One of the more frequent questions people ask about my job is ‘What do you guys do in winter?’ People who ask that question correctly identify that our work changes quite a bit once ice locks fish under its cover until spring.
Ask a fisheries biologist: What do we do in the winter? Read More »
Size limits are a common tool used in fisheries management, but they create an interesting question for anglers: Can a legal fish shrink after harvest, making it no longer legal size?
Ask a fisheries biologist: What’s the deal with fish shrinkage? Read More »
As is often the case, we saw a mixed bag of results in the fall surveys in Wisconsin.
Juvenile walleye are the main target. We found small to medium walleye year classes on the usual producers, including Chippewa Flowage, Round, Sand and Windigo lakes. We also assessed stocking survival on a few lakes, with moderately positive results on Chetac, the Spider chain and Sissabagama.
Ask a fisheries biologist: A roundup of Wisconsin’s fall fish surveys Read More »
Anglers have lively debates about what they consider a trophy fish, but fish biologists do not. This is because the American Fisheries Society has standard cutoffs for trophy fish for most species in North America.
Ask a fisheries biologist: What represents a trophy fish in Wisconsin? Read More »
As a young angler, I had a curiosity about why fish behave the way they do. I guess that is how one becomes a fish biologist. A fun part of this job is that I still get to wonder about those things. Sometimes we find the answers; sometimes we do not.
Ask a fisheries biologist: Wisconsin fish mysteries that still exist Read More »
In July, the Hayward and Brule DNR fish teams, the National Park Service and Wild Rivers Conservancy ran an electrofishing survey on the Namekagon River near Tag Alder Road.
The 2025 numbers were record breaking in many respects.
Ask a fisheries biologist: Wisconsin’s Namekagon River trout fishery is strong Read More »
If you have paddled down a northern river and peered into the water to watch fish you have probably seen a hog sucker, but perhaps only once it moved. Hog suckers are one of the best-camouflaged species of fish in Wisconsin, blending in perfectly with the scattered gravel and sand of the riverbed.
Ask a fisheries biologist: Has anyone seen a northern hog sucker? Read More »
We have always known that fish leave reservoirs by going over dams, which is a big reason why fishing below dams is so popular. Losing those fish from the reservoir, which biologists call ‘escapement,’ can be a drain on the population and a challenge for managing that fishery.
This is especially true when expensive stocked fish are leaving the lake instead of staying put and available to anglers.
Ask a fisheries biologist: Advancing our understanding of fish “escapement” at dams Read More »
“The spring spawn gets a lot of attention. Spring is when some of our most popular species, including sturgeon, muskellunge, and walleye, go through their reproductive acts. Bass and panfish are also spring spawners, but their time comes a little later in the warmer months.
Ask a fisheries biologist: Wisconsin’s fish that spawn in the fall Read More »
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