"Young walleyes must rise to the surface to fill their air bladders so they can easily move about in the water column. A new manufactured floating food was developed that enabled the fish to inflate their air bladders as they ate, and they thrived. Today Iowa stocks more 8-inch walleyes than any other state. It's actually an underutilized fishery in many of our interior rivers."

Strictly speaking, fishery research helps figure out the riddles of fish, fish habitat and fish populations. It provides the information that helps fishery managers put into practice techniques that improve fishing.

Research revealed a similar situation in farm pond and small lake channel catfish. Although cats are perfectly capable of spawning in most ponds, bass, bluegills, and other predators make short work of their tiny babies and effectively prevent catfish populations from being self-sustainable. Stock 4-inch catfish in a pond, and they become immediate and expensive bass food; stock 8-inchers, and most pond predators don't have mouths big enough swallow them, so they do fine. Although bass and bluegills can indefinitely provide good fishing in quality ponds without restocking, catfish normally need occasional stocking of these larger young fish.

Trout offer a third example of major change brought about by good research and management. Years ago trout fishing was entirely the result of stocking. "Now we have 32 streams with naturally reproducing trout. Much of this success is due to improved watershed management that reduces siltation. Although the hatchery program is still important, this is a pleasant improvement," said Bonneau.

Ask the two biologists if Iowa's fishing has gotten better since they began working nearly 30 years ago and they reply with a qualified "yes."

"Fishing is very definitely better than it was 20 years ago, due to several factors," said Conover. "One is the research that's enabled effective management. But we've also built lakes that tend to have cleaner water than old lakes. Pleasant Creek in Linn and Benton counties and Sugema in Van Buren County are two examples.

"In the old days the state built dams across rivers and streams that carried massive loads of sediment," said Conover. "Probably the best example of a lake that doesn't function well is in Backbone State park. It's really just a wide pool in the Maquoketa River that catches and holds sediment. We don't build lakes like that anymore."

"Newer lakes have better water quality because the DNR works with other agencies and private groups to manage the watershed for reduced runoff," said Bonneau.

In the case of Pleasant Creek, the IDNR cooperated with Iowa Electric, now called Alliant Energy. Using combined funding they purchased nearly all the lake's watershed and vegetated it. Little silt washes in, and the lake provides some of the best, most consistent fishing in Eastern Iowa. With Sugema, the IDNR cooperated with many agencies and farm groups. Several siltation ponds were built on the upper end, and much of the drainage is vegetated. It also has clear, clean water and boasts good fishing. The biologists also cite better water quality in once murky Lake Darling. Water is improving because many people and groups worked together to keep soil up on farmland.