The Fish That Are Not Welcome at Lake Lowell
A press release from Idaho Fish & Game last month reminds anglers to catch, kill, and keep walleye at Lake Lowell. No reporting, just don’t put it back.
It started with one 17-inch walleye caught back in 2022. Fast forward a few years, and biologists found dozens during salvage efforts, and anglers have been catching them ever since. The verdict is that walleye have officially moved into Lake Lowell, and they are not exactly the best neighbors. Biologists are now switching things up from track-and-report to a straight-up removal mission, meaning that if you catch one, keep it. The end.
The issue isn’t that walleye are bad, though. It is that Idaho waters can’t feed them without sacrificing other species. These fish were designed for baitfish-heavy lakes, not bass-friendly ecosystems like Lake Lowell. So, while walleye fishing still has a place in some parts of the state, this lake just happens to not be on that list. If you find yourself fishing in Idaho, you can keep helping out by reporting catches outside of Lake Lowell. But if it’s caught in the lake, you know what to do–it’s grill time.
