Wisconsin is one of the Midwest's premier trout-fishing destinations, with over 10,000 stream miles of trout habitat in dozens of watersheds throughout the state. Many out-of-state anglers come here to fish for trout, while relatively few residents take advantage of our great trout fishing, preferring instead to focus on fish with hard scales, sharp teeth or big mouths.

Some setbacks in recent years -- most notably manure spills and budget cutbacks -- have knocked trout-fishing opportunities down a notch or two, but Department of Natural Resources' coldwater fisheries ecologist Larry Claggett said Wisconsin's trout fishery is resilient, and he's optimistic about trout fishing in the Badger State this season.

State budget cuts in 2003-04 had a minor impact on trout fishing last year. Fewer and smaller fish were stocked in the 10 percent or so of streams that are normally stocked each year, and some anglers no doubt abandoned those streams last year in favor of unstocked streams, which could have increased the harvest of wild trout. Funding for stocking trout was restored last year, but the impact won't be fully felt for another year or so because hatchery officials had not anticipated more money would be available, and so they raised fewer fish than they had in past years. Stocking should be back to normal in 2006, Claggett said. Stocking information is online at www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/fhp/fish/pages/stocking.

Although heavy rains last fall and snowfall early last winter helped recharge many watersheds, low water levels caused problems in a few streams in 2005. Industrial pumping for a gravel-washing operation affected several small streams near La Crosse last year, Claggett said. These streams are important spawning tributaries to major watersheds, so the pumping is currently under review. In Portage County, the Little Plover River actually dried up last year when high-capacity wells pumping water for irrigation and a municipality drew down the water table there.

"We found pools with dead fish," Claggett said. "They'll come back, probably, but it took a hit for sure. It's not a big stream to begin with."

After a major revamping of trout fishing regulations a couple of years ago, Claggett said only minor changes will appear in the 2006-07 regulations booklet, which is available at all license outlets. In one statewide change, the cost of an inland trout stamp went from $7.50 to $10.

"This was mainly an inflationary increase to allow us to keep doing the work we were doing before," Claggett said. "All interest groups supported the increase."

Revenues from the sale of trout stamps and conservation patron licenses raise over $1 million each year for stream habitat work. Since the program began in 1979, it has funded improvements on more than 600 miles of stream.

DNR fisheries biologists monitor fish populations and habitat quality on an ongoing basis in streams across our state. That data, some of which is available online, provides a good snapshot of trout numbers and sizes in most major streams.

Despite tight fiscal times, the state continues to purchase land and easements to provide access to trout streams. Over the years, the DNR has acquired almost 120,000 acres of fishery lands and stream easements, and all can be found online at www.dnr.wi.gov/maps. Click on DNR Managed Lands.

Here's a look at some of Wisconsin's top trout streams and what you can expect from them this season.