Announcing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative – Wildlife Health Event Reporter (GLRI-WHER)!

Calling all beachcombers! Get involved in an effort to improve the health of the Great Lakes!

 

If you are a concerned citizen who spends time near-shore around the Great Lakes in the US and in Canada, or if you are a coordinator with an established volunteer network that can expand their observational power, please consider sharing your observations of injured/dead animals or algal blooms using the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative – Wildlife Health Event Reporter (GLRI- WHER; http://glri.wher.org).

 

In the interest of protecting waterfowl and other wildlife, scientists working in state, provincial, federal, academic and non-profit agencies are looking for your help to identify events that could be important in research on avian botulism and algal bloom outbreaks. Botulism has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of birds in the Great Lakes and events have been increasing in recent years. For a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem, do your part and share what you see!

 

GLRI-WHER was developed by the Wildlife Data Integration Network (WDIN), a program of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in partnership with the USGS National Wildlife Health Center. Project support was provided through a grant from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at the Environmental Protection Agency (http://greatlakesrestoration.us).

 

Geographically specific alerts and contacts for local agency reporting are provided with each report, when available. All reports from Canada are shared with our partners at the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (http://www.ccwhc.ca), and from the US at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov).

 

Citizen scientists involved in existing reporting efforts should continue to follow their program's protocols - get in touch if you would like to find out how to get your program's data included in the GLRI-WHER.

 

Find out more about the GLRI-WHER application online at http://glri.wher.org. Email questions to botnet@wdin.org

glri.wher.org

Photo Credit: USFWS

Online survey looks at angler’s fish-eating habits

Healthy fish recipes being collected for online cookbook

MADISON -- Anglers' fish-eating habits -- and favorite recipes for their catch -- are the focus of new state efforts aimed at increasing awareness about the health benefits of eating fish while reducing exposure to environmental contaminants.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is seeking male anglers 50 years and older to complete an online survey about their fish consumption (exit DNR). Previous surveys have shown that some older men eat more fish than younger men or women. And while those most vulnerable to the effects of environmental contaminants are pregnant women, their developing fetuses and young children -- older adults also can be affected, according to Pamela Imm, with the DHS Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health.

The online survey, found at study.uwsc.wisc.edu/anglers (exit DNR), seeks information on where this group fishes, how much and what type of fish they eat, and where they get information about consumption advice.

At the same time, the Department of Natural Resources is seeking favorite recipes for fish caught from Wisconsin waters. A selection of recipes from entrants will be included in an online cookbook, Healthy Dishes With Wisconsin's Fishes.

The survey and outreach are funded by federal dollars targeted at improving fish advisory programs throughout the Great Lakes, says Candy Schrank, a DNR toxicologist who coordinates the fish consumption advisory DNR jointly issues every year with the state health services department.

"Wisconsin and other Great Lakes states want to know more about people who eat fish and how to get information to them on the health benefits and risks of eating fish," she says.

The data that DNR collected over the past 40 years on mercury and PCBs in fish show contaminant levels at some locations have dropped, supporting assertions that fish respond to sediment cleanup and mercury emission reductions. However, mercury levels are still high enough that most waters carry a statewide consumption advisory with about 149 having more stringent advice due to higher levels of mercury, PCBs or other chemicals.

More information about Wisconsin’s fish consumption advice and contaminant levels in state residents who frequently eat fish, can be found in "Give in to Fish Fervor" in the December 2011 issue of Natural Resources Magazine or on the Fish Consumption Advisories page of the DNR website.

Entries sought for Healthy Dishes with Wisconsin Fishes cookbook

DNR is seeking recipes for an online cookbook, “Healthy Dishes with Wisconsin Fishes.” "We hope to collect healthy recipes for a wide variety of Wisconsin species," says Sonya Rowe, a DNR communications specialist for the fish contaminant program. "We want to draw more attention to the health benefits of safely eating Wisconsin fish."

Recipes must be the entrant's own, feature Wisconsin fish species and be cooked (not smoked or pickled). The contest is limited to one entry per household, and people can submit their entry using the form found on the Healthy Dishes with Wisconsin Fishes contest web page. The deadline is April 1, 2012.

Recipes will be judged on originality and creativity, healthiness, ease of preparation, species of fish and added details on the recipe's origin and how or where it was caught, Rowe says.

Ice Fishing & Safety by Jerry Opicka - Dec. 12

Dec. 12 - Jerry Opicka, panfishing expert, past WFC president, “Ice Fishing & Safety.”  Learn ice fishing hot spots, equipment, baits that work, safety, techniques, how to read ice, 7 p.m.  FREE!  Big Dog Pub & Grill, formerly Yester Years Pub and Grill, 9427 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis, 414-476-9055. Contact: Cliff Schulz, President, (414) 453-9913, LindaESchulz@WI.RR.com.  Fishing reports, fishing equipment raffle, plus hot food is available.  New members are always welcome.

Have a great holiday fishing season,
Larry Van Veghel

WFC, Media Director & Secretary and
WCSFO, Media Director & Secretary

Root River Report–November 15, 2011

The following information is the latest fishing information for the Root River in Racine. We will post new information to this site every TUESDAY at 4:00 pm from September through December and from March through May. We will also update the number of fish processed at the Root River Steelhead Facility to give you the exact number of fish passed upstream. Depending on water conditions and number of fish in the weir, fish are usually processed on Mondays and Thursdays.
In addition, you can call our Lake Michigan Fishing Hotline at (414) 382-7920 highlighting to hear the latest fishing information for Lake Michigan and its tributaries or check out our Lake Michigan Outdoor Report

Root River Steelhead Facility

Lake Michigan trout and salmon don't successfully reproduce in Wisconsin streams, so DNR gives Mother Nature a hand. Watch fisheries crews collect eggs and milt from spawning fish to create the next generation of steelhead to challenge anglers on the big pond.

• Steelhead Spawning at Root River Steelhead Facility [VIDEO Length 3:16]

Root River Fishing Report for November 14, 2011

Water and flow conditions

The river was high and fast over the weekend, but is currently dropping. The water temperature was 46 degrees.

For up to date river conditions, check out the USGS web site of stream flow conditions [exit DNR] in Wisconsin.

Fishing Report

Upstream of the Weir
Fishing success was lower this weekend than it has been most of the fall, but that was likely due to the higher flows. Anglers caught coho, brown trout, and a couple of rainbow trout. Pink flies were most productive in the area from the Horlick dam downriver into Quarry Lake Park.

Downstream of the Weir
Fishing was slow below the weir, with only a few brown trout caught in Lincoln Park over the weekend.

Making a Climate-Change Checklist. Checking It Twice

UW Sea Grant outreach specialists will spend the fall helping Wisconsin's coastal communities ensure they're prepared for the potential impacts of climate change.

November 3, 2011
By Aaron R. Conklin

Are Wisconsin’s coastal communities prepared for the potential effects of climate change? Outreach specialists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Sea Grant Institute plan to spend the next several months discovering the answer.

Through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) administered through the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, David Hart, UW Sea Grant’s geographic information systems outreach specialist and graduate student Evan Murdock, will meet with representatives from as many as 35 cities and villages in 11 different counties located on Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan coasts.

Just don’t refer to their efforts as a workshop. Other groups, including the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) system, have already laid that groundwork, providing local officials with information about the ways significant changes in precipitation and lake levels could affect their communities. Hart and Murdock’s efforts will be focused on something far more specific--implementation assistance.

“The thought was to take the body of work that’s been done on climate adaptation and put it into a community checklist, where we could go in for a few hours to most of a day and meet with local government officials, and walk through it,” said Hart. “The checklist condenses the issues down to the answer to a simple question: How does this relate to your community?”

The project is a collaborative effort with Minnesota Sea Grant. Jesse Schomberg, a coastal communities specialist with Minnesota Sea Grant and co-investigator on the project, will hold similar discussions with leaders in Lake Superior coastal communities. Key areas for discussion include several of the same ones raised in the recently published report Wisconsin’s Changing Climate: Impacts and Adaptation: ports, harbors, marinas and stormwater detention/retention and conveyance systems.

“Are those facilities in good shape for the kind of variability we might see in the lake levels?” asked Hart.  “We want to discuss the possibility that more intense storms are changing the patterns of precipitation events (both in intensity and frequency) and how these communities might be ready for that.”

Some of the checklist discussions will likely center on each community’s comprehensive and hazard mitigation plans, and how much climate adaptation awareness those plans include. Hart realizes that for many Wisconsin coastal communities, climate change may not be resting on the front burner.

“Communities’ budgets are shrinking,” said Hart. “When you’re dealing with issues of maintaining basic community services such as police and fire protection, these types of climate-change issues fall to the background. They’re in the future and it’s hard to know what they are. “

Still, there’s no question that the issues are important—no local official wants to be stuck with a massive cleanup bill because an insufficient or undersized stormwater system allowed runoff to flood low-lying areas or pollute nearby streams, rivers and lakes. Hart said he’s hopeful the opportunity to provide communities with actual products and services to help manage climate change issues will help move the discussion forward into action.       

For instance, UW Sea Grant Coastal Engineer Gene Clark and Minnesota Sea Grant Maritime Educator Dale Bergeron have created a port assets matrix and dredging cost estimation tool that assesses the potential infrastructure, dredging and economic risks harbors may face from changing water levels and/or increased storm wave action.  In addition, Hart has worked to create visualization models that could help characterize how climate change could affect coastal topography.

“These are changes that are probably going to happen to communities over the next decade,” said Hart.  “The longer you’re aware of them, the more likely you’re able to successfully address them. If you put this off for 10-20 years and all of a sudden we start seeing lake levels change even more, it becomes a harder and more expensive problem to solve. Talking about them now just gives us some more time to spread the cost of being able to address these issues, to where it becomes more manageable. “

In addition to the climate adaptation checklist, the project will also help extend climate-change curriculum and partnerships with tribal governments.

Florida snowbird overdoes it in Sawyer County Overbagging: Nearly $6,000 in fines, rights revoked

State Conservation Warden Tom Heisler of Winter was already working an overbagging case when he spotted another busy angler on popular Lake Chetac in Sawyer County.

“I saw it. There were four fishing lines. The law allows three. And, he was catching a lot of fish,” Heisler said of the moment he launched a summer investigation in what became the case of the Florida snowbird and his Wisconsin son. “I zeroed in on it.”

Months later on October 11 in a Sawyer County courtroom, Ronald Dollevoet of Florida, and his adult son, Jeffrey Dollevoet of Green Bay, were ordered to pay a total of $5,787.75 in fines and to lose some of their outdoor privileges of hunting, fishing and trapping for a few years.

(Above: Some of the fish packets confiscated in the Lake Chetac overbagging case.)

The father, Ronald Dollevoet of Florida, loses his outdoor recreational privileges for three years in his home state of Florida, too, under the multi-state Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. Both Wisconsin and Florida are among the 36 member states in the compact. This agreement calls for license privilege suspensions in the 36 member states. In the case of Ronald Dollevoet, it means his rights revocation is in effect in his home state of Florida, the location of the violation – Wisconsin, and the rest of the member states.

The penalty was less for his son, Jeffrey Dollevoet of Green Bay. Because of his cooperation with the investigation, he lost only his fishing privileges in Wisconsin and for only two years.

“It took a little bit of time to catch them,” Heisler said. “In the end, they faced substantial fines and lost their privileges for hunting, fishing and trapping.”

A familiar story

The case of the Florida snowbird over-fishing is an all-too-familiar story to the conservation wardens on the beat in the northwoods, as well as the local residents and anglers who follow the rules of ethical and legal fishing to preserve their regional natural resources and their tourism economy.

Conservation Warden Andy Lundin of Green Bay says the wardens know the majority of people who enjoy the lakes follow the rules to sustain the resource. However, he says, the Sawyer County case shows how that attitude can change.

“Visitors like this (Ronald Dollevoet) typically are in the north for a limited time. The ones who choose to break the law sometimes feel the need to take as many fish as possible,” Lundin said. “It is certainly one of the more common complaints but not just limited to people who are visiting Wisconsin.”

Heisler agreed. “It is a common problem and it is a workload issue because you must spend so much time on one case.”

The case crosses county lines

Long before Heisler spotted Ron Dollevoet fishing on that summer day, Heisler had been getting citizen complaints from citizens about another fisherman overbagging on certain lakes. But the visiting Florida man wasn’t the fisher mentioned in the other complaints. Ron Dollevoet had been visiting from Florida for several years and had a place on the lake in which he stayed for months each summer.

Yet, on the day Heisler was following up on the complaints, he spotted Dollevoet and gave himself another case.

“The investigation revealed this guy was catching and keeping fish all the time,” Lundin said of the Florida man. Through the wardens’ investigation of the area, the wardens were able to determine there was a family member from Wisconsin – Jeffrey from Green Bay – involved in the case.

This is when Heisler asked Lundin from Green Bay to check in with the adult son.

“I found that Jeffrey had 77 packages of panfish in his freezer, which totaled 687 panfish,” Lundin said. “We were only able to account for possession limits for three people.”

The general statewide daily bag limit for panfish is 25 and the possession limit is 50 fish per person. Take away 150 from 687 and you’ve got 537 too many fish.

“And this is from a lake that already has a more stringent panfish bag limit. Normally, your 25 panfish daily bag limit could consist of all bluegills,” Lundin said. “But on this lake, only 10 of the 25 fish can be bluegills.”

What happens to the fish now? The wardens say the fish are either donated to a food pantry or provided for a charitable event.

Both wardens say another lesson the case shows is the fact every fish caught does not have to be kept. “There is no law that says you must keep every fish you catch,” Heisler said.

Lundin agreed, adding he takes the lesson into his guest lectures and safety classes at schools.

“I tell the kids you can catch and keep 25 panfish today for your daily bag limit and you can catch and keep another 25 tomorrow,” Lundin said. “But now you have 50 which is your possession limit. At that point you should be done fishing for panfish until some of the fish get consumed."

“The goal is to keep it fair, ensure sustainability of the resource and limit things from going to waste,” Lundin said. “ Many of these types of cases are of people being greedy and in part why we have possession limits.”

Heisler says while this case didn’t stem from specific citizen complaints, a high volume does. “The citizens are our eyes and ears.”

To report a violation, call the DNR Hotline at 1-800-TIP-WDNR  (1-800-847-9367) or cell #367

-- JMH, Bureau of Law Enforcement

Fact Sheet--SS SB24/SS AB24--Alteration of Navigable Waters

SS SB24 and SS AB24 will have significant adverse impact on Wisconsin lakes and streams and will greatly limit the opportunity for Wisconsin citizens to have public input on lake and stream development projects. Specifically;

SS SB24 and SS AB24 substantially limit Wisconsin Citizen’s ability to protect their lakes and streams. Lake and stream users including hunters, anglers and trappers and riparian owners have the Constitutional right to object and intervene in DNR decisions that adversely affect lakes and streams. The bills specifically:

1. force citizens to evaluate proposed projects on incomplete information from applicants;

2. eliminate notices of applications to citizens in their local newspapers. Many citizens, especially in rural areas, do not have easy access to internet notices;

3. reduce the amount of time that citizens have to review applications from 30 days to 20 days;

4. put the burden of proof on an application on the citizen rather than the permit applicant.

SS SB24 and SS AB24 significantly weaken environmental regulations protecting fish and wildlife habitat. The bills substantially reduce DNR’s ability to evaluate projects that will lead to inadequate application of environmental regulations and also directly remove environmental standards. The bills specifically:

1. limit DNR’s authority to ask the applicant for additional information about a project even when the applicant continues to not provide the needed information;

2. force DNR to make permit decisions on incomplete applications;

3. prohibit DNR from denying a permit application on grounds that the application is incomplete even when the applicant does not provide the needed information;

4. create default permits when DNR is unable to process an application in time even when the DNR has insufficient staff to process the permit or even when the applicant has not provided adequate information;

5. remove DNR’s authority to prevent serious environmental damage by the construction of piers in the state’s most sensitive water areas known as “Areas of Special Natural Resource Interest”

6. require DNR to issue a general permit to any riparian owner to remove five 10 yard dump trucks of material from the bed of a lake or stream on an annual basis for their pier or boatlift. The cumulative affect of this considering the hundreds of thousands of piers in Wisconsin can have serious adverse affect on fish and wildlife habitat and water quality;

7. require DNR to issue a general permit to any riparian owner to remove fifty 10 yard dump trucks of “plant and animal nuisance” (undefined) from the bed of a lake or stream on an annual basis. Once again, individually or cumulatively, this can have serious adverse impacts on fish and wildlife habitat and water quality;

8. remove DNR’s authority to designate additional areas of the most valuable and significant scientific value for protection from development in lakes and streams;

9. require DNR to establish expedited procedures for the approval of certain dams. Often these dams can cause serious environmental damage and block spawning fish from getting to their spawning habitat.

SS SB24 and SS AB24 violate the Constitutionally based Public Trust Doctrine protecting navigable waters by allowing private development on public lake and stream beds. The beds of lakes and the water area of streams are owned by the Citizens of Wisconsin under the State Constitution. Private structures in those areas are to be limited to whatever is necessary to allow riparian owners to use the waters for their navigation. The bills specifically:

1. remove DNR’s authority (prospectively and retroactively) to prevent the construction of private condominiums and other private structures on filled public lake beds and streams which are protected by the Public Trust Doctrine. This provision has been placed in the bills partially because of a lawsuit currently underway in the Circuit Court of Manitowoc County. These bills will directly intervene in that litigation.

2. would grandfather many very large structures such as party decks and gazebos on the beds of lakes and streams that were built illegally. This would be contrary to a legislative compromise that was entered into in 2004 and voted for by several current legislators.

SS SB24 and SS AB 24 weaken environmental standards that apply to metallic mining in Wisconsin. Metallic mines require permits and approvals under many Wisconsin environmental laws. Many of these laws have been weakened by the provisions contained in these bills. The bill specifically:

1. would remove the requirement for the permit applicant for a major new stationary source of air pollution to perform air dispersion modeling before obtaining an air permit. This means that the proposed Penokee mine in Ashland and Iron County would not have to model their air emissions to ensure that their taconite pellet processing facility and their large electrical generating plant will meet compliance with air quality standards;

2. would create default permits for mine prospecting permits in the state.

Mine prospecting can cause significant damage to land and water if done improperly and the bills would grant default permits to applicants if DNR was unable to process the permit in time;

3. would create default permits for high capacity wells. Metallic mining

operations such as the proposed Penokee mine will need substantial makeup water for their operation which they will likely gain through high capacity wells. It would be virtually impossible for DNR to complete the necessary hydrological studies necessary for the mine in the short period of time set out for the high capacity well default permits;

4. would allow DNR to issue general permits rather than individual permits for the many stream alterations necessary for metallic mining projects;

5. would create default permits for the approval of licenses for oil and and gas production wells in Wisconsin. Oil and gas extraction, if not done properly can cause serious environmental damage and authority to do so should not be granted by default permits with inadequate DNR review.

Source: Wisconsin Wildlife Federation

Jobs Bills Significantly Weakens Laws Protecting Wisconsin’s Lakes and Streams

Poynette: Today, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation announced that it had completed its legal review of SS SB 24 and SS AB 24 that have been introduced as “Job Bills” in the Special Session of the Legislature. The review shows that the bills will significantly weaken Wisconsin laws protecting its lakes and streams and make it virtually impossible for Wisconsin citizens to have meaningful input into DNR decisions that affect their waterways. The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, representing the interests of over 170 hunting, fishing and trapping groups, opposes the bills because of the damage that will happen to fish and wildlife habitat critically important to sportsmen and women.

Specifically, in its study of the bill the Federation found that the bills:

------Substantially remove Wisconsin Citizen’s ability to protect their lakes and streams

------Significantly weaken environmental regulations protecting fish and wildlife habitat

------Violate the Constitution-based Public Trust Doctrine protecting navigable waters

------Weaken environmental standards that apply to metallic mining in Wisconsin

The Federation has detailed these findings in the attached fact sheet.

“Whether you are a hunter, angler or trapper, Wisconsin’s lakes and streams are critically important habitat for the fish and wildlife that are the backbone for hunting, fishing and trapping in Wisconsin,” stated Chuck Matyska (Cecil), President of the Federation. “Allowing these lakes and streams to be damaged is contrary to the interest of every sportsman and woman in this state.”

“The Legislature is working hard to increase the recruitment and retention of young hunters, anglers and trappers in Wisconsin, but without quality fish and wildlife habitat, the important heritage of hunting, fishing and trapping will be lost forever,” indicated Betty Borchert, Chair of the Federation’s Environment Committee. “Ultimately, the loss of this habitat will hurt the economy and in fact cost Wisconsin jobs.

The Federation is the state’s largest hunting, fishing and trapping organization and is dedicated to conservation education and the advancement of sound conservation policy on behalf of hunters, anglers and trappers.

Wisconsin Fishing Club, Ltd

Minutes from the September 26th Meeting

Since only members were present, President Cliff began our meeting with Fishing Reports.

FISHING REPORTS

Kids Fishing Coordinator Wayne Avery said salmon and browns were active for shoreline anglers. Avery is using a 10’ fishing rod with fly line and a monofilament leader with a streamer fly.

On Lake Michigan, 120’ of water is producing 2 to 3 year old salmon.

The club outing on Lake Winnebago had slow action, but there were enough fish for a terrific shore lunch. In the frying pan were perch, a walleye and white bass expertly cooked by Editor Chuck Fischer.

Sergeant at Arms “Big” Dave river fished the “Blue Hole” area. This is ¼ mile north of Capitol Drive where he caught fish including walleyes between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Secretary & Media Director Larry had smallmouth action in the Oconomowoc River. The fish were hitting Dick Smith’s Panfish Grubs.

The Mississippi River gave up white bass, crappies and sauger for back-up secretary Ray Letourneau.

Vice-President George fished his lake and boated a smallmouth and 4 walleyes.

Per President Cliff, Bob’s Bait has been offering good prices on fishing items so Cliff has been getting a number of door prizes from this store. Bob’s Bait has been contributing the bait used in the Kids Fishing Clinics.

The secretary’s minutes were read and approved by secretary & media director Larry Van Veghel.

Treasurer Dan Freiherr reported that we have $1255.00 in our bank account. The report was approved as stated.

After a general discussion on various forms of energy production including the cons of windmills in the Lake Winnebago and Alaskan skylines, pollution of certain fossil fuels and more, Cliff gave us a rundown on upcoming meeting highlights.

Oct. 10- Bass pro Justin Newkirk will discuss “Fall Bass Fishing,”

Oct. 24- Lowrance Rep. Gary Vanderhill will discuss their products with emphasis in using GPS units,

Nov. 14- No meeting. Watch the Green Bay Packers. The meeting has been moved to November 28,

Nov. 28- Al Hutchinson will talk about custom rod building. His talk has become a club favorite, since it is coupled with a later scheduled rod building get together. Hutchinson is a past president of the Rod Builders Guild.

Dec. 9- Christmas Party Time.

Dec. 12- Back by popular demand. Jerry Opicka gives us his annual ice fishing talk. He emphasizes safety.

Dec. 26- No meeting. Play with your new Christmas fishing toys.

Jan. 9- Andy Stuth on “Whitefish Fishing.” This talk has become another club favorite, as it is combined with an outing now termed “Gary’s Outing.”

Ray Letourneau has thankfully taken on the task of getting our website going. Secretary Larry is computer literate, so he will assist. He’s used computers to design industrial refrigeration units for Vilter Mfg. Corp., has 4 blogs, and writes an online southeastern Wisconsin fishing column for examiner.com out of Denver. Larry used to enter the fishing reports on our former website. Ray’s son will get us going on the website, and Ray will do the website after some training.

For your club roster info., add President Cliff’s cell phone at (414) 388-6888 and secretary Larry’s at (414) 801-1222.

Respectively submitted,

Larry Van Veghel

WFC & WCSFO Secretary and Media Director

http://www.examiner.com/x-15565-Milwaukee-Fishing-Examiner

Halloween and Monster Walleye

Marcel Tourdot, Pittsburgh Fishing Examiner
October 7, 2011 - Like this? Subscribe to get instant updates.

Walleye are widely regarded as one of North America’s most elusive freshwater game fish. Often referred to as marble eyes the walleye is a predator of the night. The sensitive nature of their eye sight forces them to spend the majority of their time at depths much greater than most other game fish. They inhabit these depths where little or no sunlight can reach to accentuate their remarkable eyesight and use the advantage to ambush their prey.

There is however a time of transition for walleyes and it is a time when they are more susceptible because they abandon their typical haunts. It is also a time when the largest of the species begin to feed with reckless abandon in the shallower depths of a river or lake system. That time of year is now and for the next 4 to 6 weeks an angler has the best chance to catch a trophy walleye.

Target gravel bars, shallow weed beds near drop off points, submerged weeds (typically only visible with electronic sonar), and areas downstream from dams. Since Pittsburgh is famous for its rivers (among other things), it is an ideal autumn spot for trophy class walleye.
Since the feeding frenzy that walleye undergo during this time of year is a response to the need to store up food reserves and energy to survive the coming winter months they are looking for large baitfish. It is best to cast jigs with shiners, or creek chubs, and minnow imitation crank baits to hook that monster walleye.

WCSFO Fall Meeting

Date: October 15, 2011
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Walleyes for Tomorrow Office, 224 Auburn, Fond Du Lac WI

Club Delegates are urged to attend - All Club Members and angling individuals are welcome.

Meeting Agenda:
1. Call to order / Introductions / sign in
2. Minutes from March 19, 2011 Spring Meeting (L.A. Van Veghel)
3. Treasurers Report (Cornell Stroik)
4. Organization Update

• Treasury – Transition Update
• Membership

5. Dues Notices (2012)
6. WDNR Updates
7. Online newsletter (Need email addresses/subscribers and newsletter content info to disburse). This ties together, but if we want to provide info – we need contacts and info. Majority of info at this time is being provided by the WDNR via news releases and other material from L.A. Van Veghel.
8. Wisconsin Wildlife Federation Update (George Meyer)
9. Lake access news (Ted Lind)
10. B.A.S.S. Federation News (Cornell Stroik)
11. Tournaments/C.A.S.T. – Updates/News
12. “Kids Fishing Klinics,” Update for 2012 (Wayne Avery)
13. Old Business:

1. WWF/WCSFO Tournament-Seminar Sept./Oct. this year in Stevens Point? Good Idea but never happened.)
2. Kids Fishing Book

14. New Business:
15. Adjourn

Contact: John Durben, President, 715.745.BAIT
chilihead@frontiernet.net

New Law (Act 21) Delays Implementation of Important Public Safety Regulation

Poynette: Today, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation identified that a new law passed by the Wisconsin Legislature, (Act 21), which adds substantial delay and red tape in the process for adopting hunting, fishing and trapping rules will cause substantial delay in the implementation of a non-controversial sports fishing regulation designed to protect public safety while sports fishing on the Great Lakes.

In June 2010, a sports fishing boat trolling off of Sheboygan, Wisconsin sank within a minute of having its fishing lines becoming snagged on a commercial trap net in Lake Michigan, resulting in a sports anglers death and the rescue of his companions. The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation along with the Wisconsin Federation of Great Lakes Sportsfishing Clubs petitioned the Department of Natural Resources to adopt regulations preventing similar tragic accidents. The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board responded by adopting a simple and inexpensive Emergency Rule which required that starting in 2011 all Great Lakes sports fishing boats must have a wire cutters on board to be able to quickly cut any of their lines that become ensnared on commercial fishing nets in the Great Lakes. The cost of compliance for any sports fishing boat to have this life-saving tool is less than $10. There was no sports anglers’ opposition to this public safety regulation.

The emergency rule by law expires at the end of the 2011 sports fishing season and cannot be renewed. Under the former law governing the adoption of administrative rules, the DNR would have been able to initiate a permanent rule process and adopt a non-controversial rule for the 2011 Great Lakes sports fishing season. However due to the extensive delays and red tape built into the administrative rule adoption process by new Act 21, including a detailed economic analysis, it now takes between two and three years to adopt a permanent rule, and the wire cutter permanent rule cannot be put in place until July 2013. That is in spite of the fact that there has not been a single complaint by sports fisherman about the simple, inexpensive requirement.

“While well-intended, Act 21 has already started to cause severe problems in adopting simple hunting, fishing and trapping regulations,” indicated Chuck Matyska, (Cecil), Wildlife Federation President. “Virtually all of the many regulations governing hunting, fishing and trapping in Wisconsin must be adopted by administrative rule and are supported by sportsmen and women and there should not be unproductive delays and bureaucracy in their adoption.”

“In this tragic situation, the Natural Resources Board came up with a simple and cheap rule that will significantly increase the safety of Great Lakes sports anglers, only to find it ensnared by the Legislature’s adoption of this new law,” stated Larry Freitag, (Sheboygan), Chair of WWF’s Great Lakes Fishing Committee. “This was a rule that was unanimously supported by both sports and commercial anglers and needs to be in effect for the 2012 sports fishing season.”

The Wildlife Federation is calling on the Governor and the Legislature to modify Act 21 to allow the adoption of non-controversial and inexpensive hunting, fishing and trapping regulations without the added red tape and delay caused by the new law.

WDNR Weekly News Article - Winnebago walleye fisheries featured in new video

MADISON -- A new video shows why Lake Winnebago boasts one of the state's premier walleye fisheries and how the Department of Natural Resources partners with anglers and other partners to keep it strong.

Winnebago Walleye Fishery is the introductory piece in a series about this frying pan favorite and the inland lake it calls home. Three more episodes will be posted in August.

Winnebago Walleye Fishery [VIDEO Length 3:25]

A 2006 economic impact study found that walleye were the favorite target by an overwhelming majority of anglers who fish the Winnebago system and say they target a specific species. The study, conducted by UW-Extension, UW-Green Bay and the DNR, also found that angling on the system generates a total impact of $234 million on the local economy and supports 4,200 jobs.

Meeting Minutes from July 11, 2011–Wisconsin Fishing Club Ltd

http://www.wisconsinfishinclub.com

Our 45th Year

July 11, 2011

Since our guest speaker had neither contacted President Cliff, nor had our guest speaker returned our esteemed leader’s phone calls or emails, we were without a guest speaker. President Cliff didn’t let that ruin our meeting, so he fearlessly dove into the icy waters of the fish reports.

Happily, the water had warmed and so did the fishing for most members who ventured out. Pike Lake, in Washington County, showed activity. This lake has both launches and a boat livery.

Knowledgeable Lake Michigan anglers Treasurer Danny Freiherr and koi/bluegill expert Jerry Opicka landed 2 Chinook, 7 coho, 1 lake trout.

The North lake launch still isn’t being built, but a member had success on largemouth bass. Further down Hwy. 83, Lake Nagawicka, alias “The Nag,” gave up small, largemouth bass on clown color #12 Husky Jerks worked during the morning.

Up north on the Wisconsin/Michigan border, for Sgt-at-Arms Big Dave, the Menominee River gave up smallies and walleyes, plus some good size bluegills and perch.

In the lake with the most surface acres in the state, Editor Chuck Fisher found walleyes on Lake Winnebago. Fisher used nightcrawlers while trolling and drifting.

From out-of-the-state, in the great Upper Michigan trout streams brook trout were active in the Fox River. Smallmouth bass were hot along Door County.

Nearer to Milwaukee and in the river of the same name meaning “Gathering of the Rivers,” smallmouth to 17” came from the Grafton area.

Deacon Jerry McCarty fished Buffalo Lake and had plenty of bluegill success.

While Secretary & Media Director Larry Van Veghel had no trouble catching perch on Oconomowoc Lake. Most perch were small and are found over and in the sand grass. Bluegills were small to keeper size. Smallies into the mid-teens hit Chatterbaits and Booyahs of similar designs. Bright colors were best. Look for thick clumps of coontail plants. Larry and his friend Paul Ridel, of Pauls Professional Painting, found that yellow was working great for the pike. Larry took his fish on an unaltered, chartreuse Booyah type chatterbait while Paul and his catch preferred a yellow Mepps #5 Aglia with a special cutout orange balloon as an attractor. Paul has perfected his technique and has caught hundreds (probably lots more) of northerns.

It was great having so many fishing reports, and even more good reports followed.

Largemouth bass were feeding on Okauchee Lake. Another angler had a 22” northern on Okauchee and added 3 walleyes over 15”.

Once known for big pike, Lake Puckaway northerns in the lower twenties were caught. By Oconomowoc, Silver Lake, once the favorite lake for Joe Ehrhardt, served rockbass to a dandy 13”.

Vice-President George cruised over the Crescent Lake to his home away from home. Our VP used leeches to land walleyes. He also reported perch and some walleyes off of Dykesville on Green Bay.

President Cliff brought up our Wisconsin Fishing Club Big Fish Contest. He emphasized that we need entries. It’s not fair to winners who hear other members brag, at meetings earlier in the year, about catching bigger fish while the winners won with smaller but still respectable fish. This taints the win and the contest. Our club has kept this contest lax because we pride ourselves on our honesty. The one nice thing is that those who won with smaller fish won by actually following through by turning in an affidavit. For this year, include two necessary photos and submit completed and signed form to President Cliff.

Secretary Larry read the minutes and they were approved.

Treasurer Danny followed by giving the treasurer’s report. He stated that we have $1261.00 in our checking account. His account was approved. This is double what we had at this time last year, and it shows that we can handle our budget better than can our politicians, no matter what party of preference.

Being a fishing club, we need to pick a lake or river for August’s outing.

August 20 (Saturday) is our pot luck picnic at President Cliff’s house. We will have a sign-up sheet at our August meeting.

Per Kids Fishing Coordinator Wayne Avery, the next meeting for the Kids Fishing Clinics is in October.

July 13 was scheduled as an afternoon/early evening outing on Lake Nagawicka. This is a good time to fish, wiscfish.org/fishid, this lake for active gamefish. Panfish are also active during these hours.

On September 12, at 6 p.m. sharp so as not to conflict with the start of the members’ meeting, the board members will meet to make brilliant decisions, come up with outstanding ways to use our money and generally just shine as the great leaders we are. Elections, our banquet, plans for the last months of the year and more will be on our docket. Members thinking of running for office should start giving this serious thought. Also, those who know of someone they want to nominate can also begin pondering their planned political proposition.

Nominations are held for 3 meetings, Sept 26, Oct. 10 and finally Oct. 24, per our Constitution. After the nominations held at the third successive meeting, we will hold our annual elections. Members are asked to make an effort to attend the meetings. These elections affect the next year’s operation of your fishing club. Realizing that football games are like the Sirens calling to Jason and the Argonauts, one should also consider which option choice involves creating the personal world you’ll live in for the entire following year. (It is thought that these sirens were actually narwhales.)

We talked about a possible Lake Michigan outing for when the fish start coming in shallower and closer to the Wisconsin shore. Smaller boats can then fish too.

We also discussed our website, which requires constant updating to give prospective members and society a good first impression of our club while providing our members with the information necessary to keep this a terrific fishing organization.

Respectively submitted, a person who has spent over three decades as officers of Wisconsin based fishing clubs and of the Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations, http://wcsfo.blogspot.com,

Larry Van Veghel

WFC, Media Director & Secretary

http://www.examiner.com/x-15565-Milwaukee-Fishing-Examiner

WCSFO MEETING MINUTES–March 19, 2011

Spring Meeting

President John Durben opened our full moon meeting at just after 9 a.m. at Gander Mountain in Franklin, WI. The attendance of member clubs was poor. Clubs must send their representatives if they want to discuss things with the DNR through the Council. WCSFO remains the anglers’ voice to the DNR.

Secretary & media director Larry Van Veghel read the minutes, and they were unanimously passed.

Treasurer Cornell Stroik said we have $5073.62 in our treasury and the C.A.S.T. account has $3061.18. His report was unanimously approved as read.

Mike Staggs, DNR Fisheries Bureau of Fisheries Management boss, gave a fine talk on what the DNR is doing.

Staggs gave a brief rundown on the Spring Hearings fishing questions, and he said there were not many major questions. The 40” minimum musky limit and the reduction in walleye bag limits with an 18” minimum keeper size in southeast Wisconsin were among them. (Note, male muskies and northern pike often die at about 34 inches per fisheries biologists Staggs, Randy Schumacher and Doug Welch, per my discussions with them. Welch is the senior fisheries biologist in southeast Wisconsin.)

Per Mike, Wisconsin is #2 to Florida when it comes to the number of out-of-state fishing license sales.

Mike Arrowood, chairperson of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, gave us plenty of information on what WWF is doing. He said the Green School Network gets school kids into the outdoors to do math and other courses. These students do much better than if they just stayed in the class rooms. Basically, the program works. The students count tree types, etc. This program gets students into the outdoors where they develop an appreciation for nature.

WCSFO treasurer Cornell Stroik is also our bass and C.A.S.T. representative. He also represents the Bass Federation. He said Joel Clayfish is pushing toward having the legislature look into the tournament situation.

October 15, 2011 is our fall meeting at the Walleyes For Tomorrow headquarters in Fond du Lac. All Wisconsin and visiting anglers are invited, and member clubs should send their representatives. We want to hear from you.

 

Respectively submitted,

L.A. Van Veghel

WCSFO Secretary & Media Director

Wisconsin Fishing Club, Ltd. Meeting Minutes–May 23, 2011

http://www.wisconsinfishinclub.com

Our 45th Year

Brass Spoonplug

President Cliff opened our meeting by welcoming our guests. This was followed by an introduction of the officers present.

Fish reports:

Coho were rocking on Lake Michigan. A blue fly worked from north to south between North Point and the Main Gap.

In inland waters, Pewaukee Lake was slow. Winnebago provided three walleyes for Editor Chuck Fischer. He also landed six big crappies by Wendt’s. Limits of walleyes came from Winneconne. White bass were hot at Omro.

Big catfish, whitebass and some keeper walleyes were caught on Lake Puckaway. On the Saturday before the meeting, bass and northerns hit on Wind Lake before the rain. Northerns were active on the next day for Secretary Larry and his fishing partner. Larry also landed a big crappie.

Rarely fished Echo Lake, in Burlington, gave up a fine 15½” largemouth bass. On the Centipedes, Darters & Sliders worked on Pine Lake. A few smallmouth bass were on the beds.

Our Monona outing had some bass action. Some beds were viewed.

Friday before the meeting, Art Schmitt fished from four to six in the afternoon in Taylor Bay on Pewaukee Lake. He caught lots of keeper bluegills. A small hook and a waxie worked. When using a minnow, Schmitt also used a larger orange hook. On the same day, another member had successful bluegill angling on Upper Genesee Lake.

Secretary Larry read the minutes, and they were approved as read. This was followed by Treasurer Dan stating we have $1278.00 in our account. His report was approved as stated.

At our next meeting, President Cliff said we will “figure something out” regarding our next outing. We are looking at fishing on Lake Winnebago.

On June 13, Kyle Drake, of the DNR, will speak on vehicle safety when operated in Wisconsin. This includes boats.

Our speaker was former bass tournament angler Mark Krmpotich. Mark discussed how fishing vastly improved thank you to the work of Buck Perry and Spoonplugging and the Lindners and their version of structure fishing.

Krmpotich said that Pewaukee Lake is eutrophic, meaning it is older, and Okauchee Lake is mesotrophic or newer. (Larry: Okauchee is a flowage or a reservoir.) Both “lakes” have dams. Mark gave us a super fishing tip. He said we should find the old, before flooding, shorelines. This overlooked structure is where the bottom is harder, and it attracts fish.

Per our speaker, some fish stay in shallow for their entire lives. On Pewaukee Lake, for example, this lake has lots of shallow water. Find the rocks and you’ll find largemouth bass in the weeds.

8# Seguar fluorocarbon line, four inch plastic worms and weedless Slider jigs are great. For larger fish, a five inch creature on a Charlie Brewer Slider Jig with a Zoom Centipede by Senko on a Texas rigged plain hook floats smoothly down. Use this when bass are on the beds.

Power Worm’s ribbontail design swims naturally on the fall with twitches

and short hops. Soft but firm texture is irresistible to fish.

Ideal for lakes, reservoirs, streams or rivers.

A good musky bait is a hooked weedless Power Worm. Use without a sinker to look more natural, or use a sinker for more casting distance.

If you are using a locator in shallow water, turn it off. Fish feel the pulses and the fish won’t feel your bait. Keep your trolling motor at the same slow speed so as not to spook fish into nonfeeding moods.

Our speaker said minnows do not have lateral lines. He said suckers do not have lateral lines. Gamefish do and these predator fish know where the forage fish are. Big fish feed at night, because it’s easier. Adding a fish attracting scent at night improves your catch.

If you catch a good fish, such as a spunky smallmouth bass, put it in the livewell. Returning the fish allows it to release pheromones and the rest of the smallies in the school are turned off.

Use Small Rat-L-Trap lures and translucent white Rebel Pop-R baits.In lakes around Milwaukee, fish tend to go for smaller baits.

Krmpotich said that baitcasting reels are the reels on which we should spend our money. Better quality is the most important thing.

If you see a school of carp rooting up the sediment, cast in the middle of or along side of these invasive species. Gamefish gather to feed on what is edible and floating.

Mark ended his talk by ably answering questions from the crowd.

Respectively submitted,

Larry Van Veghel

WFC & WCSFO Secretary and Media Director

http://www.examiner.com/x-15565-Milwaukee-Fishing-Examiner

Boat and ATV safety

June 13- The Wisconsin Fishing Club, Ltd. speaker is: Kyle Drake from the DNR will give a presentation on “Boat and ATV Safety.”  FREE! 7 p.m. Yester Years Pub and Grill, 9427 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis, 414-476-9055.  Contact: Cliff Schulz, President, LindaESchulz@WI.RR.com. (414) 453-9913, . Fishing reports, a fishing equipment raffle, plus hot food and free pool are available. New members are welcome.

Have a great fishing season,
Larry Van Veghel

WFC, Media Director & Secretary and
WCSFO, Media Director & Secretary
414-769-6846

DNR announces temporary, seasonal fishing closures: News Releases: Minnesota DNR

To protect fish spawning areas, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has begun to close certain portions of a number of Minnesota waters to fishing. The closings are routine and based on local conditions.
Closings occur each year as ice-out begins and waters begin to warm.

Areas closed to fishing are listed on the DNR website. Portions of waters closed to fishing also are posted at access sites and in other visible areas. Anglers may fish in areas that are not posted.

Chinook harvests up 47 percent in 2010, outlook good for '11

MILWAUKEE -- Lake Michigan anglers had a banner year of chinook fishing in 2010, with favorable winds and other factors helping to increase harvest 47 percent, state fishery officials say.

"It looks like our chinook salmon harvest by Wisconsin anglers was really good in 2010," says Brad Eggold, the Department of Natural Resources fisheries supervisor for southern Lake Michigan, who just completed analyzing surveys of what anglers caught on that water in 2010. "I don't see any reason that 2011 would not be another solid year."

Eggold found that anglers harvested 315,294 chinook salmon from Lake Michigan in 2010, up from 214,621 in 2009 and 256,796 in 2008. More good news for Wisconsin anglers: they accounted for the bulk of the lake-wide haul.

[Full Story]

Walleye bag limits adjusted for Ceded Territory lakes

MADISON -- Daily walleye bag limits have been adjusted on 539 lakes in the Wisconsin Ceded Territory in response to harvest declarations made by six bands of Chippewa in Wisconsin, the state Department of Natural Resources has announced. These bag limits are effective between May 7, 2011 and March 4, 2012, inclusive.

There will be a three walleye bag limit for sport anglers on 226 lakes, a two-fish daily bag limit on 311 lakes, and a 1-fish daily bag limit on Potato (Rusk County) and Grindstone (Sawyer County) Lakes.  [Full Story]

WCSFO Spring Meeting–March 19, 2011

Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Gander Mountain
6939 5 27th St
Franklin WI

Club Delegates are urged to attend -All Club Members are welcome

Meeting Agenda:

 

1.Call to order /Introductions / sign in

2.Minutes from March 20, 2010 Spring Meeting (L.A. Van Veghel)

3.Treasurers Report (Cornell Stroik)

4.Dues Notices (2011)

5. Mike Staggs -WI DNR -Spring Hearings, highlights from 2010 and some priorities for 2011.

6.Online newsletter (Need email addresses/subscribers and newsletter content info to disburse). This ties together, but if we want to provide info -we need contacts and info. Majority of info at this time is being provided by the WDNR via news releases and other material from L.A. Van Veghel.

7.WI Wildlife Federation Update -Mike Arrowood Chairperson of the WWF Fisheries Committee

8.Lake access news (Ted Lind)

9.B.A.S.S. Federation News (Cornell Stoik)

10.Tournaments/C.A.S.T. -Updates/News

11."Kids Fishing Klinics," Update for 2011

12. Old Business:

A. Kids Fishing Book

14. New Business:*

15. Adjourn

 

* Items not listed on the Agenda will be discussed under New Business.

Fishing for young anglers

Lawrence Van Veghel

Milwaukee Fishing Examiner

 

Over twenty seven years ago, I was involved in helping to create the Kids Fishing Klinics in Wisconsin.   The late, and great, Mike Ross, then president of both the Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations, WCSFO, and of the Wisconsin Fishing Club, Ltd, WFR, and Ron Pining of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, WDNR, were the two major players in the creation of these “Klinics.”  Mike Ross used the upper case letter “K” to make the word stand out.  Over the years, new people who didn’t know why this was so decided to correct the spelling so youngsters wouldn’t misspell it in their writings.

Wouldn’t it be nice if they did the same throughout advertising writings?

How do you spell “relief?”  (R-o-l-a-i-d-s).

Today, I’m the secretary and media director for both the WCSFO and WFR.  The president of WCSFO is John Durben of the Green Bay Area Great Lakes Sports Fishing club, GBGLSF, and Wayne Avery, WFC, is the able kids fishing coordinator for WFSFO and WFC.

This year, all clinics start at 9 am.  The last class starts at 2 pm.  The date is Saturday, April 16 for the 27th Annual “Kids’ Fishing Clinics.”   Four counties hold these clinics.  Member clubs of WCSFO, the WDNR, and the Milwaukee County House of Correction Fish Hatchery, where they raise fish for stocking while helping criminals straighten out their lives combine to make this event possible.  Here are the locations:

MILWAUKEE COUNTY

Brown Deer Park, 7835 N. Green Bay Rd., Hosted by the Okauchee Fishing Club.

Greenfield Park, 2028 S. 124th St.  Hosted by Milwaukee Area Great Lakes Sports Fishermen, plus Milwaukee Casting Club.

Humboldt Park,3000 S. Howell Ave.  Hosted by Lunkers Unlimited.

McCarty Park, 8214 W. Cleveland Ave., Wheelchair accessible.  Hosted by Southside Sportsmen’s Club, plus Sunnyside Rod and Gun Club.

McGovern Park, 5400 W. 51st Blvd. Wheelchair accessible.  Hosted by Badger Fisherman’s League.

Mitchell Park, 2200 W. Pierce St.  Hosted by Bay View Rod and Gun Club.

Oak Creek Parkway, Oak Creek Pkwy. and Mill Rd. South Milwaukee.  Hosted by Friends of the Oak Creek Mill Pond.

Scout Lake Park, 5902 W. Loomis Rd., Wheelchair accessible.  Hosted by Walleyes Unlimited, USA.

Sheridan Park, 4800 S. Lake Dr.  Hosted by Lakeridge Boat Club and South Milwaukee 1400 Fishing and Hunting Club.

Washington Park, 1859 N. 40th St., Wheelchair accessible.  Hosted by EB Garner’s Fishing Club.

Wilson Park, 1601 W. Howard Ave.  Hosted by Wisconsin Fishing Club, Ltd.  Milwaukee Fishing Examiner will be here.

Racine County

Quarry Park Lake, 3800 Northwestern Ave.  Hosted by Salmon Unlimited.

Washington County

Sandy Knoll Park, 2064 Wallace Lake Rd., West Bend.  Hosted by Trout Unlimited Southeast Chapter, plus West Bend Kiwanis Early Risers.

Waukesha County

No park entrance fee is charged, and parking passes are distributed at the event.

Fox Brook Park, 2925 N. Barker Rd.  Hosted by Werr Valley Sportsmen’s Club.

Menomonee Park/Lannon Quarry, W220 N7884 Townline Road., Menomonee Falls, ½ mile north of Good Hope Rd.  Hosted by Wisconsin House Outdoorsman.

Muskego Park, S83 W20370 Janesville Road, Muskego.  Hosted by Women’s Hunting and Sporting Association.

Sponsored in cooperation with the Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations, WCSFO, Milwaukee, Racine, Washington and Waukesha County Parks, Milwaukee County House of Correction Fish Hatchery, and the Department of Natural Resources.

Free instructions for children 15 years of age and younger.  Young children need adult accompaniment.  Classes are taught by members of local fishing clubs.  Fishing equipment is available, but youth can bring their rods and reels.  Adults are not allowed to fish, with the exception of instructors.  No pre-registration is necessary, but to prepare for groups of 20 or larger, call 414-263-8614.  Call this same number or 414-263-5494 for more information.

The Wisconsin Fishing Club, Ltd. hosts a fishing tackle rummage sale

Feb. 28 - The Wisconsin Fishing Club, Ltd. hosts a fishing tackle rummage sale at Yesteryears Pub and Grill, 9427 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis, WI. The event starts at 7:00 p.m. Both club members and vendors will sell fishing equipment. For more information call Cliff at 414-453-9913 or George at 262-408-8919. Free to the public. Hot food & free pool too.

Outdoor Report as of February 17, 2011

A major warm-up in the last week has caused snow conditions to deteriorate rapidly across the state, but especially in the south. Some areas of the state saw a change in temperatures of more than 40 degrees in one day. Temperatures have been in the 40s to low 50s this week, and snow cover has dropped from 18 to 24 inches last week across the state, to a foot to 18 inches in the north, down to 3 inches in some areas of the south.

Snowmobile trails are now closed in roughly the southern two-thirds of the state and in just fair condition in the northern counties that remain open. Some counties closed trails in hopes of retaining snow on trails so they could be re-opened if temperatures drop as forecast for this weekend. Snowmobilers should check the Department of Tourism snow conditions report for updates or call ahead to their destinations for the latest conditions. Cross-country ski trail conditions have also deteriorated, and some parks and forests are asking skiers to voluntarily refrain from using the trails, again with hopes of retaining what grooming and snow remains.

Big fish and challenging travel conditions were the story during the first five days of the Lake Winnebago System sturgeon spearing seasons. Through the end of spearing hours Wednesday, 1,105 fish had been harvested, with 67 of them weighing more than 100 pounds, including a 185-pound, 80.2- inch female sturgeon was taken Feb. 14,

The Upriver Lakes were still open on Thursday, but could close if the harvest trigger is hit, otherwise the upriver season will be open at least through Friday. The Lake Winnebago closure is not in sight. There were reports of lots of water and very rough going on the roads off Oshkosh. Nine more fish over a hundred pounds were registered Wednesday, largest percentage of trophy fish on any single day in the history of the fishery. One spearer registered one of the infamous "white" sturgeon come on Wednesday. Not a true albino as the eyes were not pink.

Ice fishing on inland lakes remained slow, and travel became very difficult because of the melting snow and build up of slush. Ice conditions can change very rapidly in these warm temperatures, especially near inlets, outlets or natural springs, so people should be using extreme caution venturing out on ice.

Anglers with ice shacks still on the ice should consider removing them now or risk a big hassle getting them off if they sink into the slush and then cold temperatures re-freeze the ice later. The first ice fishing shanty removal deadline is next Sunday, Feb. 20 for Iowa-Wisconsin boundary waters.

Along Green Bay, the Peshtigo Harbor area saw an influx of northern pike anglers pre fishing for

a tournament next weekend. The Oconto breakwater saw a lot of activity this weekend, with some whitefish and a few perch caught along with some good numbers of smelt. Along Door County, Sturgeon Bay anglers had some success fishing perch but most have been small. Little Sturgeon Bay anglers were having success on whitefish.

After the warm weekend the ice conditions below the dams on the Mississippi River are becoming extremely dangerous. Run-off water is also entering many other rivers and the flowing water under the ice can rapidly deteriorate ice. Ice is also breaking up below dams on the Rock River and some decent walleye action was being reported.

Birds heard singing recently include tufted titmouse, house finch, cardinal, and white- breasted nuthatch. Waterfowl are getting more active with longer days triggering increased hormones, and bald eagles have been seen in the north carrying materials back to repair nests.

[MORE]

Deadlines approach for ice fishing shelter removal

MADISON – The first of a number of deadlines for ice anglers to remove ice fishing shelters from inland and boundary waters is this weekend. All ice fishing shelters must be removed from Wisconsin-Iowa boundary waters by Sunday, Feb. 20. This date, affecting the Mississippi River south of the Minnesota-Iowa border, is set to correspond with Iowa regulations.

The deadlines for the other two boundary waters are March 1 for Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters and March 15 for Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters.

For inland Wisconsin waters, ice fishing shelters must be removed daily and when not occupied after the first Sunday following March 1 for waters south of Highway 64 and after the first Sunday following March 12 for waters north of Highway 64. For 2011, those dates are:

• Sunday, March 6 for waters south of Highway 64.
• Sunday, March 13 for waters north of Highway 64.

One exception to this rule is that on the Fox River downstream from the DePere dam in Brown County, ice fishing shelters must always be removed from the ice daily and when not in use.

At this point in the season, ice conditions start to deteriorate and make removal unsafe and difficult. A shanty that breaks through the ice can create a safety hazard for boaters and anglers during open water season.

Failure to remove a shanty or ice fishing shelter by these deadlines could result in a forfeiture of $263.10. Additional costs may be incurred if the DNR must arrange to have the shanty removed or if the shanty or ice fishing shelter breaks through the ice and must be recovered and disposed of.

After these dates for removing ice fishing shelters from a frozen lake or river, an angler may continue to use a portable shelter but must remove it daily and when it is not occupied or actively being used.

2011 Spring Fish and Wildlife Rules Hearing questionnaire available online

MADISON – The questionnaire package for the 2011 Department of Natural Resources Spring Fish and Wildlife Rules Hearing and Annual Conservation Congress County Meeting and the list of meeting locations is now available for review on the Department of Natural Resources website.

On Monday, April 11, there will be 72 public hearings, one in each Wisconsin county starting at 7 p.m. where individuals interested in natural resources management will have an opportunity to provide their input by non-binding vote and testimony to the Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Board and the Conservation Congress on proposed hunting and fishing rule changes and advisory questions. Printed copies of the questionnaire will be available after March 1.

The hearings, held annually, are combined with the county meetings during which residents can vote on and introduce their solutions to natural resources related issues.

The spring hearings cover three major areas: elections for county Conservation Congress delegates; proposed wildlife and fisheries rule changes that have been developed through previous Conservation Congress meetings; and Conservation Congress proposals for future rule development.

Among the wildlife rule proposals being considered are: eliminating the archery deer hunting season closure during the traditional November firearm season; allowing normal hunting hours for pheasants on weekends at stocked properties that otherwise close at 2 p.m.; establishing a September firearm and archery hunting season for elk that would run concurrently with the first 30 days of the archery deer hunting season that would be held after the elk population reaches 200 animals; extending each of the spring turkey hunting periods by two days; and allowing landowners, lessees or occupants of private land, or other people with their permission, to shoot a cougar that is in the act of killing, wounding or biting a domestic animal and require that the carcass of the cougar be turned over to the DNR.

Among the fisheries rule change proposals are: increasing the musky size limit on about 600 inland waters from 34 to 40 inches; increasing the minimum size limit from 15 to 18 inches and decreasing the daily bag limit from five to three fish in aggregate for walleye, sauger, and hybrids for most waters in 19 southern Wisconsin counties; requiring the use of “quick-strike” rigs when fishing with minnows 10 inches or longer as bait; and creating a continuous hook and line fishing season for cisco (lake herring), whitefish, and hybrids in the Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters with a possession and daily bag limit of 10 in total and no size limit.

In addition to the department's rule proposals, there will be a wide variety of advisory questions that the Congress will be asking citizens to gauge public support on various natural resource issues.

During the Conservation Congress county meetings, county residents have the option to run for a seat on the Conservation Congress and to elect delegates from their county to represent their views regarding natural resources issues on the Conservation Congress, the citizen advisory body to the Natural Resources Board and the Department of Natural Resources. Also, individuals have the opportunity to bring forth new conservation issues of a statewide nature to the attention of the Conservation Congress through the citizen resolution process. Information about the process is also available on the Conservation Congress pages of the DNR Web site.

52 fish over 100 pounds speared in first three days of sturgeon season

OSHKOSH - Big fish and challenging travel conditions were the story during the first three days of the Lake Winnebago System sturgeon spearing seasons.

Josh Genske of Sheboygan speared this 185 pound, 80.2 inch female sturgeon Feb. 14, the largest fish taken in the first three days of the Lake Winnebago System seasons.
WDNR Photo

Through the end of spearing hours Monday, 881 fish system-wide had been harvested, with 52 of them, or 5.1 percent, weighing more than 100 pounds, according to Ron Bruch, Department of Natural Resources fisheries supervisor.

That includes the 185-pound, 80.2-inch female that Josh Genske of Sheboygan registered at the Calumet Harbor Station on Valentine's Day, and the 172.7-pound, 76.9-inch female registered by Jeffery Nozar of Oshkosh on opening day.

Those fish weigh in as the third and fifth largest sturgeon speared since DNR began keeping harvest records in 1941. Registration of all harvested fish began in 1955.

Seven of those top 10 fish have been speared in the last three years, Bruch says.

"The big fish we see now began growing into the ‘big fish’ category (100 pounds or more) just at the time when our new regulations were put in place to provide greater protection to them," Bruch says. "That's resulted in the impressive numbers of big fish in an expanded population overall of lake sturgeon we currently have in the Winnebago System."

Bruch says it's possible that the season could run the full 16 days allowed under law.

"Given the changing travel conditions on Lake Winnebago, it appears spearers will have many more days, possibly a full 16 days this year, to add to the top 10 list of biggest fish."

A list of the top 10 largest fish can be found on the Lake Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing Season page of the DNR website.

Travel will likely be difficult for spearers

The deep snow and drifts spearers encountered on opening day of the seasons, Feb. 12, made it difficult to get around on the lake. That problem was compounded when warmer temperatures melted snow and made travel very sloppy. Windy conditions forecast for this week will push ice around, although colder temperatures forecast for the weekend may freeze up the slop and improve travel conditions by next week. "There's going to be a major adjustment for spearers to contend with over the next few days," Bruch says.

Spearers were closing in on the number of adult females that would trigger closure of the Upriver Lakes season. After Monday, there were 16 adult females left before hitting the trigger for the Upriver Lakes adult female harvest cap.

Lake Winnebago spearers after Monday were about one-third of the way to hitting the trigger for adult females on the big lake. Current updates are available on DNR's Lake Winnebago 2011 Sturgeon Spearing Season page.

Sturgeon Spearing Season Opens This Weekend - February 12

We're getting right down to the wire now, and I thought you might be interested in some new Lake Winnebago water clarity reports our crew collected over the weekend. As of Saturday February 5, the water clarity has generally improved somewhat across the lake since my last water clarity report two weeks ago, from 12 to nearly 13 feet on average (see report below). The best water appears to be in the south and along the east shore, although I have heard that there may be some other local areas of exceptionally clear water, and some areas where the water is somewhat turbid. The biggest change in the last couple of weeks is the increase in snow on the ice.  [Full Story and More]

GBAGLSF Announces February Speaker

Our February Speaker will be Dale Stroschein, perhaps one of the areas most
recognized fisherman. Dale prides himself on educating fishermen who want to
learn how to fish in Door County and Green Bay waters. Dale has fished the
Pro Circuit for 12 years and has been a Charter Captain for more than 20 years.
Come early to see this great speaker, seats will fill up fast. Don’t forget the meeting is on WEDNESDAY this month.

Meeting WEDNESDAY
Feb. 16th 7:00 PM
STADIUM VIEW SPORTS BAR & GRILL
1963 HOLMGREN WAY – GREEN BAY WI

If you have questions about fishing the Bay of Green Bay – this will be a good one. Guests are afforded free admission but once you get a taste of what’s goin’ on – you’ll want to be a member. Plus there’s a raffle where you can win some great fishing gear.

Statewide Annual Spring WCSFO meeting

The Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations (WCSFO) hereby announces its Annual Spring Meeting on Saturday, March 19, 2010.  The event is held at Gander Mountain at 6939 S 27^th St., Franklin, WI.  Meetings normally begin at approximately 10:00 AM and run until 1:00 PM.  Meeting attendees will get a discount on Gander Mountain merchandise.

Meeting participation is open to everyone interested in fishing, so membership in WCSFO is not required.  Since WCSFO is a statewide organization, we ask for your input on all issues confronting us at this time. This is the place and the time to voice your opinions.  We present the anglers’ views to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.  You must be a member to vote.  New business, club and individual members are always welcomed. 

Fishing Club representatives must attend.

Here is a Typical Meeting Agenda:

• Introduction of people present
• Minutes from the previous meeting
• Treasurer’s Report
• DNR & Fishery problems, plus Annual Spring Hearing issues

• Information on Walleye stocking in the Milwaukee River
• Salmon Stocking – what is happening (why and where)
• Updates on proposed Fishing Tournament rule changes and permits

• Council matters – species updates

• Website

• Kids Fishing Klinics – etc.

Representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are invited to attend and provide us with updates on our fishery.   “VHS” and “Silver Carp” will probably be hot topics. We hope to have representation for the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation as well.

Make your plans now to attend!  For further meeting information or if you want information regarding joining our organization, contact: John Durben – President at 715/745-2248 or chilihead@frontiernet.net.

Cordially,

L.A. Van Veghel (Larry)

WCSFO, Secretary & Media Director

Milwaukee Fishing Examiner – fishing column; subscribe for free.

Fishing Seminars at MW Marine in February

MW Marine 11901 West Janesville Rd. Hales Corners, WI 53130 www.mwmarine.com Toll free: (88787) 272-1653 M-W Marine's roots go back to 1959. Originally a hardware, implement and marine store in a small community outside Milwaukee, M-W Marine, Inc. went through many changes as the area developed and new products came to market. Today, marine equipment is the sole product sold at M-W Marine, Inc. The strength of the company comes from its employees. Longevity of employment and the accumulated knowledge and expertise of its people create the right atmosphere for success. Our sales staff has over 150 years of combined marine sales experience. M-W Marine is a total customer-care dealership. We have a fully computerized integrated system. This includes major unit sales, parts, service, and our accessory store

At M-W Marine, we involve our people in more than just selling products and services. We involve ourselves with our customers through fishing clubs and fishing tournaments. Every Saturday and Sunday in the month of February we offer free fishing seminars During the fall we offer our customers free winterizing seminars at our service facility. We explain proper winterizing techniques for outboards, inboard outboards, trailer bearing re-packing, and winterizing the boat livewells. These seminars are usually offered in late September or early October on two separate days for our customers' convenience, and hopefully, trouble free boating. 2011 Fishing Seminars! Sat. Feb. 5, 2011 Showtime- 11:00 A.M. Jason Przekurat Ranger Walleye Fishing Pro "Today's Tactics for Walleyes" Sun. Feb. 6, 2011 Showtime- 12:00 P.M. Steve Miljat Mercury/Ranger Pro "Boat Control Means More Muskies" Sate. Feb. 12, 2011 Showtime- 11:00 A.M. Cary Bever Ranger Bass Fishing Pro "What's New in Bass Fishing" Sun. Feb. 13, 2011 Showtime- 12:00 P.M. Kevin Dahl Mercury/Ranger Pro "Open Water Trolling With Spinners for Walleyes" Sat. Feb. 19, 2011 Showtime- 11:00 A.M. Walleyes Unlimited- Serving Johnsonville Brats John Gillespie, Host of "Wisconsin's Waters & Woods" "Fishing Hot Spots in Wisconsin" Sun. Feb. 20, 2011 Showtime- 12:00 P.M. Walleyes Unlimited- Serving Johnsonville Brats Matt Bichanich Uncle Josh & Mercury Pro "Bass Fishing in Wisconsin" Tackle Giveaways Sat. Feb. 26, 2011 Showtime- 11:00 A.M. Tom Kemos Mercury/Ranger Pro "Walleye Jigging Techniques- Early Season" Sun. Feb. 27, 2011 Showtime- 12:00 P.M. Warren Zaren Mercury/Lund Pro "Bass Southeastern Wisconsin Lakes"

2011 Spring Hearing Information

SUBJECT: Congress Matters: Wisconsin Conservation Congress 20 II Spring Hearing Advisory Questions
FOR: –JANUARY -2011 - BOARD MEETING
TO BE PRESENTED BY: Rob Bohmann, Conservation Congress Vice-Chair

SUMMARY:
The Wisconsin Conservation Congress will present their 20 II advisory questions to the Natural Resources Board . The questions have been approved by the Congress Executive Council for inclusion on the Spring Hearing Questionnaire and will be used to gauge public opinion on an array of natural resources issues. The questions will be presented to the public for their input at the joint DNR Spring Hearings and Conservation Congress County Meetings held in each county of the state on Monday, April 11, 2011.

Click Here… to see 2011 Wisconsin Conservation Congress Advisory Questions

Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations (WCSFO) announces Club Spring Meeting

The Spring Meeting of the Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations is scheduled for March 19, 2011 at 10:00 A.M.

 

The meeting will be held at:

 

Gander Mountain

6939 S 27^th St

Franklin WI

A meeting agenda will be posted at a later date.

The N.E.W. Sport Fishin’ Show

March 4-5-6, 2011

ShopKo Hall, Green Bay

The N.E.W. Sport Fishin’ Show covers it all, from stream trout to lake trout, pan fish to bass and salmon in addition to muskies. The anglers of Northeast Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula enjoy an unrivaled variety of fishing opportunities! Tons of tackle, destinations, boats and motors and seminars makes the FISHIN' SHOW the sure cure for cabin fever! The Fishin' Show continues to offer the best where-to, when-to and HOW-TO info for the thousands of multi-species anglers who attend annually.