SUSSEX COUNTY, N.J. — New Jersey Fish & Wildlife staff recorded their largest average sizes of walleye in more than two decades of monitoring during a recent sampling effort at Swartswood Lake.
Crews from the Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery collected 142 walleye while trapnetting the lake at the end of March, including 78 males and 34 females. Officials said both the average weight and length of the fish were the highest recorded since monitoring began in 2000.
The female walleye averaged 6.4 pounds and 24.2 inches, while males averaged 3.5 pounds and 20.1 inches. The largest fish collected was a 9.6-pound, 27.6-inch female.
In addition to walleye, staff captured 14 species overall, with yellow perch and bluegill the most abundant. Water temperatures during the sampling ranged from 40 to 59 degrees.
Fish collected during the effort were transported to the hatchery for spawning. Staff monitored and prepared the fish before extracting eggs and milt to begin the fertilization process.
Officials said 34 females were spawned, producing approximately 3.5 million eggs. The eggs are being incubated in hatching jars and are expected to hatch in about 15 days.
After hatching, about 500,000 young fish will be transferred to a fertilized pond to grow for several weeks before stocking, while the remaining fry will be released into the Delaware River.
