Walleye Stocking in America: Where MT, NY, UT, and WA Plant Them

New York's Oneida Lake has received more than 150 million walleye fry in a single stocking year, making it one of the largest walleye-stocking efforts recorded anywhere in this dataset. But fry-scale stocking like that is only part of the picture — Utah runs an actively growing catchable-size walleye fishery at Willard Bay, while Montana and Washington stock walleye on a smaller, more localized scale. Here's how all four states' programs actually compare, water by water.

Key takeaways

• New York's Oneida Lake dominates walleye-fry stocking nationally — 17 recorded events since 2011, several exceeding 150 million fry each.
• Utah's walleye program is centered on Willard Bay Reservoir, with 88 recorded stockings and activity continuing into 2026 — the most currently active walleye fishery in this dataset.
• Montana stocks walleye across 115 different waters, the widest geographic spread of any state tracked here, led by Fort Peck Lake.
• Washington's walleye records run from 1995–2011 only — an archived program, not evidence of stocking that's continued since.
• Walleye are almost always stocked as fry or small fingerlings (well under an inch), so a stocking date doesn't translate into an immediate bite the way catchable trout do.

How Walleye Stocking Actually Works

Unlike catchable-size trout, walleye are almost never stocked ready to catch. Across every state in this dataset, recorded walleye stockings show an average size at or below about 2 inches — fry or early fingerlings, not adult fish. Agencies stock walleye this small because rearing them to catchable size in a hatchery is expensive, and walleye fry survive reasonably well when released into water with the right forage base. That means a walleye stocking event is a bet on a fishery years down the road, not a signal to show up next weekend.

That single fact explains most of what looks unusual in the numbers below: totals in the tens or hundreds of millions of fish aren't typos — they reflect fry counts, not adult walleye swimming around a lake today.

New York: Oneida Lake's Massive Fry Program

New York's walleye stocking is concentrated almost entirely in a handful of large lakes, and one dwarfs the rest. Ranked by total fish recorded since 2011:

• Oneida Lake — 17 recorded stockings, with individual years exceeding 195 million fry (2021) and 191 million fry (2019); most recently stocked in 2025.
• Black Lake — 17 recorded stockings totaling over 320 million fry, most recently in 2025.
• Saratoga Lake — 17 recorded stockings totaling over 220 million fry, most recently in 2025.
• Honeoye Lake — 18 recorded stockings totaling over 67 million fry, most recently in 2024.

Oneida Lake's program is well known among fisheries managers — the lake has supported a self-sustaining walleye population for decades, and New York DEC's fry stocking supplements natural reproduction rather than replacing it entirely. Syracuse sits about 15 miles from the lake, making it the natural base for a trip.

Utah: A Currently Active Fishery at Willard Bay

Utah's walleye program looks different from New York's — fewer total fish, but a program that's clearly still active, with stocking recorded into 2026:

• Willard Bay Reservoir — 88 recorded stockings totaling over 15 million walleye, the most recent in 2026.
• Big Sandwash Reservoir — 10 recorded stockings totaling over 6.3 million walleye, most recently in 2026.
• Red Fleet Reservoir — 29 recorded stockings totaling over 3.2 million walleye, most recently in 2026.

Willard Bay, just north of Ogden, is Utah's flagship walleye water — DWR stocks it more consistently than any other Utah reservoir tracked in this dataset, and it's the only Utah walleye water with double-digit stocking events in a single decade.

Montana and Washington: Smaller, More Scattered Programs

Montana's walleye program is the most geographically spread out of the four — 115 different waters have recorded walleye stocking, more than three times New York's 75. Fort Peck Lake, Montana's largest reservoir, anchors the program, but the fish are spread thin across dozens of smaller waters rather than concentrated the way New York's are.

Washington's walleye records are worth reading carefully: every recorded stocking falls between 1995 and 2011, with nothing since. That's not necessarily a sign the fishery disappeared — Washington's Columbia River system supports a large wild, self-sustaining walleye population that doesn't need supplemental stocking the way a landlocked reservoir does — but it does mean Washington's 80 recorded events describe a historical program, not a currently active one, at least in the state agency data this site tracks.

How to Catch Walleye After a Stocking

Because walleye go in as fry rather than adults, timing a trip around a specific stocking date doesn't work — what matters is the water's overall walleye population and light conditions on the day you fish. Walleye have large, light-sensitive eyes built for low-light hunting, so the most productive windows are typically dawn, dusk, and after dark, or any time the water is murky enough to cut daytime glare.

• Jigs tipped with live bait or soft plastics, worked slowly along the bottom, are the standard approach on reservoirs like Willard Bay and Fort Peck Lake.
• Bottom-bouncing rigs with a spinner and nightcrawler cover water efficiently on larger lakes.
• Trolling crankbaits at depth works well on big, deep waters once fish have moved off structure into open water.

For the full recorded stocking history of any of these waters — not just walleye — see our guide to how to read a fish stocking report, which walks through what each column in a state report actually means.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are walleye stocking numbers so much larger than trout stocking numbers?

Walleye are almost always released as fry — tiny, days-old fish, often well under an inch — while trout are usually stocked as catchable adults. Because fry survival is low, agencies release far more of them to get a usable number of adult fish, which is why a single year at Oneida Lake can show 150 million-plus walleye against a trout stocking of a few thousand.

Can I catch a walleye right after it's stocked?

No — stocked walleye are fry or small fingerlings, not catchable adults, so there's no immediate bite to chase the way there is with catchable-size trout. A walleye fishery built on stocking takes one to several years to produce fish worth targeting.

Is Washington's walleye fishery still active?

The state agency stocking records tracked here run only from 1995 to 2011, with no walleye stockings recorded since. Washington's Columbia River system does support wild, self-sustaining walleye populations, but the supplemental stocking program in this dataset appears to be historical rather than ongoing.

Which state has the biggest walleye fishery based on stocking records?

By total fish stocked, New York's Oneida Lake stands well above every other water in this dataset. By number of waters stocked, Montana's program is the most widespread, covering 115 different waters across the state.