Stopping Walleye in Idaho

Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie/Flickr

According to a news release from the Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG), anglers in the Gem State are asked to report any walleye caught from the Snake, Salmon, and Clearwater Rivers.

IDFG installed a fish trap at Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River, and that information combined with reports from anglers indicate that walleye are increasingly more present upstream of Lower Granite Dam. Until recently, however, IDFG had limited reports of walleye making their way that far up the river system. In 2023, 16 different anglers reported catching 18 walleye above Lower Granite Dam, a sharp increase from three in 2022.

That means walleye can now theoretically be caught up to the Hells Canyon Dam on the Snake River, and as far upstream on the Salmon River as Riggins. While some anglers might appreciate a new species to catch, the presence of walleye in nonnative waters poses yet another threat to salmon and steelhead.

“These areas are important rearing habitat and migration corridors for hatchery and wild salmon and steelhead,” reads the press release. “An established population of walleye in these areas and increased expansion into more critical rearing habitat pose a high predation risk for juvenile salmon and steelhead.”

IDFG asks any anglers who catch walleye on the Snake, Clearwater, or Salmon Rivers to take a picture of their catch, note the location, kill the walleye, and inform the department. Doing so will enable IDFG to get a clearer picture of how many walleye are present in the systems, and formulate plans to stop them from having a negative impact on salmon and steelhead.

Walleye are native to the Midwest, where they have a wide forage base of smaller rough fish. Those fish species aren’t present in Idaho waters, and walleye will likely feed on juvenile salmon, steelhead, and trout, all species that are in need of extra protection.