Walleye Thriving In Beaver Lake Due to Stocking and Spawning

Walleye, popular with fisherman due to their flaky meat and great flavor, are alive and well in Beaver Lake and should be in abundance this fall during peak season.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission sampled over 160 walleye this winter and found that many were above the 18-inch minimum length limit.

The game and fish commission also found that, during high-water years, walleye naturally reproduce in Beaver Lake. The commission stocks 100,000 walleye fingerlings every year to supplement the natural spawn. 

“Fishing looks very good for walleye in Beaver Lake and many anglers are catching good numbers of walleye in the lake,” said Jon Stein, the commission’s Rogers-based district fisheries supervisor.

Walleye are native to the White River drainage in Northwest Arkansas, but when Beaver Lake was impounded very few were found to inhabit the lake.  The commission began stocking the lake with walleye produced at the Charlie Craig Fish Hatchery in Centerton in the early 2000s.