1,166,345 Fishing Opportunities
Banner Year for DWR’s Walleye Program
Every March and April, Virginia DWR fisheries biologists and hatchery staff collect adult Walleye from the New River, Staunton River, and South Holston Reservoir for the production of fingerling Walleye to stock in selected waters throughout Virginia. Walleye are spawned or hatched at Vic Thomas, King and Queen, and Buller Fish Cultural Stations. The resulting fry are raised in culture ponds for up to six weeks until they are about 1.5 to 2 inches in length. Ponds are then harvested and walleye fingerlings are stocked into 17 locations across the state (listed below).
| Region | Water |
|---|---|
| Southwest Virginia | Flannagan Reservoir |
| South Holston Reservoir | |
| Hungry Mother Lake | |
| New River | |
| North Fork Pound Reservoir | |
| South Central Virginia | Leesville Reservoir/Staunton River |
| Philpott Reservoir | |
| Lake Gaston | |
| Northern Virginia | Lake Brittle |
| Burke Lake | |
| Lake Orange | |
| Shenandoah River | |
| Rivanna River | |
| Lake Anna | |
| Eastern Virginia | Little Creek Reservoir |
| Lake Chesdin | |
| Lake Whitehurst |
Additionally, female Walleye were crossed with male Sauger to produce the hybrid Saugeye. Saugeye perform well in some systems and are stocked with or in place of Walleye. In 2022, DWR stocked 1,166,345 Walleye and Saugeye fingerlings!
Hatchery production in 2022 was excellent and should lead to good fishing action in future years. For those anglers who want more in depth information on a particular water stocked, see the Walleye Fishing Forecast for specific reports of Walleye sampling results and fishing details for the individual waters listed in the table. Anglers who want the challenge of catching a Walleye or Saugeye should focus on these locations.
