Trolling between Idlewild Point and Larsen's Reef, just west of Sturgeon Bay, rewarded Capt. Bret Alexander (left) of New Franklin and his fishing buddy, Capt. Jeff Weatherwax of Sturgeon Bay with a fine Green Bay walleye. Photo by Ted Peck.

Walleye fishing in Green Bay is better now than Wisconsin fishermen have seen it in more than 20 years.

From Fox River in the south to the tip of Door County in the north, Green Bay walleye fishing benefits greatly from intensive walleye stocking and habitat work by both the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Walleyes For Tomorrow. Collectively, these efforts play a role in the resurgence of marble-eyes in this complex fishery.

But Paul Peeters, Green Bay Basin manager for the WDNR, says the actual impact of man's intentional efforts to improve Green Bay's walleye fishery may be dwarfed by the consequences of unintentional introductions of more than 170 actively reproducing exotic fish species found in Green Bay and Lake Michigan.

"It's really tough to gauge how effective stocking efforts have been in Green Bay," Peeters says. "Mother Nature does a much better job of plugging species into the best available niche and watching them prosper."

Peeters adds, however, that the potential effect of VHS (viral hemmoragic septicemia) disease resulted in a walleye-stocking moratorium over the past two years. During this time, WFT used its funds for habitat improvement, constructing reefs at the south end of Green Bay. State WFT chairman Mike Arrowood says his organization improved a long, rocky reef off McDonald's Marina near the Fox River, and three large rocky structures cumulatively referred to as Joliet Park Reef.

"These reefs should serve as both good spawning habitat and overall attractors for the walleye population swimming near the south end of the Bay," Arrowood says. "We have been given the tentative go-ahead to resume stocking walleye fry out of Sturgeon Bay again this year by the WDNR, with the approval of the state Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection."

Still, Peeters questions if the stocking efforts will play a significant role in the overall effect upon Green Bay's walleye fishing. (Continued)

"Walleye fishing is better now than most folks can remember," he admits. "However, I don't believe humans can take much credit -- at least, not intentionally. The only thing constant in the Green Bay-Lake Michigan ecosystem is change. With over 170 exotic plant, fish and invertebrate species all competing to find an advantage, the matrix of species relationships is so complex that we will never be able to get ahead of the game."

Peeters cites two well-known exotic species -- zebra mussels and a little baitfish called the goby -- as examples of this change.

"There really aren't that many zebra mussels in the bay anymore," he points out. "It's been overtaken by a more successful exotic species: the quagga mussel."

Meanwhile, gobies have out-competed several species of native chubs, which once were a major part of the walleye forage base in Green Bay. Both smallmouth bass and walleyes have been feeding heavily on gobies here for the past several years.

As a result, the fishing tactics and lures that anglers employed with considerable success five years ago, or even just last year, may not work several years from now.