Forry, I think the Salmon actually reproduce pretty well in Winni. I think the stocking is to supplement the natural population. I think I read on the board a while back that Winni has been so productive that the fisheries folks have been harvesting roe from Winni females to use in stocking for other lakes.
The Natural Reproduction on winni is close to (0) ZERO on salmon. The eggs/baby salmon don't make it on their own, but the fish are really healthy and the eggs are great quality so they strip the eggs and hatch them in hatcheries then stock the salmon back into the lake.
About the reason the smelt reproduce i am not certain and don't want to mislead but the lake trout do good because they actually spawn in the lake instead of the rivers and streams.
I am sure John Viar will read this so maybe he can help us on specific reasons for this.
