Walleye season opens May 3 on Iowa’s Great Lakes

The 150th walleye fishing season officially opens May 3rd at Iowa’s Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji lakes.

“A very robust and healthy walleye population was observed this spring during broodstock collection efforts at the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery,” said Mike Hawkins, Northwest Regional Fisheries Management supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “In two nights, three crews collected all the necessary fish for this year’s spawning efforts.”

Walleye season opens the first Saturday in May and runs through February 14 each year on Spirit Lake, East Okoboji Lake and West Okoboji Lake. The protected slot limit on walleyes is 19 to 25 inches, with only one walleye over 25 inches allowed per day. The protected slot limit applies to Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji Lake, Upper and Lower Gar Lake and Minnewashta Lake. The daily limit is three walleyes with a possession limit of six.

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The walleye season will be opening in the Iowa Great Lakes, but the lakes offer great fishing for a variety of other species. Panfish, northern pike, and smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing can be very good as waters warm. Water levels on the Okoboji chain are just barely above crest level with water flowing over the Lower Gar spillway. Spirit Lake remains a few inches below crest.

For many anglers, this will be their first trip on the water for the season. Checking your safety equipment and making sure your boat is ready ahead of time can help ease congestion at busy boat ramps.

The Iowa Great Lakes Chamber of Commerce will host the 43rd annual Iowa Great Lakes Walleye Weekend Fishing Contest in conjunction with the opener. For more information on the contest, visit their website.

Anglers are also encouraged to participate in the Midwest Walleye Challenge hosted by the Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau. Angler catch information from this citizen science data collection effort provides valuable data to help fisheries biologists manage Iowa’s walleye populations.