To come up with specific stocking levels and rates, fisheries managers consider a wide range of factors. Regardless of the amount or frequency of walleyes stocked on specific lakes, DNR fisheries managers are working to improve fishing whenever possible. Sometimes a fisheries manager will stock fry in the spring and then check back in the fall to see what proportion survived to reach fingerling size. If not enough did, then supplemental fingerlings may be stocked that fall.
Bigger lakes get more fish than smaller lakes.
On average, the DNR stocks roughly 1,000 fry or 1 pound of fingerlings per littoral acre of lake. That pound per acre ratio can vary however, depending on factors such as the amount of prey available and lake productivity. For example, lakes that have lots of yellow perch generally can support more walleye stocking than lakes that don't. This phenomenon is called year class suppression. To prevent this from happening to stocked walleyes, fisheries managers usually don't stock two years in a row and instead stock every other year or every third year.