There are several research studies that suggest largemouth and walleye just not cohabitating well. It’s become a big fishery issue up in the Wisconsin/Minnesota area, one of the centers of walleye angling.   A recent study looked at walleye and black bass interactions in northern Wisconsin lakes. The researchers used data collected from 1,862 northern Wisconsin lakes over 74 years to create indices of abundance, growth, population size structure, and recruitment. Results were in line with previous studies and included the following:
- They found a significant negative relationship between largemouth bass abundance and walleye abundance, meaning the greater the largemouth population, the weaker the walleye population.
- There was a significant positive relationship between largemouth bass abundance and walleye growth and size structure, meaning those walleyes that were in lakes with strong bass populations, despite being less in numbers, grew faster and larger than lakes with higher numbers of walleye and less largemouth bass.
- There was a significant negative relationship between largemouth abundance and walleye recruitment, suggesting that largemouth either prey on juvenile walleye frequently, or conditions that are good for populations of largemouth bass are not conducive to hatching and recruiting walleye.
- Interestingly, they found no clear or consistent relationship between walleye and smallmouth bass, suggesting that these two species are much more likely to be found together with much less competition between them, perhaps not as surprising given that they’re both considered cool-water, mesotrophic creatures.
Ultimately, trying to successfully manage a lake to have all three of these species in balance and populous may not be a realistic expectation, especially in light of studies suggesting that climate change, in the form of warming, favors the largemouth bass in its more northern ranges.
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Rich Zaleski
March 11, 2013 at 2:41 pm
I would think that there would be MORE competition between SMB and Walleye, since they occupy much more similar ecological niches. But the two species have long coexisted very well on the Canadian Shield and in many northern US rivers and lakes.
Jody Loew
March 22, 2013 at 5:06 pm
Many very good walleye lakes around the Atikokan, Ontario area have become primarily smallmouth bass lakes. Some of these lakes that were excellent walleye 20-30 years ago are now terrible walleye lakes, but world class smallmouth fisheries. I believe smallmouth are much more aggressive and competitive, even more so than largemouth, in any lakes where smallmouth are left unchecked. On a lot of our lakes, the smallmouth only get targeted July and August, as May and June is primarily a catch and release only fishery with very small size limits (13.8″). As Rich says, the walleye and smallmouth occupy more similiar ecological niches than the large mouth and walleye do, resulting in much more competition for forage. Also, smallmouth go on feeding frenzies up shallow right before the spawn season, directly when hundreds of thousands walleye fry are just starting to venture out through the shallows and get a start on life, resulting in walleye fry feasts for those aggressive spring smallies.
Having grown up in Northern Wisconsin and fishing many of the best walleye / bass lakes, the smallmouth never seemed to be a fierce competitor with the walleye, however, there was never no where near the populations of smallmouth we have in lakes near Atikokan.
Craig c
March 25, 2013 at 8:38 pm
Another study easily twisted to mean what someone wants. Or example the statement that Walleye and LM bass are not cohabitating well. Or overstating competition between the two species. The ONLY thing these studies indicate is a relationship between the well being of walleye and lm bass in the lakes that were studied. There is no WHY.
If you want to guess, my unresearched guess is that LM bass are better developed for older, sedimentary, weedy, warmer lakes. Walleye are not. SM bass do better in cooler, clearer water (no Sm bass in Florida). BUT i have no evidence of this, and neither do these studies…