WCSFO held its’ Annual Spring Meeting in Franklin, WI recently. One of the hottest topics discussed by delegates attending was the release of the Governor’s proposed State Budget.
A motion was made and passed unanimously to go on record as being opposed to any changes in the WDNR budget.
Click Here for letter
The Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council publishes a newsletter titled: Inland Seas Angler - GREAT LAKES BASIN REPORT. Attached is the April 2015 issue for your review.
by: John Durben
I took a ride to the Dam in Shawano this afternoon and there wasn’t much going on as far as the Sturgeon Spawn. There were a lot of cars in the lot and the shoreline was lined with spectators, but the WDNR was not present when we were there.
With that said we took a drive south to Shiocton to the Bamboo Bend area where I was able to catch a few shots of the spawn where the action appeared quite steady. I overheard one spectator say that the WDNR had been there earlier in the day, however they had left for New London. It was reported that this may only last a few days this year because of the warm weather.
Click on photos to enlarge
FLORENCE, Wis. — A cooperative project by Wisconsin and Michigan fisheries managers aims to collect population and breeding data on an important native strain of walleye while providing fingerlings uniquely suited for a regional stocking effort.
Mike Vogelsang, north district fisheries supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said the research is taking place on the Brule River, which is home to a relatively pure strain of Lake Michigan walleye. The river meanders to separate Wisconsin’s Florence and Forest counties from Michigan’s Iron County before it eventually reaches the Menominee River and flows into Lake Michigan.
The river features more than 27 miles of cold class I trout waters and its impoundment areas serve as the perfect home to a strain of Lake Michigan walleye that has been largely unaffected by the hybridization seen in other waters following a variety of stocking efforts over the years.
“These fish are the best example of Lake Michigan strain walleye in the area,” Vogelsang said. “This is really a science-based way to approach stocking in that you want to find a source of fish that is native to a drainage basin. This walleye strain has evolved over time to be in these waters, so it is best suited for the area genetically.”
The main focus of the cooperative research involves an assessment of the age structure and health of walleye in the area. Thanks to access granted by Michigan fisheries staff, Wisconsin team members from the Florence field office and the Art Oehmcke Hatchery will place nets in more than a dozen locations in the waters of both states in the days ahead.
Walleye captured in the nets will be measured and weighed and a scale sample will be taken to determine age. Fish that are ready to spawn will contribute eggs and milt with a goal of harvesting some 1.7 million eggs.
Given that each adult female walleye carries on average about 70,000 to 80,000 eggs, the team hopes to come up with about 20 to 30 ripe females and at least as many males. After all the fish have been weighed and processed, they will be returned to the river.
“The strong working relationship that has developed between our states and in particular, our fisheries teams, makes this type of cooperative research possible,’’ said Darren Kramer, Northern Lake Michigan Unit manager with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “We anticipate gaining valuable insights from this work that will help inform our efforts in the jointly managed fishery going forward.”
In addition to assessing the overall health of the walleye population, the research effort also will involve northern pike, bass and panfish — other popular targets of recreational anglers in the region.
Vogelsang said the walleye egg collection effort is expected to produce approximately 30,000 fish for stocking in Forest and Florence counties as part of the Wisconsin Walleye Initiative. The fish will be reared at the Oehmcke facility in Woodruff and will be stocked as 5 to 6 inch extended growth fingerlings in September.
“We appreciate the support of the Michigan fisheries team and have seen benefits to both states from past efforts involving musky stocking, genetics work and other research,” Vogelsang said. “The more we learn, the better we are able to implement best practices in maintaining healthy fish populations in our border waters.”
To learn more about walleye stocking efforts, visit dnr.wi.gov and search “Wisconsin Walleye Initiative.” More information about Michigan’s fisheries management efforts can be found by visiting Michigan.gov/dnr and searching for “Walleye Better Fishing Waters.”
To: Ron Gray,
The 2015 Kids Spring Fishing Clinics were a huge success! When I called around to get the attendance numbers the response I got from everyone was “ everything went well, we had a great time”! For the first time in a long time we had beautiful weather. And for the most part, the fish cooperated too.
Even though we had one less park this year (Kohler Andrae is having theirs on June 6th ) ( there will also be clinics on Pucketts and Washington Park that day), we still had almost 700 more kids than last year. This year’s totals were 1,690 kids and 248 volunteers!
Thank you to everyone that made this happen. Special thanks to the tireless dedication of the volunteers from the local fishing clubs that make it all possible.
Ron, please circulate this to all the volunteers. It’s very satisfying when everything comes together.
Thank you
Matt Coffaro
Southern Region Fisheries Biologist
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The sturgeon spawning run on the Wolf River has begun. There are currently multiple spawning pods working at the Sturgeon Trail in New London and at least one spawning pod working at Bamboo Bend in Shiocton. The water temperatures have warmed up quite rapidly and will continue to warm over the next couple of days with the warm sunny weather. Due to these conditions, I believe the fish will spawn very fast and we will have a short, intense run that may last less than a week. So if you want to get out and see the sturgeon spawn, I highly recommend making arrangements to do that over the next 1-2 days in New London or Shiocton. I am anticipating that there will be spawning activity below the Shawano Dam by this weekend as well.
- Ryan Koenigs, sturgeon biologist, Oshkosh.
During mid-April to early May, Lake Sturgeon travel upstream to their spawning grounds, giving the public a prime opportunity to see these ancient ones up close.
Sturgeon spawning is dependent on water temperature and flow. During seasons when water flow is high and water temperatures rise slowly, spawning begins when water temperature reaches 53 degrees Fahrenheit. In contrast, during seasons of low water flow and more rapid water temperature rise, spawning does not begin until water temperatures reach 58-59 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wolf River cam at Shawano Dam - underwater [exit DNR]
Volunteer to guard sturgeon at their spawning sites on the Wolf River and protect the fish from poaching
Maps open to larger images. Sites are listed from North to South
Brenda Rosin Schaff called the meeting to order at approximately 7:00 PM
Attendance: Ron Gray, Matt Coffaro, Brian Boelter, Jim Gilles, Dave Schmitt, Brenda Rosin Schaff, Rich Hehn, Nancy Wucherer, Kathy Briesemeister, Jill Levy, Emily Johnson, Jeff Scott, Cliff Schulz, Dan Day, Steve
Click here to review entire minutes.
Location - Gander Mountain 6939 South 27th Street Franklin, WI
The meeting was called to order by President John Durben at 10:08 A.M.
Present: John Durben of WCSFO, GBA/GLSF, Cornell Stroik of WCSFO, Bass Nation/Bass Federation, Brenda Rosin-Schaff of WSCFO, Badger Fisherman’s League/KFC, Ron Gray of Milwaukee Casting Club/KFC, Duane Marcell of Okauchee Fishing Club/KFC, Gordy Merz of WWF Dist. 9, Badger Fisherman's League, Steve Hewett of WDNR
Minutes from the previous meeting were read by the Secretary – Brenda Rosin-Schaff who noted an error in the Kids Fishing Clinic date of 4/12/15 and should read 4/11/15. A motion was made to correct and approve the report as published. Passed with no discussion.
CLICK HERE to review entire Minutes Document with attachments
April 4. MacKenzie Center’s Annual Maple Syrup Festival, Poynette.
April 15 deadline. 2016 State Park Sticker Design Contest.
April 11, 18, 25 and May 2. Work*Play*Earth Day at Wisconsin State Parks.
April 25. Project WILD and Aquatic WILD Workshop. Ladysmith.
May 9-June 20. Wisconsin Master Naturalist Training. Kohler-Andre State Park, Sheboygan.
May 15 deadline. May is Clean Air Month. Celebrate with DNR’s Air, Air Everywhere Poetry Contest!
August 18. Project WET Training Workshop. Retzer Nature Center, Waukesha.
August 22. New exhibits coming to the Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center, Horicon.
Women who want to take their fishing beyond the basics can learn from pro angler Mandy Uhrich in a class called Learn to Sport Fish, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, at Cabela’s in Rogers.
“This class for women, taught by women, is a great way to learn how to catch more than panfish this year,” said Linda Bylander, coordinator of the Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) program at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “We’ll focus on techniques and gear selection for bass, muskellunge and other gamefish.”
The class is free and registration is requested. Women who attend have the opportunity to register for a guided bass fishing trip in the Brainerd lakes area, or a guided muskie fishing trip in the Twin Cities metro area. Those trips are in mid- to late summer, and women must attend the April 11 class to register for the guided trips.
To register for the April 11 class or for more information, contact Linda Bylander at 218-833-8628, linda.bylander@state.mn.us. For more information on BOW, see www.mndnr.gov/bow.
