Besadny Fishing area adds 18.07 acres; frontage on Kewaunee River

620 feet of frontage added for anglers on both sides of Kewaunee River

KEWAUNEE – Wisconsin’s Natural Resources Board voted 7-0 at its January meeting to approve the purchase of 18.07 acres of land for the Besadny Fish and Wildlife Area in Kewaunee County. The land will be purchased from the Robert Kaye estate for $169,500 using money from Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund.

The Kaye property is located west of the City of Kewaunee and about 16 miles northeast of the City of Green Bay.

The parcel includes 620 feet of frontage on both sides of the Kewaunee River and slopes gently toward the river providing excellent access to the upper Kewaunee River for anglers, canoeists, and as a fish stocking site for DNR staff stocking the river. This latter use is important for imprinting trout and salmon to return later to the Besadny Anadromous Fisheries Facility.

In addition to the river access, the balance of the 18.07 acres will be managed for upland birds, some waterfowl and whitetail deer. Some of the property receive pheasant stocks. The Besadny project sees quite intensive public hunting during the pheasant and gun-deer seasons.

The fisheries portion of the Besadny project consists of a warm water stream, little Scarboro Creek, and a Class 1 brook trout stream with a self-sustaining fishery. The river has native populations of smallmouth bass and northern pike.

Public recreational fishing pressure becomes very heavy during seasonal runs of trout and salmon from Lake Michigan, and parking and access to the river is critical to resolve access in this portion of the Fish and Wildlife area.

Acquisition of this property will help consolidate state ownership and provide opportunities for public recreation.

Contact(s): Dick Steffes, DNR Real Estate Director, 608-266-0201

Webmeister note: When I lived in the Green Bay area, I would take a run over to this hatchery every once in a while. You could easily stand there and watch the various fish for a half hour or hour. There should be more areas like this.