Starting today (Wednesday) biologists at Milford Lake are tagging 500 walleye as a part of an exploitation study to help them get a better handle on the walleye population in the lake and determine how many are being harvested.

John Reinke, Milford Lake District Biologist explained that the tags look like price tags you may find on clothes in a store.

“We’re wanting folks that catch a tagged fish to remove the tag and send in the tag to us. If they want to release the fish that’s fine, if they can just cut the tag off with a pair of scissors or nail clippers,” said Reinke.

This is an opportune time to conduct the study as Milford Lake is expected to have as many as 500 walleye anglers on the lake at the end of May for the Cabelas National Team Walleye Championship.

“The tournament folks are working with us on a tournament angler diary program. They’re actually going to be keeping a daily diary, not only fishing during the tournament but also pre-fishing.”

Anglers who catch a tagged fish are asked to return the tag along with a completed tag reporting card, which can be obtained from the Milford State Park office, local businesses, and ksoutdoors.com.

Those who return a tag will receive a limited-edition Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism “Walleye Research Team” hat. Awards will be mailed to anglers after staff receives the completed tag reporting card.