Walleye production in the Hawkeye State starts with planning and hard work. The result is one of the best-stocked states in the union.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources was kind enough to share their video of hatchery workers and biologists taking gill-netted walleyes from Lake Rathbun in the southern part of the state.
Once the fish are collected, they are separated into male and female groups to determine which fish are ready to spawn.
Check out the difference between a 'ripe' female, and a 'green' one and what biologists do with the different fish.
Here's the video:
Big thanks to the IDNR for sharing their video! Listening to the narrator on the video is like music to the ears; so easy to understand and tells the whole story. The DNR says,
"The Rathbun Hatchery is open year-round Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Small groups are self-guided. Large groups must call ahead (641-647-2406) to make an appointment. The hatchery is located in Appanoose County about seven miles north of Centerville on road J5T (15053 Hatchery Place, Moravia, IA)."
Any fish hatchery in the U.S. is a great place to take a kid for a day and not only turn him into a fisherman for life, but a conservationist as well!
NEXT: THE DNR IS FREEZE BRANDING WALLEYE IN IOWA TO STUDY GROWTH AND SURVIVAL RATES
