Monday October 28, 2024
Moscow-Pullman Daily News —
Anglers in the lower Snake and Salmon rivers encountered more walleye so far this year than they did in 2023, indicating an increased presence by the nonnative predatory fish that pose a threat to wild salmon and steelhead.
According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, it tallied more than 60 verified reports of anglers catching walleye in the two rivers this year. That compares to 19 verified reports in 2023.
“The increase is likely due to increasing abundances of walleye and our efforts to reach out to anglers about walleye,” the agency said in a news release.
Walleye were first documented upstream of Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River in 2016. But the fish, which are popular with many anglers as table fare, have been in the Columbia River system for decades. They were likely illegally introduced into Lake Roosevelt above Grand Coulee Dam about 80 years ago. From there, they moved down the Columbia, likely helped by more illegal introductions, and then started pushing up the Snake. Lyons Ferry, downstream of Little Goose Dam, has become a destination spot for walleye anglers in the region.