Andrew McKean
Fort Peck fisheries management meeting is March 8 in Glasgow Will last year’s resurgent walleye bite on Fort Peck Reservoir be repeated this summer? Will the lake’s water level finally stabilize, or even rise? And which boat ramps on the big lake will be useable? Anglers with an interest in Fort Peck Reservoir’s fishery are encouraged to attend Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ annual review of the resource on Saturday, March 8 from 10 a.m. to noon at FWP’s Quonset meeting room located behind the Region 6 headquarters in Glasgow. The headquarters complex is located on U.S. Highway 2 on the west side of town. Fort Peck Fisheries Biologist Heath Headley will provide an overview of last year’s sampling around the lake, work that provides long-term trend information about Fort Peck’s forage base, species composition and the size classes of its fish. Headley will also look ahead to the most recent mountain snowpack and runoff estimates and project what how this year’s water level might fluctuate. In essence, Headley will provide a biologist’s insight into what this year’s fishing might be on the big lake and will provide perspectives on Fort Peck’s walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, lake trout, Chinook salmon and rough fish population dynamics. Headley will also update participants about this spring’s walleye spawn on Fort Peck. Current plans are to set up spawning gear the first week of April and crews will be prepared to collect eggs starting in mid April. As always, volunteers are the backbone of the operation and Headley encourages veteran and first-time volunteers to contact him at 526-3471 with questions or to sign up for the effort that provides walleye eggs for stocking across the state. The March 8 meeting is open to the public and anglers are encouraged to attend. Contact FWP at 228-3700 if you need special accommodations in order to attend the meeting.
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