Cooperative Efforts with DNR

>On July 11, 2017, available NMI chapter members assisted the DNR with providing materials and labor to install 31 half-log smallmouth bass spawning habitat structures in the north basin of Trout Lake in Vilas County.

Later, on September 8, 2017, NMI board members had an informal meeting with Vilas County fisheries biologists Steve Gilbert and Hadley Boehm to discuss future muskie stocking and size increases.

Previously, NMI chapter members sponsored citizen resolutions for increasing muskie size limits to 50-inches on White Sand Lake in Boulder Junction, the Cisco chain of lakes, Trout Lake and Little St. Germain Lake in Vilas County. All proposals are moving through the long and thorough Wisconsin Conservation Congress process. Most recently, the WCC Warm Water Advisory Committee approved the proposals for White Sand and the Cisco chain on August 19, 2017. Therefore, these proposals may be voted on for final approval during the spring hearing in April 2018.

At the Wisconsin DNR spring hearings on April 10, 2017, NMI members sponsored two new citizen resolutions to increase the muskie size limits to 50-inches on North and South Twin Lake in Vilas County and Lake Katherine and the Willow Flowage in Oneida County. All resolutions passed, but at this point the Lake Katherine and Willow Flowage are just at the citizen’s advisory stage. The results look promising preliminarily, but the regulation change process is time-consuming. We will continue to keep you posted and are looking forward to improving trophy muskie potential here in the northwoods.

We encourage you to attend the spring hearings for either Oneida or Vilas counties on Monday, April 9, 2018.