Early ‘catch
and release’ trout season opens March 1
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
MADISON – All anglers need
for a gangbusters early catch and release trout season is a little
cooperation from Mother Nature when the season opens March 1 on
inland waters.
"I heard a lot of positive
things at the end of last year about fishing, the conditions of
streams, and the availability of fish," says Larry Claggett,
Department of Natural Resources coldwater fisheries specialist.
"I’m anticipating a good start, but a lot of that is weather
dependent. The fish should be there. Whether you can get at them,
is another question.
"Spring-fed streams across
Wisconsin are open and running, but the bigger waters and more
northerly waters are often frozen early in the season. When they
open up will depend on what kind of spring we have."
Anglers can get help in
locating trout waters – and newly identified and listed trout
waters -- by looking at the new, more detailed maps in the
"2003-2004 Wisconsin Trout Fishing Regulations and Guide"
available starting this week at DNR service centers and license
sales outlets. The trout maps and regulations also are online on
the DNR Web site.
Fish surveys in recent
years show that Wisconsin has 254 more trout streams and has
gained 800 more miles of high quality trout waters, bringing the
total to 10,371 miles, since Wisconsin’s Trout Book was previously
released in 1980. The gains reflect largely changes in farming
practices and land use that have contributed to improved water
quality, DNR efforts to restore in-stream habitat, and the
agency’s wild trout stocking program that is establishing trout
populations in streams with improved water quality.
The 2003 early catch and
release season opens at 5 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, and runs
until midnight April 27 on most inland waters. Anglers must
release any trout they catch immediately, and can use only
artificial lures with barbless hooks while fishing for any fish
species on a trout stream. Anglers can buy hooks without barbs or
can file down or pinch the barb on their existing flies or lures
to meet the rules, Claggett says.
Some streams in
northeastern Wisconsin aren’t open for fishing because of concerns
that these sensitive streams could be damaged. Other exceptions
include Lake Michigan tributaries, major Green Bay tributaries,
all other tributary streams, rivers and ditches to Green Bay
upstream to the first dam or lake – all of which have an open
season all year.
Lake Superior tributaries
are not open for the early season except the White River and its
tributaries from the White River Dam upstream to Pikes River Road
Bridge and the Iron River and its tributaries upsteam from the sea
lamprey barrier at the former site of the Orienta Dam.
A full listing of streams
open for the early trout season can be found in the 2003-2004
"Wisconsin Trout Fishing Regulations and Guide."
Here’s a sample of fishing
tips and forecasts for the 2003 early catch and release trout
season from some DNR fisheries biologists:
Western Wisconsin
Pierce, Dunn and St.
Croix county lakes and streams
"Comprehensive coldwater
surveys show wild trout populations in the area continue to
improve. Stocked brown trout streams in Pierce County have also
shown major improvements. Barring no catastrophic flood events,
early season and regular season trout enthusiasts should find some
of the best trout populations in recorded history. If the winter
continues with little snow and cold weather access to trout
streams in western Wisconsin should be excellent. We have 7 inches
or less snow here so anglers will not have to fight deep or
drifting snow -- that is, "if " conditions continue. Most streams
remain ice-free and fish populations are in great shape. – Marty
Engel, senior fisheries biologist, Baldwin
La Crosse, Vernon,
Crawford and Monroe counties
Trout fishing continues to
improve in many of the coulee streams due to a combination of
improving land use practices, aggressive habitat restoration
efforts, numerous stream surveys and the wild trout program. By
2000, stream surveys found another 264 miles of trout water,
bringing the total for the four counties to 809.5 miles of
classified water. We anticipate adding an additional 50-75 miles
by the 2003 regular season as a result of surveys conducted in the
last two years. The real bright spots have been the increasing
numbers of wild brook trout streams in the area – those receiving
wild brook trout either from another stream or from our statewide
hatchery system’s wild trout stocking program. Growth rates on
these fish have been phenomenal, with fish stocked at 5 inches
reaching 9 to 12 inches in one year. In 2002, several brook trout
over 18 inches were taken from area streams. There are several
brown trout waters in the area that 40 years ago were considered "nontrout"
but are now producing browns in excess of 25 inches. Three browns
greater than 27 inches, along with many more greater than 18
inches, were caught in area streams in 2002. – Dave Vetrano,
fisheries supervisor, La Crosse
Northern Wisconsin
DNR fisheries crews used
electrofishing equipment to survey fish populations along segments
of streams on many of the Oneida, Vilas, Forest, Florence,
Lincoln, and Langlade county streams. Generally speaking, the
trout fisheries in all of the area streams appear to be doing
well. Population estimates on several of the streams indicated a
stable number of fish compared to past years, with a few streams
showing improved numbers. More than a dozen habitat projects
occurred in the basin that will improve trout fishing. - Mike
Vogelsang, fisheries supervisor, Woodruff
Northwestern Wisconsin
"On some of the larger
waters of the north, like the Namekagon, the early season can
present some unique dry fly opportunities. In some years, some of
these big streams can have spectacular early hatches of very large
stoneflies, usually sometime in the window of March 20-April 10.
There seems to be some correlation with "early" springs. Be sure
to carry big stone nymph patterns as well as some large floaters
in the sofa pillow type design. This is not a common event but if
you luck onto it -and the fish are responding (that's not an
automatic, either) it can be life changing! Hint: this is not
classic dead drift dry fly fishing -- more like bass bugging. When
big browns come to big stones they are very persistent and very
aggressive." – Frank Pratt, senior fisheries biologist, Hayward
Southeastern Wisconsin
"March and early April is
a great time to see little brook trout that have just emerged from
their overwinter stay in the streambed gravel at our Paradise
Springs catch-and-release trout spring pond near Eagle in Waukesha
County. If you watch closely among the nearshore vegetation, you
can see them hiding there. Look for their distended bellies caused
by the yolk-sac before its absorbed. Most of these fry can be seen
near the headwater springhouse. – Randy Schumacher, fisheries
supervisor, inland waters, Waukesha
FOR MORE INFORMATION
CONTACT: Larry Claggett (608) 267-9658 or local fisheries
biologists
