Two distinct strains of walleye inhabit Lake Charlevoix. One strain, which originates from river stock, is migratory, going out into Lake Michigan and spending most of the fishing season there. The other strain of Sander vitreus originates from landlocked lake stock and is non-migratory. Our lake is quite special in having both kinds simultaneously.

Obviously, almost all the walleye we catch in the lake are the ones that stay in the lake throughout the summer.

Those are the one we are most particularly trying to help, in large part by improving cover and spawning habitat. The effort may also include working to get "slot limits" enforced on the lake so that catch-and-release is practiced on spawning sized walleyes, and otherwise manipulating the environment to favor the walleye strain that stays in Lake Charlevoix year around.

Under a "slot limit" approach, anglers would have to release any walleyes that measure less than 15 inches or more than 23 inches. The approach can be complex but potentially extremely effective in our case because it protects the mature breeding fish. If the only fish that are here during the fishing season are the land-locked strain, then those are what we continually catch and eat, while the migratory fish are out in Lake Michigan getting fat and healthy.

If we could put in place slot limits for three to five years, we could make a huge difference in the number of spawning sized fish in the lake. And, these would be of the strain that stays here!

We've been told that walleye that are over 23 inches in length are genetically programmed to store more mercury and other heavy metals anyway, making them less healthy for eating.

We would suggest making it legal for anglers to keep one fish over 30 inches for hanging on the wall if that is important to someone. But putting those 23 and up fish back so they can reproduce, could really increase the percentage of the "stay here" fish over time.

The great naturalist and writer Aldo Leopold once pointed out that "There is value in any experience that exercises those ethical restraints collectively called 'sportsmanship."

By practicing sportsmanship, we can experience that value now and still reap a rich reward in the future.

-- Dan Mishler