Photo courtesy of Arkansas.com
Fisheries for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission kick off the spring electrofishing season in North Central Arkansas every year by sampling walleye populations in the Twin Lakes. After recent samples, Game and Fish officials believe walleye fishing on Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes should remain good for more years to come.
According to Game and Fish, mature walleye in the reservoirs spawn in one of two ways. Some walleye swim up the large tributaries, and others spawn on main lake points or gravel flats
Game and Fish staff target the main lake spawning walleye population at Bull Shoals and Norfork dams when the water surface temperature is anywhere between 52 and 55 degrees. Electrofishing sampling efforts have been conducted since 2003, and it allows staff to monitor changes in abundance and size of spawning walleye over time.