Opener is this Sarurday. Reminder the streams are closed this week. Lots of hatchery trucks driving around too.
This is a good time to get organized. Identify and contact landowners. GIS county maps are common and easy to use. I often print out PDF and put in my fishing folder. That way I have the names and phone numbers, mark who gave me permission and when.
Some resources for you to prepare for Wisconsin’s trout opener:
2010 DNR FISHING REPORTS:
http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/reports/fishingreport/
DUNN COUNTY
South Fork of the Hay River – Nestled
in northwest Dunn County is some of the
best brook trout water in the county. The
upstream four miles of the South Fork of
the Hay River is listed as Class I (self-sustaining)
trout water from the Barron/Dunn
county line downstream. The remaining 17
miles, which passes through Connorsville
and Boyceville is Class II water (requires
supplemental stocking). Trout surveys in
2009 show the Class I portion to contain
up to 5,000 brook trout per mile with six to
10-inch fish being abundant. Anglers seeking
trophy brook trout (14 inches or more),
should try the Class II waters between Connorsville
and Boyceville. Recent and past
surveys show this area to have low brook
trout densities but excellent potential for
quality (greater than 12 inches) and trophy
brook trout up to 18 inches.
Elk Creek – While Dunn County boasts
many brook trout streams, only one high
quality brown trout stream is found here.
Elk Creek originates in Chippewa County
and passes into Dunn County just east of
the Village of Elk Mound at Interstate 94.
It is classified as Class I brown trout water
for three miles. Some of the best fishing on
Elk Creek can be found just upstream from
Elk Creek Lake off 410th Avenue. Surveys
show brown trout populations range up to
3,500 trout per mile and are intermixed
with a small population of brook trout.
Brown trout average eight to 15 inches with
fish reaching over 20 inches.
– Marty Engel, fisheries biologist, Baldwin
DANE COUNTY
Trout anglers will enjoy a wide range of
trout experiences in Dane County. DNR
crews and partners worked extensively in
2009 to add in-stream habitat, remove nuisance
vegetation and establish convenient
access. Fly fishing anglers will appreciate
the tree-free banks of Kittleson Valley
Creek, West Branch Sugar River and perennial
favorite, Black Earth Creek. Dane
County streams generally have a bag limit
of three with a nine-inch minimum size
limit, that provides spinner and bait anglers
lots of choices. Quality, harvest-size
fish are abundant in Elvers Creek, Primrose
Branch and Story and Garfoot creeks. The
opportunity to land a true trophy can be had
on the Upper Sugar River and Mt. Vernon
Creek.
– Kurt Welke, fisheries manager, Fitchburg
GRANT AND IOWA COUNTIES
Trout populations here are in the best shape
in 40 years for overall numbers, average
size and distribution. Brook trout reproduction
and distribution appears to be at an all
time high. The entire coulee region should
provide outstanding trout fishing for the
foreseeable future. Adult wild brown trout
average 10 to 14 inches with big trout measuring
14, 15, 17 and 18 inches, and trophies
measuring 19 or 20 inches.
BUFFALO, JACKSON AND TREMPEALEAU COUNTIES
Ongoing surveys of area trout streams found
better reproduction of brook and brown
trout and more 10- to 12-inch brook trout in
2008 than in the previous few years. Overall,
adult trout densities were stable. This
reproduction increase was reflected in 2009
surveys, which found higher adult densities
and stable to higher densities of legal size
fish – most notably for brook trout. These
increased densities should provide anglers
with more legal and larger trout in 2010.
The Department of Natural Resources and
cooperative hatcheries will stock about
35,000 brook, 37,000 brown and 16,000
rainbow trout to area waters prior to the
2010 season opener.
Also waiting for anglers are improved fishing
conditions in several streams as a result
of habitat restoration projects. Streams
receiving restoration efforts in the past
couple years are Pine Creek, Traverse Valley
Creek, Borst Valley Creek and Bruce
Valley Creek, all in Trempealeau County;
and Pigeon and French creeks in Jackson
County. These projects were initiated and
completed through efforts between landowners,
local conservation clubs, county
land conservation staff, Natural Resources
Conservation Service, Trout Unlimited
and the Department of Natural Resources.
Each project area has a public fishing easement,
granted by the landowners, which allows
anglers to access the stream by land
and water.
– Dan Hatleli, fish biologist, Black River
Falls
LINCOLN COUNTY
Stream trout waters – Stream trout are doing
well despite a seven-year drought. In
2009, trout numbers were up substantially
from 2008 in most streams surveyed. This
includes the Prairie River where trout were
up 20 percent and near historic highs.In 25
years of surveys at one Prairie River station,
total trout numbers have only been this high
or higher four other years (2001, 1995, 1994
and 1976).
Note: I guess now that grandpa and his grandson
can worm again the Prairie River didn’t go to
hell after all? Imagine that?
SAUK AND COLUMBIA COUNTIES
Stocking wild strains of trout has been
documented to provide two to three times
better survival in trout streams. About 80
percent of the streams in these counties are
stocked. The better streams in Columbia
County are Rowan, Rocky Run, Jennings
and Lodi Spring. While in Sauk County, try
Dell, Honey, Rowley and Manley creeks
for native brookies. Habitat work conducted
on four stretches of Honey Creek (Class
II brown trout) in western Sauk County is
showing positive response and receiving
high angler use. More work was done in fall
of 2009. Deeper water along with habitat
features have created living space for larger
size fish. A project on 800 feet of a feeder
stream to Lodi Spring Creek in southwestern
Columbia County was conducted during
April 2007. Here a channelized drainage
ditch for 50 years was converted back
to a trout stream. It responded by August
2007 with increases in the native population
of brown trout of 10 times for youngof-
year and yearlings, five times for nine- to
11-inch fish and doubling of the number of
12-plus inch fish. The summer 2008 survey
found another doubling of both the nine to
11 and 12-plus inch size groups.