Anglers can fish for panfish such as bluegill, pumpkinseed, crappie and yellow perch seasons all year. Anglers should enjoy good fishing prospects for all of those species, fisheries biologists say. Opportunities for walleye, particularly in the heart of walleye country northern Wisconsin according to results from fish population and angler surveys last year. We monitored excellent reproduction of walleyes in 1994 and 1995 across the region, and surveys last spring showed that these year classes have carried over into adulthood, says Steve AveLallemant, DNR fish expert for northern Wisconsin. We are confident that our naturally reproducing walleye waters will provide good fishing and quality size.
Stocked waters provide lesser numbers but often quality-size fish.
Trout anglers should also enjoy good opportunities as a result of improvements in water quality and in habitat along some streams. Water quality and fish population surveys conducted during the past several years have revealed scores of streams and stream stretches across the state that support trout that previously were not known as home to trout. In other cases, the streams are now able to support self-sustaining populations. The improvement is particularly apparent in southwestern Wisconsin, which is starting to reap the benefits of a combination of changing land use, longtime erosion controls, habitat improvement projects, and stocking efforts, says fisheries biologist Dave Vetrano. We have 250 miles of streams we re reclassifying this year and probably another 18 streams that will be reclassified in coming years, Vetrano says.