How big a walleye do you throw back?

[Iceboy]

Hi all - I was out fishing on Lake Minnetonka tonight and caught a 25" walleye (nice!). I decided to throw it back, but I am just curious how big does a walleye have to be before you will toss it back?

Also, how do you tell a male from a female? And does it make sense to be less concerned about throwing a male back vs. a female? I just want to do whatever I can to not hurt the population while still get a little meat on the table.

dan

[jigginjim]

I put any walleye over 21" back. Most of the time those over 21-23 are females. 1 male can spawn with several females. The producer of eggs is the real gem to save.

[BDR]

I usually will only keep Walleye's from 15-17"s. That just seems to be the right size fillet for what I like to eat.

[Wables]

23" is usually my limit. I kept a 25" on Christmas Eve because her fins froze solid while I was fumbling with my leatherman. My wife doesn't like to eat anything over about 18".

[gonefishin11]

In the summer, I usually throw back anything over 20 and over 22 in the winter. We have thrown back 2 30" and a 27.5" this year already.

[only-eyes]

I'll keep 15-17", maybe an 18" if I'm going to bake up a few. Anything else goes back. I usually only keep a couple meals of fresh walleyes a year anyhow. There's to many people that have stock piles of walleyes over they're limit in the freezer.

[WallEYES]

Anything over 17 inches by norm... over 90 percent of walleyes that are 17 inches and over are female.

[Guest]

almost always keep anything under 21 inches and the rest go back unless hooked bad.Smaller eat better,and almost always only keep what I can eat fresh,unless a elderly friend would like a fresh meal.To me frozen fish just dont have the same taste as unfrozen.Years ago I use to be somewhat of a stock pile fisherman. Catch what you can eat and you will always have fish for tommorrow when you go fishing.

[Jigging Bob]

I only keep 15-17 inchers. (when I keep fish) I also only take home what we are going to eat. I rarely take home a days whole limit.

Let um' swim and you might get a wall mounter someday.

[CaptJohnWI]

Anything over 18" goes back and I keep only a few under that.

[Maximum12]

I generally only keep them under 19". I've kept two over the years over that mark, one that had a treble hook in the gills & one when I was really hungry.

[EBass]

15-18" but most of the time they all go back.

[folke2000]

Anything over 19".....

[efgh]

I throw back any over 20, I think the older and bigger ones have a lot of P.C.B.s and other bad things in their flesh, I don;t need that in mine, now a extra big one to mount is a different story.

[Bob_D]

I'll never keep another big walleye (or any fish for that matter)unless it has no chance of surviving. I don't care if it's a state record. I always have my cameras with me, so I can take pics and have a replica made. All the eyes I keep are in the 15-17" range. Selective harvest is the key to any great fishery. If you let the big ones go, they can pass those gene's on so you can have more big fish.

[Harmonica Bear]

20 - 22 is pretty much the max I will keep. Usually anything over 20 goes back, but if I am not catching a thing I'd probably keep a 22 incher.

[Fish Head]

20" and over goes back. No need to keep anything over that.

[STILLNOFISH]

Fish Head,

Are you going to go back to Lac Seul Outposts again this summer? If so, when? We will be up once again around the 20th of June.

[Ruegs23]

I kept a 23" on monday because it was all I had and I was craving a walleye dinner. The taste was so fishy I remember why I normally throw anything over 19" back!!!!!

[The Grebe]

Out of the river (Regardless of which one) up to about 16" and out of a lake, up to about 18 inches. I long ago quit eating larger fish, got to many that tasted to fishy and nasty? I don't keep any large wallys.

I'm not a hardcore Walleye fisherman, I go more for the panfish and even with them, there is a difference, at least to my tastes!

I may make 2 or 3 trips in the winter and maybe 2 or 3 in the summer, specifically for Walleyes and believe me, we don't always fill the holds, thats for sure! The large waldos are safe from me in the sense of catching (Seldom)and releasing once caught!

[18 inch Crappie]

Ruegs23, soak the walleye in milk for half hour and that fishy taste will go away. Old timer tought me that one

[Neighbor]

I don't keep anything of anysize if I am not going to fry them up that night or next morning. Those 3-7 pound females are the ones that should go back for sure. Keeping a big ol fish for the wall is better than keeping a younger one as it is past it prime reproduction

[Ruegs23]

Thanks for the advice 18 incher. I don't plan to keep a walleye in that range again but if for some reason I will remember the milk! Kind of off the subject but 2 yrs ago I caught a 24" male walleye up on Blackduck Lake. I was told I will never see another.

[M.T. Bucket]

20" is where the DNR draws a line for kids and women of reproductive age. That's where my family draws the line as well.

[Ely Lake Expert]

I throw them back at 20 inches or more. Unless it is mountable, but I haven't caught that one yet.

Ryan