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Venting on a very popular, wide reaching website such as In-Depth (or even small, insignificant ones) will do nothing to address your concerns.

That sounds pretty arrogant.

On the contrary, it SHOULD be just the opposite. Now I’ll vent. Fishing web sites, big or small, have the ability and responsibilty to reach an invaluable resource that can and should address issues and concerns of everyone and aid in taking care of a resource that they use. The DNR has their hands full and are understaffed to put it mildly. My concerns and objections have already been presented to the DNR and there are those within the state system that are expressing the very same thoughts as mine. We have discussed it. There are also several us that have expressed our thoughts to the DNR about the taking of illegal fish. This is a thread on Lake Wissota and my thoughts being presented are about it. These web sites can and should be partaking in the care of our lakes. I promote helping the DNR with donations, blocks and labor aiding crib building, volunteered my time to the DNR in helping with anything they need doing that I’m capable of helping with, Lake Association in removing Eurasian Milfoil brought in on the boats of “fisherman”, gets my boat nice and dirty, did and donated photography for it’s use on clothing items for Friends Of Lake Wissota State Park to raise money for it and am also a member, supplying lakes reports for the local news programs and all for not a dime. It should be about giving and not just taking. Web sites big or small, people old or young using this resource have not only a responsibility but an obligation to helping it and not pass the buck. I’m trying very hard to do my share and have spent a lifetime on this lake helping and it’s time some of the self serving, self indulgent attitudes chip in and do their share. If you have time to fish, then you also have time to help preserve fishing.

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Tom, thanks for the report. What depth were the crappies at?

Sully

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Found them all at the 4 to 5 foot depth and in good sized schools.

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Hey Wissota guys, when will we be fishing crappies out of the boat over there?

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I’ll be fishing them again today. Found a bunch of crappies yesterday but released them all. Was looking for cats and only caught one fiddler. Found a few more sleepers in the deep water but the water temp has to increase from around 45 up to 55 and they’ll go ballistic. Did catch one bronzeback deep too.

On the average year I may agree with you but this year is going to be an exception and I’ve seen that thinking completely ruin the fishing in Wissota 40+ years ago and it’s taken 30 years to bring it back to where it is now. I’ve lived it have you?? Sorry guys but I get pretty protective of a lifetime (65years) on this lake and understand her history very well. I’ve watched “fisherman” destroy Wissota and other lakes in the area in just a few years and have enjoyed the past few seasons on Wissota, that we’ve fought so hard to a recovery. I’ve seen days when I could fish for a week and never see another boat on Wissota and at the very same time saw the fishing destroyed. Now we see a 1000+ boats a week and must be careful. I’ve also talked recently with several “fisherman” that are looking forward to “murdering” the big spawners on the river this year during this unusual spring, and they can do it. Rules are in place but there are those who don’t follow rules. Open your eyes and you’ll see the signs. Who’s checking by the way??? I’ve never in the past 25 years been checked for a license and have taken part in 2 creel surveys to be axact. This is not a fishery like Lake of the Woods, Mille Lacs or Winnebago. I’ve also listened to “fisherman” bi__h for 40 years because there were no walleyes to catch out here. Now we have them again, thanks to Joe, lets keep them. Don’t turn a blind eye, it will get you. I’ve watched it happen here before and it can happen even easier now.

I think we are going to have a problem arising in the very near future. The water temp in Wissota is so cold with this late spring, only a few walleyes have started to spawn. Water is 38 degrees average and the season opener is coming up soon. Walleyes will be in full spawn during the opener. I sure hope people realize that these fish are in the process and when caught, should be released to do their job for the future of the fishing in Lake Wissota and not keep them as freezer material. I’m not going to keep any fish until the water temp reaches 55 degrees and the walleyes are done, then they are fair game. The warm up should happen within the next couple of weeks. Just another problem of this late coming spring. Also saw where someone in Chippewa had cleaned some walleyes down by the powerhouse and took the fillets out and left the rest of an illegal catch laying on shore. That is disgusting and the type of thing that ruins the fishing for everyone else.

The part about the walleye size structure really caught my eye. 32% over 18″…..yippie!

I was just looking at the DNR’s 2006 estimates for ceded territory and those fish must have been put on super pills to have gotten that large so suddenly. The estimated Lake population was 13,017 that’s 2.1 fish per acre. 12 to 15 inch class is 1.2 fish/ acre. 15 to 20 inch class is 0.6/acre and over 20 inches is 0.1/ acre. Doesn’t seem that good to me and this is right out of the DNR files. I sure don’t want to leave people with a false impression of walleye populations but this seems a little careless.