Walleye Rearing

Click Thumbnail  Above For Large View Of Walleye Harvested 

Click here to go below quickly for a large aerial view of the project 
and more about our walleye rearing story

We are proud to be associated with John Long Sr.  as he has been a pillar to ALL outdoors people for so many years. Through his efforts and generosity our Walleye Rearing efforts for ages to come nor would our Wilderness Preserve exist. Please click on this most recent pic of Mr. Long for an enlargement [August 2002]

 When you are done reading this page,  Go Here  to read "On the brink of something wonderful" written by John Long and is full of great tips and productive fishing spots in the Niagara River. 

HOW OUR WALLEYE REARING PROJECT WAS BORN
[This is only part of the story]
Written by Mark Daul

Back in the late 1970's river fishermen started catching an occasional walleye, or "yellow pike" in the Lewiston-Queenston area and these fishermen kept the "secret" to themselves for quite awhile. After some time the catching became more frequent and the word had leaked out. This was great news because back in the early 1950's walleyes A.K.A."yellow pike" became scarce and the other inhabitant at the time, the "blue pike" eventually became extinct.

The demise of the "blues" is another story all in itself. We have some research on this fish and we will delve into that story another day.

In the meantime, the area fishermen, mainly the leadership and members of the Niagara River Anglers Association felt that with a little help, the Niagara River could return to days of old again when it was abundant with walleye.

Along came outdoorsman John Long Sr. who owned a large tract of land [64 acres]  straddling the Towns of Porter and Lewiston NY, a mile into the woods from any highway. Mr. Long and a couple of enthusiastic fishermen [M. Daul, J. DeLorenzo] had an impromptu  meeting at the Como Restaurant beverage counter and Mr. Long committed his property for a long range walleye rearing program. 

First we had to gather a committee together and research the feasibility and then meetings followed with the leaders of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation [NYSDEC] 

Next, Mr. long arranged with a engineering firm to draw up plans and a contractor to excavate enough land to build the complex. This was started in 1984. What a project, haul roads had to be built, and berms had to be built surrounding the ponds to keep spring runoff from the surrounding woods from entering the ponds. This water would contaminate the ponds with small fish that would have dinner on our newly stocked fry.

Next we had to find a person that could act as a liaison between Mr. long, the Niagara River Anglers and the NYSDEC. Mr. long handled the contractor. We advertised in our membership newsletter and member Norm Magrich came forward and said, "I don't know what the hell I'm doing but I'll try it, if you have no one else". We told him, "Norm, you're hired". Of course there was no pay either. Strictly all volunteer.

Norm did a commendable job, considering nobody else knew what the hell they were doing either.

Ten, 1/2 acre ponds were built along with a seven acre lake to handle water runoff problems from surrounding land in the future. A culvert was cut to handle the pumped water from the ponds when harvest time comes. The water was pumped to a creek, a natural watershed.
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The first walleye was harvested in the summer if 1986 when some 20,000 plus 1-1/2 inch walleye were introduced into the Niagara River.

The harvest process has continued since then, and every July since. Well over 100,000 walleye have been introduced to the Niagara River, through our volunteer efforts. Sure its labor intensive and costly, but somehow we have managed to do the job every year.

Funds are raised through donations and the most popular method has been asking area organizations and businesses to "adopt-a-pond". The Adopt-a-pond program has kept the project afloat.

This story will be continued as it has no ending. We'll tell you how we get the "fry" where we get them from, the caution we take and how old and long the babies are when they are released. In case you were wondering, a "fry" is a yolk sac-fry. It is a tiny creature as it is hatched from the egg and is not much bigger than a hyphen like this - . You could put 10,000 of them in a glass of water. Yes, they swim, breathe and eat. We'll tell you what in an update to our pages. Stay Tuned!

Go to Wilderness Preserve page to view a drawn map of the walleye pond site and the surrounding area.  Or just scroll below and click on the picture to see a great picture of what we are talking about!

Our Walleye rearing facility and Wilderness Preserve is located off Balmer Road, Town of Porter. Balmer road runs east & west with the Village of Ransomville on the east end. [Travel west.] And just 2 miles to the east off route 18. Balmer Road is just north of Lewiston Porter Central School on route 18. Look for sign.  The facility is one mile through the woods from the nearest highway.
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ADOPT-A-POND SPONSORS

 
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGE ARIAL VIEW OF THE  
WILDERNESS PRESERVE and WALLEYE PONDS.  
By Mark Daul 

This picture was taken in early July during walleye harvest. Long Lake is on the left and is approx 7 acres in size with a depth of 17 feet. Underwater structure was built during construction of the lake to provide spawning beds. The lake is home to huge populations of fish and other aquatic creatures as well as aquatic birds. 

The 10 ponds you see on the right is where the walleye sac fry are stocked in the spring and raised to 1 1/2" - 2 " in size before they are netted for transport to the Niagara River. [See story above to learn what a "sac fry" is.] The ponds are 1/2 acre each and at the deepest end, they are 6 feet deep. If you look close, you can see the volunteer work crew at the edge of the second pond from the right. They are running two 6 inch pumps to drain the water down to make netting the baby fish more efficient. After netting they are put in oxygenated transport tanks and given a nice ride to the Niagara River where they live and propagate for sport fishing and future fishermen. The ponds with little or no water are ones that are completed.

RIGHT NOW, [April, 2002] the 64 acre preserve is undergoing a huge expansion that will include an additional lake that will be connected to the present 7 acre lake and additional camping and hiking trails are being built in the woods. The wooded area at the top of the picture is where the expansion is taking place. In the middle of the picture you see the road and the 20'X30' pavilion built by members for picnics and shelter. There is a emergent marsh on the lower right that serves as another habitat and safe area for aquatic creatures.

  Please go to the story Mr. long wrote about his experiences fishing the Niagara River. It is LOADED with fishing tips and fishing areas and methods. Thank You, John Long Sr.! .......... Go Here!

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