“In 2006, we stocked fry at Sturgeon Bay, Lake Puckaway, Winnebago and in the Chetek chain,” he said. “A new hatchery was built for stocking fish in the Wausau area. It is now coming online.”

A major focus in 2008 and years to come is stocking walleyes in the Milwaukee River. WTF has given the DNR funding to raise fry and fingerlings for reintroduction there for the past three years.

“By 2010, anglers fishing the Milwaukee River may once again find success on walleyes like their fathers and grandfathers did,” Arrowood said. “Because walleyes once swam there, the DNR is doing the stocking there.”

It may take several years before we see a resurgence of a trophy walleye fishery on the Wisconsin River system.

If there is a glaring example of bureaucracy trumping common sense regarding fisheries in America’s Dairyland, it is about saugers on the lower Wisconsin River.

This walleye cousin with the desert camo paint job falls under the slot limit rules in place on the river. A number of saugers that were swimming when slot rules went into effect several years ago are reaching the upper limits of their growth potential -- around 25 to 26 inches long.

“Saugers in Wisconsin simply don’t grow to 28 inches,” said fisheries manager Tim Larson, who is tasked with managing waters around Lake Wisconsin. “State-record saugers are swimming here now, but anglers aren’t allowed to keep them because of the slot limit.” Staggs said, “We believe that separate rules for walleyes and saugers will create too much ‘mistake’ harvests, so we haven’t come up with a workable solution for this problem. If somebody has a better idea, we’d be happy to consider it. As things stand now, the slot will remain in force for both walleyes and saugers on the Wisconsin River system for several more years.

“I believe the solution to preventing mistake harvests is not only present -- it’s been around for 100 years. A DNR entity called the game warden is out there to ensure a short learning curve regarding species identification.

“Do you think many upland hunters tuck hen pheasants in their game bag believing these birds to be grouse? Those who can’t tell a sauger from a walleye can tell it to the judge. Those who can should be able to take their trophy to a taxidermist.”

A further caveat is the skunky “paper” taste of walleyes and saugers from some parts of the Wisconsin River system. Fish near the 15-inch minimum length are palatable, but essentially anything in the protected slot length range -- and at least a couple inches shorter -- are tough to swallow.

Still, Staggs said there is “a high exploitation rate of walleyes once they reach the 15-inch minimum, meaning few walleyes will reach the 28-inch minimum except in years of really good reproduction.”

“Lately, we’re hearing from anglers who are dissatisfied with the large number of 14-inch walleyes and relative paucity of ‘keeper’ walleyes in the system,” he continued. “This is one reason why the sunset on the slot limit in the Wisconsin River system has been extended. The situation clearly needs more study.”

The Rock River depends primarily on natural reproduction to maintain its walleye population. Natural reproduction on riverine ecosystems is driven by a great extent to river levels and current flow before, during and after spawning occurs.

Lake Koshkonong is the crown jewel of this system. The 10,400-acre shallow basin lake is now in a state of “nearly perfect balance,” according to fisheries manager Don Bush.