching and

the speed of the flow. For example, walleyes

may be able to swim through the velocity in

a culvert, whereas many of the smaller for-

age species such as shiners and darters may

not. This results in fewer and fewer species

of fish that are capable of reaching im-

portant habitats as one travels further up-

stream.

From a fish’s perspective, bridges would

be used at all road crossings instead of cul-

verts. Natural channels below bridges allow

fish to migrate as necessary. However, cul-

verts provide a more practical road crossing

option for smaller streams. Historically, cul-

verts were often placed without considera-

tion for fish movements. More recently,

“fish-friendly” culvert crossings have fre-

quently been used to provide good fish pas-

sage. Typically, these culverts allow a rela-

tively “natural” stream bed to exist through

them, much like a bridge. The goal is to al-

low all sizes of all native species to readily

move upstream and downstream as their life

cycles require.

It matters! In west-central Minnesota,

streams that are well “connected” can have

up to 50 native species of fish present.

That’s pretty amazing considering streams

that have been “disconnected” may have less

than five species remaining. Of course, more

habitat means more fish to catch!

Example of a culvert that is “fish-friendly” which will

allow all sizes and species of desirable native fishes to

migrate upstream and downstream.

Example of culverts that are “carp-friendly”. These will prevent

desirable native fishes from migrating. Unlike native fishes, Com-

mon Carp can often easily navigate barriers, and therefore can domi-

nate upstream habitats.

Teleworking during Covid-19

By Danielle Hage

If someone would have told me that I would live

through a pandemic in my lifetime I would have

thought they were crazy! But that’s exactly

where we find ourselves today. One of the big-

gest changes for most of us was teleworking. It

has challenged us to step outside of our comfort

zone and learn new ways of doing things. While

many have enjoyed working from home, many

have also struggled with this new “normal”.

Here are things I have found helpful during my

teleworking experience.

Have a designated work

area

I set up a desk in my din-

ing room where I have big

windows allowing lots of

light! l surrounded my

desk with things that

make me happy; plants,

pictures of my family and

positive quotes. I make

sure to keep it clean, or-

ganized and for work re-

lated items only. It helps

me stay on track and fo-

cused on work related

tasks.

Keep a routine

My whole family’s routine

changed right away. My children

were starting e-learning as I was

trying to navigate teleworking. I

knew without structure or a

“new” routine it would ultimately

result in chaos. As much as the

kids wanted to stay in pajamas,

(okay maybe mom too), and sleep

in, we stuck to our normal

school/work schedules. We made

adjustments as we went along

and before long we found a

schedule that worked for all of

us. Knowing what to expect on a

daily basis and what needed to

be done helped us all to be

productive at home. When my

work day is done I shut down my

computer and walk away. This

way I am not tempted to check

emails outside of work hours.

Using Resources and keeping

in touch with coworkers

Lastly, make sure to utilize re-

sources that are available to you.

Many times local clinics and pub-

lic health offices are a great

place to look. This is a stressful

time for many of us. Many enjoy

that day-to-day interaction with

other people and without that

have found themselves feeling

cut off from the world and at

times depressed. Reaching out

and utilizing resources that are

available if you are feeling

depressed or overwhelmed is

extremely important. Another

great way to feel connected to

others is to keep in touch with

coworkers. It has been great to

share different ideas that have

helped us along this transition

and to check in and see how we

are all doing. Change is not

always easy but with the right

mindset and the right setup you

will set yourself up for success!

Ortonville Region 4 Fisheries

890 Pine Ave.

Ortonville, MN 56278

Phone: 320-839-2656

Email: Ortonville.Fisheries@state.mn.us

Our office currently remains

closed to the public. We are

still teleworking so please call

us at the phone number listed

and leave a message or send us

an email and we will return

your message as soon as we can.