Decade of Joint Efforts Pays Off
A decade of concentrated efforts by state fish biologists and conservation groups to improve walleye habitat on the Lake Winnebago River system will pay off for the 2005-2006 fishing season and beyond. Recent DNR fishery surveys revealed lots of big walleyes and many younger fish that could provide good fishing to 2012 and beyond.
The wealth of walleye traces directly to habitat projects the agency has been working on with several sports clubs since the early 1990s, when walleye populations reached all-time lows due to age and drought-damaged reproduction. The DNR focused fish and wildlife dollars on conducting habitat restoration work on marsh lands the agency acquired to help restore fish spawning habitat. Conservation clubs such as Shadows on the Wolf, Walleyes for Tomorrow and Sturgeon for Tomorrow pitched in by working with local landowners and funding projects to restore spawning marshes and improve aquatic habitat.