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Dean Bortz: Here’s how the Wisconsin DNR fish teams conduct their lake surveys

Fyke, or box, nets are set right at ice-out to capture primarily walleyes, but the Wisconsin DNR crews handle all species found in the nets. As the water warms, the crews then shift the fyke nets to muskie spawning sites on the same lake. (Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin DNR)

I recently received a hand-written letter to the editor from one of our regular readers in Two Rivers who checked in with a question.
His question: “Why in the world would anyone care about a lake report from 2017? What I, and I’m sure other fishermen, too, would like to see is a more recent survey.”
Our dear reader (and I do mean that most affectionately – I like this guy, plus I’ve watched some Bridgerton on Netflix; just don’t start calling me Lady Whistledown) is referring to our May 31 report on Big Arbor Vitae Lake in Vilas County.

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