Walleye netting season starts for Iowa DNR fish hatcheries

MORAVIA – The late night, annual walleye collection has begun at Rathbun and Storm lakes and will begin in the next few days at East Okoboji and Spirit lakes. 

Crews with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Bureau set gillnets at night in traditional areas looking for walleyes that are ready to spawn.

This time of year, hatcheries operate into the early hours of the morning as local staff bring in the nightly haul well past midnight.

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As fish “ripen,” the eggs are removed from the walleyes and the fish are returned to the lake where they were caught to make room for the next night’s catch.

The goal is to collect enough fish to hatch 114 million walleye fry that will supply Iowa lakes and fish hatcheries.

The Rathbun and Spirit Lake fish hatcheries are open and ready for visitors. Contact the individual hatchery you intend to visit for visitor hours.