The walleye catch has been down this summer, and according to Bob Krupp of Walleyes for Tomorrow (WFT), the problems remains too many bait fish, including shad and white bass. According to Ron Bruch, one of the DNR's fish managers, there are an estimated 800,000 walleyes in Winnebago and younger fish are averaging 6-7-inches.

Krupp reported that WFT is looking at several options for getting more reefs built, including the possibility of constructing a barge to take stone out into the lake.

At last week's Calumet County Sportsmen's Alliance meeting, Don Meilke, a member of the Sturgeon Advisory Group, asked for input on the idea of the possibility of asking for an increase in non-resident sturgeon spearing license fees. Don said after the 2010's harvest that included a hundred fish over one hundred pounds, he fielded calls from several parts of the country inquiring about the season, etc.

Currently, residents pay $20 and non-residents are charged $65. The members present unanimously supported a motion to increase the non-resident license fees to the highest amount allowed by law.

Diane Schauer, Calumet County's Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator gave an excellent summary of how the county is coordinating studies and analysis, possibly with two grants, to improve conditions at Becker, Round, Long, Grass and Boot lakes.

Schauer also showed the group new signage for invasive aquatic species information and announced that the state has received a $1,000,000 grant to deal with invasives.

There was good news out of Green Bay regarding the survival of young perch. A recent survey indicated the third highest abundance in 30 years for yellow perch hatched earlier this spring. The success was attributed to an early hatch and warmer water temperatures. In early August, young-of-the year were 2.5 to 3 inches long.

Past perch mortality has also been addressed. One of the perch predators has been cormorants. Agencies have been oiling eggs and conducted some limited sharp shooting to trim back the bird's numbers. The goal is to reduce the number of nesting pairs to 6,000 from the estimated 15,000 presently.

Whitetail Watch continues and according to Jeff Pritzil, DMU 64 continues to be second overall in observations reported.

I recently reported on a vaccine that is being developed in Saskatchewan that potentially could prevent an animal from contracting prion-based diseases such as Mad Cow, scrapies and CWD.

Tom Hauge of the WDNR was contacted about the possible success of such a vaccine. He responded there is a "ray of hope," but realistically it could take ten years. A major stumbling block is that the current testing involves an eventual injection of the vaccine into the deer and how that would take place is something that doesn't seem feasible at the present time.

As if the Emerald ash borers aren't causing enough problems, state officials say a fungal disease has started attacking oak trees in southern Wisconsin. The oak wilt can be detected by observing wilted leaves and bronze-green, semi-wet leaves on the ground.

The wilt which affects red and white oak prevents water and nutrients from moving up the root system and can kill a tree within a couple of weeks. The DNR recommends removing a dead tree and severing root grafts to prevent spreading the disease.

While mosquitoes have been like a plague this summer, the season has also seen an increase in dragonfly nymphs that have turned into airborne adults. Swarms of the species have been reported across the state and since dragonflies feed on mosquito larvae, their presence has been welcome.

In addition, adults eat several hundred insects daily, including moths, bees and wasps. Locally, the green darner is probably the dragonfly that is most common.

The early Canada goose season opens on Sept.1st and runs through Sept. 15th. The resident population is reported to be up roughly 12% and a good hunt is anticipated.

Until next time, keep your hooks sharp, your feet warm and your powder dry!

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