Ashland & Iron County Fishing Expected to be Above Average This Year

MERCER, WI - Saturday, April 05, 2008 - According to Jeff Roth, fisheries biologist, from Mercer, Wisconsin, anglers can look forward to a productive year in Ashland and Iron counties.

Gile Flowage – The Gile Flowage smallmouth population should provide anglers with improved catch rates, with recent surveys showing an increase in abundance. Past surveys sampled smallies at a rate of 43 fish per hour while recent survey data showed catch rates have increased to more than 60 fish per hour.

Walleye numbers and size structure look very good for this coming season. This fishery has improved under the "one over 14-inch" regulation. Recent surveys have shown improvements in the walleye size structure with more than 50 percent of the adult population larger than 15 inches compared to the mid-1990s where only 33 percent of the population exceeded 15 inches.

Panfish, especially bluegill, have been providing anglers with some exceptional fishing the past two years with eight- to 10-inch fish commonly caught. I suspect the good bluegill fishing will continue into 2008.

Crappie action should be on the upswing with several good year-classes coming up in a flowage that still owns the state record for black crappie.

Turtle-Flambeau Flowage – The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage has consistently provided top-notch fishing and the 2008 season should be no exception.

Spring walleye action should be similar or slightly better than in the past and anglers should find fish in the traditional spots with flowage water levels at or near normal. Recent netting data shows a slight increase in the proportion of fish larger than 15 inches when compared to past data. The number of 18-plus inch fish remains stable at about six percent of the adult population.

Smallmouth bass will continue to provide good action throughout the season with more and larger fish reported caught (and mostly released), during the past couple of years.

Panfish fishing is expected to continue to provide good opportunities when walleye fishing slows in mid-summer. The majority of fish that anglers encounter will be at "keeper" or "quality" size.

Opening day for Wisconsin fishing is traditionally the first Saturday in May. Hook and line fishing for many species of fish on many Wisconsin waters begins the first Saturday in May. However, to better manage Wisconsin fisheries, season dates are often specific to the species of fish as well as the water body. For more information or for specific opening dates for the various species of fish go to www.wisconsinfishing.org.