I don't troll. Fish mostly with jigs. Last 4 years the walleye population is not the same as it used to be. I wonder if this lake is dying. Except for the pros I don't see the success we used to have. Have noticed some of those on TV are fishing Winnebago much anymore. Have a great day everyone.
Wisconsin Fishing Discussion
Winnebago
Displaying 1 to 15 of 92 posts
The bite has been strong so the "doom and gloom" conversations have subsided.
It's nice to catch fish and know that you can throw that 12" or 14" fish back and that your chances of getting another "keeper" are good. I still think that a size limit would improve the chances of those 12"-14.99" fish this year being available next year as 15+".
I kept 6 sheepshead last Saturday and one 17" walleye. It was my 1st walleye of the year. I decided to smoke the sheepshead and they are very good tasting. There is very little difference between them and the smoked whitefish I bought in Door county last week. Smoke a bunch of sheeps , they are good.
Not sure why we think the 15" minimum was unsuccessful. In 1991 it was decided to try it and by 1996 they had the best walleye year class on record but then ended it. Those fish hatched in 91 would have been 5 yrs old and about 14"-15" in 96 and then they had a good hatch. I know other things factor into it like water levels and habitat and food sources but...
I thought creating an EMP dome over the lake that screwed with modern boat electronics would be too out there.
In some ways I am OK with a poor fishing cycle. It drives others away. I usually manage to do at least OK each year it's just that sometimes it takes an hour to jig up a limit and other times it takes 5 trips to get 3.
Jumbee,
#1 I agree
#2 I believe New London is like 16’ higher than Oshkosh, so closing the dams does nothing to the river.
#3 15” minimum was tried. I would rather eat 14”-16” walleye and rarely keep anything bigger.
#4 Slot limits suck, if protecting the fish above 18” is the objective the close the harvest above 18”
#5 I’m good with a March closure.
Not sure what rocks will do in the middle, plenty of deep rock now. IMO zebra mussels have had a impact on the lake spawn fish and the fish Waylon the dams on the fox have hurt the fox spawn.
Tournaments will all be C&R soon, not really sure how many full time guides there are now.
Historically Winnebago was not a big fish lake, then we got shad and grew fat fish, now noshad for 4 years and we have more normal fish sizes.
one way to cut back on the pressure on this system is to improve walleye fishing statewide. And yes the lake was 78* yesterday and 79.5* today. My definition of cool water 50 and cooler. Thanks for the honest answers.
Samfox - in order
#1 Know and understand that a major role of the DNR is to protect the resources not for profit businesses.
#2 Tell Army Corp of Engineers that the water levels need to be higher in the spring. Water levels were way too low this spring. Even when levels were way down they were letting water through in Neenah and Menasha. It's not a navigable waterway anyway. Menasha lock is closed for now due to round gobies. Wrightstown is still sealed off.
#3 Min size limit of 15". No more taking smaller than that out of the system. What is the purpose of that anyway? No meat. Not worth bragging about either. Instead of thinking of this as making every 15" female a target I think in short time you would have more 17"+ fish. A 13" female today is how big next spring? It's over 15". If you could catch several at 17+" and you caught a 15" would you keep the 15"? Implement this right now, August 1st 2021.
#4 Slot. Protect the best spawners. Not sure what size that is but 18"-22" (maybe 18"-24") seems like it's probably the sweet spot. Allow only 1 over 22" (24") to be kept. Implement this right now, Aug 1st 2021.
#5 Close season March 1 - April 30 every year. You can fish, you can catch but you cannot keep anything in that time frame. Why are we taking any fish out of the system pre-spawn? Implement 2 years after #3 and #4 take effect if studies find #3 and #4 to be ineffective.
That's what I would do.
Other considerations: Increased enforcement and fines on violations. Seed the system. Create artificial habitat in the "mud" and I mean huge boulders or concrete structures that won't wash away although they may sink in the mud. Not sure how I feel about the number of tournaments and guides and limits or increased fees on them. On one hand they do a lot to promote fishing and impart knowledge. On the other are they "selling" a natural resource they do not own?
Three fish limit is step in right direction, let’s you keep what you want with no restrictions, if anything maybe a slot down the road like no keep between 18-22 to protect healthiest spawners. Rather eat a 14 inch over a 18 anyday.
With a size limit your taking more females out as they have faster growth rates.
Samfox - Nope! Not interested in eating sheepshead. What is considered "cool" water? Last night it was 78 on the north end. 60? 55? 72?
https://widnr.widen.net/s/lxhdnp5jtn/choosewisely
Those slow regulation changes could lead to the system correcting itself or they could be too little too late and lead to multiple years of poor fishing and then "drastic" measures to correct.
Nothing says you can't still catch a 14" fish, take a pic with your smiling grandkids and then release it.
jumbee, have you tried sheephead out of cold water, they are edible.
The issue with rule changes in Wisconsin is the process is so slow that the problem you are trying to correct May correct itself before you get threw the process.
As adults a size limit or slot maybe fine, what about the kids. See lots of big smiles on kids with a 14” walleye
all the thanks should go to Adam Nickel and the Walleye Management team... they really do a great job, imo...
I did mention to him that it would be nice if the state open up the purse and allowed them to maybe double or triple the enforcement team... that would allow that side of management to keep up with theirs... that was in my thank you reply to him, I don't expect him to reply to that
I'd encourage anyone that has further questions about this unique system, to contact him or the DNR in general, they are pretty responsive in my experience
Let's not forget the science that says "Sheepshead are good table fare." Maybe those warts on them are flavor nodules?
I'd like to ask: If a min size of 15" puts a premium on keeping every 15" fish, how many 15" fish (what %) are being tossed back now? I am willing to bet that a very high % of every 15" fish being caught now are being kept.
Why not make the min size 18" if you wish to protect females until they mature and have a chance to spawn?
In what ways is the Winnebago fishery different than other WI lakes that do have a min size or a slot limits? Why is a min size limit good for those bodies of water but not Winnebago?
Nihsif, I don't know what you do for a living, but you would make a great detective! After reading all that imformation it sounds like all the predictions of the end of the Walleye fishing on the Winnebago system are premature. When he noted that exploitation, pressure and technology are all taken into account, that pretty much covers all the different concerns we read about on lake -link. Thanks for getting all the info.
got a reply from Adam, it is a great read with lots of information regarding regulations, how they're developed and the science behind..
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thanks for reaching out with your questions. The walleye population was low on the system in the late 1980’s due to several drought years that led to weak year classes. When the 1990 and 1991 year classes came, the 15 inch minimum was put on to provide more protection. In 1996, the best walleye year class on record was produced, so it was decided that the 15 inch minimum was no longer needed. There was also a strong effort by local conservation clubs and the Department in the 1990s to restore walleye spawning marsh habitat on the Wolf and upper Fox Rivers. Since then, the Winnebago System continues to support a healthy naturally reproducing walleye population. Based on the trawling survey, strong walleye year classes were produced in 1996, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2013, and 2016. Measurable year classes have also been produced in each of the last four years.
The Department has monitored walleye exploitation annually on the system since 1993 (excluding 2020). We have noted some years with high exploitation on immature and mature females, particularly in years without shad hatches which has been the case in recent years. We began discussions on a regulation change for the system in 2016 and after years of public input, were able to reduce the bag limit to 3 in April of 2020. The objective of this regulation is to reduce exploitation, particularly on single years classes as they move through the size structure and improve the walleye fishery. This was also the most favored regulation option among stakeholders and anglers on the system. The Department developed a questionnaire in 2016-2017 to gain further public input on regulation options and nearly 70% voted in favor of reducing the walleye bag limit to 3. Reducing the Winnebago System walleye bag limit to three also passed during the 2019 Spring Hearings with 5,120 votes in favor and 2,488 not in favor (all participants online and in-person). There were several other options discussed during the regulation change process including a minimum size limit.
The 15 inch minimum size limit did receive a favorable vote in the questionnaires (333 Yes, 211 No) and are often well accepted socially. However, from a biological standpoint it may actually increase exploitation on immature and adult female walleye. On average, female walleye on the Winnebago System reach 15 inches at age 3, whereas males grow slower reaching 15 inches around age 4. Therefore, females would be the first ones to reach the minimum length limit and become susceptible to angling, thus increasing exploitation on immature females, particularly for upcoming year classes ranging 3-4 years old. In addition, a 15 inch minimum length limit would push spring anglers to harvest more females and release undersized males. Despite minimum length limits being well accepted socially, it would likely increase immature and adult female harvest on the Winnebago System. In addition, our tagging studies have indicated fairly low exploitation rates on immature walleye less than 14 inches (<10%).
Overall, the Winnebago System continues to support a healthy naturally reproducing walleye population. Hopefully Mother Nature will provide the environmental conditions for a good strong year class in the next few years that will help boost the fishery. The 2020 trawling survey also revealed record catch rates of YOY freshwater drum and yellow perch. This abundant forage is well welcomed, but may lead to more challenging walleye angling in 2021. The Department will continue to monitor the Winnebago System walleye population annually and evaluate the recent regulation change. This will include continuing to take into account changes in exploitation, pressure, technology, survey results, and Mother Nature to continue proactive management and ensure that proper regulations are in place.
I hope this helps answer your questions. I have also attached the 2020 trawling report in case you don’t have that.
Adam Nickel
Paranoid - One summer a few years ago I yelled at a guy when I saw 6 boards and only him standing in the boat. Then a pretty attractive lady in a skimpy bikini sat up on the front deck, she was lying down sunbathing I guess. I was a little embarrassed but felt like I did the right thing to try to let people know that others are watching. Maybe they could have got him for too many lines or her for unattended (tan) lines?
Displaying 1 to 15 of 92 posts
