“We’ve had a couple of years where river levels stayed high well into the summer,” he said. “These conditions gave little walleyes a place to hide back in the weeds. They also provide optimum forage base conditions for growth.”

Walleye and sauger numbers in the Rock are augmented by production from the Bark River hatchery, a converted sewage disposal plant that is the site of a grass roots conservation movement not unlike the work done by WFT.

The Mississippi River rivals the Winnebago system for the walleye factory title in this state. Our western border’s natural production is augmented by fingerlings from the federal hatchery facility at Genoa.

Last year, Wisconsin fisheries refused to accept any eggs or progeny from this federal facility, although the broodstock was tested three times. The reason for the refusal was to enable the WDNR to establish a baseline on VHS proliferation in the state.

“About 10 percent of walleyes netted and used for walleye propagation at the Genoa facility go back into the Mississippi River,” according to hatchery manager Doug Aliosi.

Aliosi said waters in Minnesota and Iowa received their annual allotment of fingerlings in spite of last year’s VHS scare.

“Sport-fishing is an important part of our culture and economy in Wisconsin,” Stagg said. “The DNR will do whatever it takes to protect our fisheries resource now and in the future to ensure Wisconsin anglers enjoy continued success on that popular fish . . . the walleye.”

For more information, visit the Department of Natural Resources Web site at http://dnr.wi.gov/fish. Contact Walleyes for Tomorrow at (920) 922-0905 or visit its Web site at www.walleyesfortomorrow.org

Find more about Wisconsin fishing and hunting at: WisconsinSportsmanMag