Our guys produced a short video I want to share with you. Some recent wiper stocking:
Great video! Let me add just a couple of comments:
You might notice the size of the fish was relatively large. Yes, those wipers were approximately six inches long. That is much larger than most wiper stockings we do. In fact, those fish were raised in hatchery ponds. They were raised over winter last winter to be stocked this spring.
There are trade-offs with any stocking strategy. Yes, the larger the fish, the higher the survival rates. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of resources, hatchery space and $$$$ to raise fish until they are actually a year old and several inches long. If we can get survival of smaller wipers, that is less expensive and we can stock a lot more fish. Most wiper stockings in Nebraska are smaller fry and fingerlings and we have excellent success with those stocking strategies.
The other thing to note about wipers, and it is mentioned in the video, is every wiper you ever catch will have originated from a fish hatchery. The growth potential of wipers is tremendous, given a chance they can be a trophy catch, but they are a limited resource. All wipers at Branched Oak Reservoir must be released. I hope most wipers caught from any Nebraska water are released. If you wanna eat ’em, whack some white bass as they are much more abundant, reproduce on their own, and can withstand the harvest.
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