Per the 2018 Lake Management plan, yearly electrofishing studies are done to measure Young of Year (YOY) walleye. YOY is defined as walleye that were born in the spring of that year and made it through their first summer. The studies measure the number and size of YOY.  Larger sized YOY are more likely to make it through their first winter. The study is typically completed in September. This is one of two ways that the DNR measures walleye year classes.   

The other measurement is done every three years as part of the Full Survey.  All fish are measured and aged to determine what year they were born. The two measurements are used to evaluate the success of fry stocking and natural reproduction. Walleye fry are stocked in both lakes every other spring on even years. Walleye born on odd years are, therefore, from natural reproduction only. 

For 2026 the Wabedo catch rate was 2.86 fish/hour which is about typical for fry stocked years with the exception of 2024. Mean length was 7.05 inches which is good. At Little Boy, sampling the six historical stations, the catch rate was 67.31 which is the second highest ever recorded. Even if we add in the new stations and assume no additional fish were sampled it would result in 38.0 fish per hour. In essence, we sampled YOY Walleye at every station across the lake and 2026 is looking like a very strong year-class. Mean length was 6.91 inches suggesting survival will be good. 

Other notable observations from the night include; muskies in both lakes, a 15 inch Crappie on Little Boy, a 30 inch Walleye on Wabedo, and a large number of age-2 Walleye in Little Boy.