Fish Like a GIRL
How I organize my soft plastics
As promised, this week I am going to dive into how I organize my soft plastics. As a tournament angler, I must use all artificial baits and lures. The reason for that rule is two-fold.
Groskopf racks up awards for tireless work on wolves
Receives awards from Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association and Wisconsin Wildlife Federation
Many hunters and other outdoorsmen and women have heard the name Laurie Groskopf. She has been a member of the Wisconsin Bear Hunters’ Association, The Farm Bureau, the Wisconsin Conservation Congress and has been involved in many conservation efforts over the years.
County Deer Advisory Councils to meet next week
Will make antlerless recommendations
Each county in the state has a County Deer Advisory Council (CDAC) that is charged with making some decisions regarding the county’s fall deer hunt.
Prep now to ensure a good start to the fishing season
Life is busy and it can be easy to put off things such as basic boat maintenance. However, taking some time this weekend to check through the boat and go over all equipment can make for a much better start to the fishing season next weekend.
Hunter Nation wolf session brings varying opinions on wolf populations in the North
Last week, Hunter Nation held a listening session in Park Falls regarding issues rural people have been having with wolves.
Fish Like a GIRL
Time to get that tackle bag ready!
With only one week left to the opening of fishing season, I realized the other day that I need to get to work on my tackle bag, reels and everything else I need to kick off the season.
LdF tribe likely to harvest Minocqua Chain one year early of 10-year no harvest plan
Emergency rule would allow for state angler harvest
For the second year in a row the Lac du Flambeau Tribe has declared it will allow tribal spearing on the Minocqua Chain.
Zach Feiner talks about phenological whiplash and what it means to fisheries
Phenology refers to the timing of biological events such as ice-off for lakes, migration of birds, budding of trees, breeding of fish and other events that are cyclical in nature depending on the seasons.
April is citizen science month
Citizen science, as the name implies, are science programs that use citizen volunteers to gather data that is ultimately put into a large database. That database then can be used by researchers and wildlife managers to make management decisions.
Understanding the emerald ash borer
PJ Liesch from the University of Wisconsin Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab recently gave a talk regarding the emerald ash borer (EAB). Liesch said he has been working with this invasive pest for 18 years or more in one way or another.
Fish Like a GIRL
Gardening for birds
I spent some time this last weekend cleaning up my bird feeders, refilling my suet feeder and, in general, taking stock of the birds I am seeing.
Chew on This!
Dandelion wine
Longtime readers know I am a big fan of dandelions. Dandelion greens can be used in salads and for many other recipes. The flowers can be used for dandelion honey.
Reduce spring run off by keeping water where it falls
Keeping rain water from turning into ecologically damaging runoff can be tricky for home owners and even business owners. But there are several strategies that can be used to keep rain water where it falls on the landscape. Melinda Meyers held a talk last week regarding run off and how to keep rain water where it falls rather than having it run off into streams, lakes or even municipal storm water systems. She posed several options for home owners looking to reduce run off, even in heavy rain events.
Governor Evers vetoes bucks-only bill for Northern hunters
Other vetoes include wolf population goal
With last fall’s deer harvest down almost 30 percent in the Northern Forest from 2022 and over down over 19 percent from the five year average, many hunters in the Northwoods showed grave concern for the deer herd. The Winter Severity Index (WSI) was severe for many areas of the north last year, but that, coupled with an increase in uncontrolled predator numbers, hunter said, were causing a great downturn in deer numbers seen in the woods.
Wolf conflicts not reported properly
Recently there have been a number of people on social media talking about wolf conflicts they have experienced around the Northwoods. However, without proper reporting, these conflicts cannot be confirmed and issues with wolves cannot be properly addressed.
Cool- and cold-water fish likely affected most by climate patterns
Bright Spots Program shows the picture to not be all ‘doom and gloom’
Dr. Holly Embke was this month’s Science on Tap presenter and spoke about Midwest fisheries and how changes in climate might affect our fisheries.
Presentation takes ‘A new look at an old way to fix broken lakes’
The Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership hosts lake conservation webinars to share science, management and outreach efforts with stakeholders and partners.
Fish Like a GIRL
It’s big out there
It may come as surprise to some (but certainly not to others) that I sometimes have a hard time quieting my mind enough to boil down what I truly want to talk about in my column each week.
Another reason to ‘Clean, Drain, Dry’
Wild trout found with previously undetected parasite
Many anglers and boaters have heard of the Clean, Drain, Dry Program. The program looks to spread the word about not spreading aquatic invasive species.
Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey kicks off
Volunteers still needed
Citizen science volunteers will soon be headed out into the field to complete road surveys for the Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey.
Clean Boats Clean Waters training set for the Northwoods
In person and virtual options available
Clean Boats Clean Waters watercraft inspectors are the front line defense when it comes to education surrounding keeping aquatic invasive species out of the lakes of the Northwoods and beyond.
Hydrologic general permit to focus on net hydrologic improvements
Tom Nedland, a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) section manager in the waterways program, spoke at the Wetland Science Conference about the new general permit that has been developed by the department to promote the hydrologic restoration of streams, wetlands and floodplains. The permit is called the hydrologic general permit.
Seed saving vegetable gardens keep pantries full for years
Tips for getting started
Horticulture educator Lisa Johnson gave a presentation through the University of Wisconsin Extension teaching about how to plan for a seed saving garden.
Fish Like a GIRL
About the insurmountable task of classifying lakes county-wide
Last week I met with the advisory committee looking to assist in creating a classification system for all of Oneida County’s lakes. I am truly enjoying working on this committee and being a part of a project that seems daunting to say the least. The more we talked in the meeting, the more sides of the conversation came out, and the bigger the project seemed, in many ways.
Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership looks at lake ice and long-term temperature shifts
UW-Madison study shows effects on walleye reproduction
Long-term shifts in overall temperatures and variability of ice on and off can have dramatic consequences for lake ecosystems. Over half of the world’s lakes have seasonal ice.
Spring hearings on tap for April 8
Part IV of questions to expect
At 6 p.m. on April 8, the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will once again come together for the annual spring hearings.
How to create landscaping without invasive species
Recently Melinda Meyers presented her talk about how to keep invasive species out of landscaping as part of a webinar series put on by the Milwaukee Public Library. She said there are several plants that should be managed, but there were also many native plants that could take the place of those invasive non-native plants.
Time to think about aquatic invasive species
With ice leaving most lakes early this year and rivers open in much of the state, anglers are itching to get out on the water. For that reason, it is time to start thinking about aquatic invasive species (AIS) again. AIS can be spread at any time of the year, but the number of boats in the open water season outweigh the number of ice anglers in the winter — especially this year.
Fish Like a GIRL
Bassmaster Classic kicks off
As I write this column, I am also watching the first day of the Bassmasters Classic on my iPad. The Classic is fishing’s super bowl. The fun part about watching professional fishing these days is that I know several of the guys who are fishing at that level now. I have fished with some of them.
DNR Deer Advisory Committee looks at previous season, long term trends
Last week the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) deer advisory committee met for a fairly lengthy meeting looking at the 2023-24 deer season.
Chew on This!
Freezer finds
I am sure there are many people like me that froze a bunch of produce from the garden last year — maybe for some they are coming to the end of it, and maybe for others (like me) who have a chest freezer that leads to the occasional happy shock when they remember they still had produce left from last year.
PFAS webinar addresses challenges in removing these contaminants
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used since the 1940s. These compounds are found in many consumer products such as cookware, food packaging, stain repellants and fire fighting foam.
Department of Natural Resources furbearer advisory committee looks at otter harvest numbers, contemplates early closure of season
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) furbearer advisory committee recently met to look at the river otter season, based on the harvest numbers to date, to determine whether or not there was a call to close the season early based on their quota of 2,000 harvests of river otter for this season.
Governor Evers signs hunting, fishing bills into law
As the legislature left this most current session, several bills sat on Governor Tony Evers’ desk, waiting for him to sign them into law. Not surprisingly, several of those had to do with hunting and fishing in the state.
Fishing regulations set for 2024-25 season
Licenses expire on March 31
With the ice coming off many lakes in the Northwoods, and off of most lakes in the rest of the state, anglers have the itch to get the boat ready and get back out onto open water. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has issued their 2024-25 statewide fishing regulations handbook.
Wisconsin Headwaters Invasives Partnership annual meeting provides year in review
Last week the Wisconsin Headwaters Invasives Partnership (WHIP) steering committee held their annual meeting and looked at both their year in review and their strategic plan.
Fish Like a GIRL
Melinda Meyers has me thinking rain gardens again
As many readers know, we bought a house in the late summer of 2022 as Chet was recovering from a pretty major heart attack. Caring for his medical needs at the time meant I did not get much done in the way of gardening or, really, settling into the house like a couple normally would.
Wisconsin Conservation Congress forwards questions to spring hearings
Each year the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) partner to hold their spring hearings. Questions come from DNR advisory committees as well as from Wisconsin Conservation Congress Committees.
Changes in fishing tournament permitting start April 1
Registration now required for smaller tournaments
Another change in the fishing regulations has to do with fishing tournaments. In previous years, tournaments were required to have a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) permit if the tournament involved more than 20 boats or 100 participants, if the tournament would target any trout species on a water classified as a trout stream, if the total prize value was $10,000 or more or if it was a catch-hold-release tournament with an off-site weigh in.
New research looks to uncover how the fur trade affected the forested wetlands of the Upper Great Lakes
Hayden Nelson, a PhD student at the University of Kansas spoke at the 2024 Wetland Science Conference regarding the fur trade and how the effects of removal of an estimated 9-95 percent of beaver populations at the height of the fur trade substantially altered the forested wetland around Lake Superior. He looked at how that decline in beaver populations would have transformed wetlands in the region and specifically how it would have effected water levels.
Bureau of Wildlife Management advisory questions heading to spring hearings
Each year the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) partner to hold their spring hearings.
Elwood lake study shows the effects of 2,4-D on fisheries
Recently Greg Sass, fisheries research team leader, Office of Applied Science, WI DNR, spoke to the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation’s Inland Fisheries Committee about the aquatic herbicide 2,4-D and its effects on fisheries. He spoke about some research on Elwood Lake in Florence County.
Fish Like a GIRL
What the pros are using, and Forward Facing Sonar (FFS) part 2
Every angler is always interested in learning what the pros are using. We all want the “next best thing,” or the “hottest bait to hit the market in years.”
The time to be ‘bear aware’ comes early this year
Early bear sightings likely to not increase mortality
The lack of cold temperatures and snow this year has some species a little confused, one might say. Some animals that would rarely be seen in February have been seen in the woods and along road sides.
Vilas County announces county park user fees for 2024
Last year Vilas County implemented a user access fee for all vehicles entering county parks and using county landings. From May 1 to Oct. 31 all vehicles entering county parks or using county landings to access lakes and rivers are required to purchase a permit. Daily and seasonal permits are available. Fees from these permits are used for improvements and maintenance of those parks and landings.
Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership presentation looks at fresh water salinization
In a recent Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership presentation, Hillary Dugan, a limnologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, looked at what is known, and what is not known, about fresh water salinization. Fresh water salinization is defined as the process of salty runoff contaminating aquatic ecosystems. It can harm those ecosystems as well as contaminate drinking water.
Natural Resources Board hears 2023-24 deer season recap
At the February Natural Resources Board (NRB) meeting, several staff from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) presented information regarding the 2023-24 deer season.
Spring hearings questions reviewed by Natural Resources Board
Bureau of Fisheries Management offers up seven questions
Each year the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) team up for their Annual Spring Hearings. Those hearings are held in each county on the second Monday of April. This year, in person hearings will be held again, starting at 6 p.m. on April 8.
Fish Like a GIRL
Wishin’ I was fishin’
It is likely obvious from the title of my column every week, not to mention much of my content, but I am into fishing just a little bit. I have actually cut back my tournament schedule in the last few years.
Stop Spiny! Campaign looks to raise awareness, prevent spread, of invasive spiny water flea
Zach Stewart of the Douglas County surface waters program spoke in a recent webinar about the Stop Spiny! campaign that looked at raising awareness to spiny water flea and the harm it could cause to lake ecosystems.