Moravia – The late night, annual walleye collection started April 6 at Rathbun Lake and April 7 at Storm Lake. Crews with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Bureau have been setting gillnets at night looking for walleyes ready to spawn.

Walleye collection is tentatively scheduled to start April 13 at Clear Lake and the Iowa Great Lakes.

Hatcheries will operate around the clock as workers bring in the nightly haul well past midnight. The eggs are removed from the walleyes in the morning and the fish are returned to the lake where they were caught to make room for the next night’s catch.

Media Contact: Jay Rudacille, DNR Warm and Coolwater Fish Culture Supervisor, 641-647-2406