Colorado Walleye Spawning

Dean Miller

4 days ago

Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff and volunteers arrive at the walleye spawning facility at Lake Pueblo State Park, March 18, 2026.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff and volunteers arrive at the walleye spawning facility at Lake Pueblo State Park, March 18. — Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff and volunteers arrive at the walleye spawning facility at Lake Pueblo State Park, March 18, 2026.

https://coloradooutdoorsmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/overview.mp3

Audio: Carrie Tucker provides an overview of the spawning operation.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatics biologists continue annual walleye spawning operations at Pueblo Reservoir, collecting eggs that help support walleye fisheries in reservoirs across Colorado. Efforts began on March 16, 2026.

Spawning efforts at Pueblo and Cherry Creek Reservoirs have been a cornerstone of the state’s walleye program since 1986; this season the goal is to collect and fertilize approximately 127 million walleye eggs. Colorado partners with other states by supplying fertilized walleye eggs, while those states provide CPW with sauger milt to produce saugeye, a walleye-sauger hybrid.

Walleye are the second-most-popular sport fish in Colorado, behind trout, and interest in fishing has grown in recent years as more people discover the state’s reservoirs and outdoor recreation opportunities. The spawning effort helps ensure those fisheries remain strong for longtime anglers and newcomers to the sport.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff and volunteers pull in a gill net of walleye near the Lake Pueblo State Park dam, March 18. Each net is 400 feet long and 6 feet deep. Nets are placed each afternoon and recovered each morning of the spawn. Depending on the size of the day’s catch, the effort can require two boats up to three trips each.

“This work is critical to maintaining strong walleye fisheries across Colorado,” said Carrie Tucker, aquatic biologist with Colorado Parks and Wildlife in Pueblo. “Walleye are one of the most popular sport fish in the state, and the eggs collected during this effort help produce the fish anglers enjoy in reservoirs statewide. The fish can reproduce naturally in Pueblo Reservoir, but without spawning efforts like this, the population would be much lower than it is today.”

Staff and volunteers sort walleye in the boat house.

During the spawning period, crews launch from the North Marina boathouse at Pueblo Reservoir each morning to retrieve 32 gill nets set where walleye gather to spawn. Fish captured in the nets are carefully removed and transported back to the boathouse where biologists and volunteers sort them and prepare males and mature females for spawning.

Video: Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff sort the walleye catch from their boat. Walleye are sorted to identify female walleye ready for egg extraction, female walleye not ready, male walleye, and non-walleye fish, at Lake Pueblo State Park, March 18, 2026.

Volunteers play a crucial role in the process, pulling nets, sorting fish, helping staff untangle, repair, and prepare the nets each day so they can be reset for the next round of fish collection. “Volunteers are phenomenal, and we truly couldn’t do this project without their help.”

Volunteers inspect and repair nets in the cramped quarters of the spawning facility after each catch is brought in. Net repair begins in Colorado Springs at Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southeast Regional Office headquarters each December, and then each day of the spawn to keep the daily operation successful. Some volunteers have been supporting the effort for decades.

During spawning, biologists gently collect eggs (roe) from female fish, milt from male fish, and combine them in a controlled fertilization process. The eggs and milt are stirred with goose feathers, a technique that allows them to be stirred gently without damage.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Biologists extract eggs from female walleye. Next, biologists extract male walleye milt and then volunteers and staff fertilize the eggs. Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s goal to collect and fertilize 127 million eggs.

After fertilization, eggs are transported to the Pueblo Hatchery where Colorado Parks and Wildlife hatchery technicians oversee incubation and care for the developing fish. Many of the newly hatched fish are stocked into Colorado waters as “fry” just days after hatching, while others are raised longer until they reach fingerling size before being released.

Video: Colorado Parks and Wildlife Biologists and volunteers initiate the spawning process combining eggs, milt and water. Before leaving the site, fertilized eggs are rinsed, treated to prevent clumping, and hardened for about an hour so they can be safely transported to the Pueblo State Fish Hatchery and Rearing Unit below the dam where they are incubated for approximately two weeks before hatching and ultimately stocked into waters across Colorado.

Several student groups visit the boat house and and tour the Pueblo Hatchery during spawning. These groups range from elementary classrooms to college students, including fisheries and biology students from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and CSU-Pueblo, giving students a hands-on look at aquatic science and wildlife management.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Aquatic Biologist Carrie Tucker, right, transfers fertilized walleye eggs into a transfer bucket for the trip to the hatchery. She is assisted by Alex Townsend, CPW Aquatic Biologist, left, and Jack Bonner, CPW Seasonal Technician, center. Fertilized eggs must be rinsed, treated to prevent clumping, and allowed to harden for an hour before they can be transferred.

Later in the spring, CPW staff return to Pueblo Reservoir to stock young walleye produced through the spawning effort, completing a process that begins each March and helps sustain fisheries across Colorado’s reservoirs.

A Successful Operation

Carrie reviews the walleye spawning count. Each day’s effort contributes to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife goal to collect and fertilize 127 million eggs.

Aquatic Biologist Carrie Tucker says staff and volunteers at Lake Pueblo and Cherry Creek reservoirs completed walleye 2026 spawning operations with 127 million fertilized eggs delivered to Pueblo and Wray hatcheries. In the days ahead, walleye fry and saugeye will be stocked throughout the state.

Written by Dean J. Miller. Dean is the Southeast Region Public Information Officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.