Winnebago Trawling Report 2018
The Lake Winnebago bottom trawling assessment continues to be one of the most critical fisheries assessments conducted on the Winnebago System and the 2018 report is complete. As DNR staff and a host of volunteers boarded the Calumet in 2018 one of the big questions was how the historic 2018 spring snow storm would impact recruitment of various fish species within the Winnebago System, particularly walleye. A mid-April weekend snow storm that brought more than 30 inches of snow to some areas spurred dramatic changes in water levels throughout the basin. What began as a record dry spring quickly turned into record high water levels on the Wolf River as snow melted away. The 2018 trawling results revealed a few highlights including a measurable walleye hatch, strong catches of adult panfish, and record low catches of adult freshwater drum. Another highlight of the 2018 survey was the continued support from local volunteers who are the driving force behind successfully completing the trawling survey. In fact, there are more than 400 volunteer hours that go into completing the survey each year.
The report can be accessed here:
https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/documents/reports/WinnebagoTrawlingReport2018.pdf