NEW LONDON (WLUK) — Getting out and fishing is part of “How WI Live” in Wisconsin, and along sections of the Wolf River, the walleye run is just getting going.
Boats are on the move at Riverside Park on the stretch in New London. Karl Kanaman said he caught two walleyes Friday.
Getting out and fishing is part of “How WI Live” in Wisconsin, along sections of the Wolf River, the walleye run is just getting going. (WLUK)
“It’s like a yearly celebration. It’s almost like Christmas. It only comes like one time during the year, when you get the walleye run up here on the Wolf River,” said Kanaman.
“We’ve got a nice, healthy class of walleye. Schools of fish have been moving up. People have been taking advantage of it,” said John Faucher, owner of Johnny’s Little Shop of Bait.
At Johnny’s Little Shop of Bait, Faucher also monitors river conditions. The flood stage there is nine feet. On Friday morning, levels outside his business were 8.1 feet.
“The National Weather Service predicts about 8.3. That’s just perfect. 9 feet, we start to worry, we start to sweat. We get minor flooding, but it’s perfect levels,” said Faucher.
Faucher says since the ice went out March 9, runoff from Blizzard Elsa and this week’s precipitation helped.
“It’s been lower than normal. We were looking at a drought year and people were starting to worry about the low water, whether the fish would even be able to get in the marshes. But this recent rain at the time, and the water temperature we have is just beautiful for probably some successful fish to spawn and do well,” he said.
Chime In with your fishing photos here:
Meanwhile, Kanaman says he’s looking forward to a good season.
“I’m guessing it’s really just picked up here in New London. They’re still on their way up. They haven’t done any spawning yet. So, I would probably say a good two weeks to three weeks yet,” he said.
The New London section of the Wolf River is also home to the sturgeon spawning run. That season is still coming. Experts say water temperatures need to be in the 50s before sturgeon spawning typically begins.