Having direct experience with both the fishing (fishing folks) and fisheries (ODNR Fisheries) communities gives me a bit of a unique perspective. I have learned that the issue of a closed fishing season during the walleye spawn, as with most fishing debates, comes down to where one gets their information and how much credibility one gives to those sources. If a person, for whatever reason, doesn't trust the fisheries professionals, they won't believe them no matter what kind and amount of research information they put out. It can work both ways. Sometimes the professionals don't give enough credibility to veteran fisherman and the information they can provide. No matter what one wants to believe, solid scientific research has shown us - so far - that, as John said in the article, walleye spawning success is much more influenced by natural factors than regulated fishing pressure. The only way to truly test this is to do a closed season for a number of years and see what happens. Since there is little to no evidence this is necessary, why seriously impact the recreational fishery and the local economies with a test? There are far more important Lake issues we need to be concerned about. We should invest our debate time on those issues.