Every year, the Department of Natural Resources stocks fish in Michigan waters to provide fishing opportunities and maintain healthy ecosystems. Where do these stocked fish come from? It all starts with collecting fish eggs, and the DNR has been working hard this fall gathering the necessary eggs to produce fish for stocking. Fall egg collections have been completed for wild Chinook and coho salmon and for captive broodstocks of brown, brook and lake trout, and rainbow trout egg collection will soon begin.

Chinook salmon eggs were collected Oct. 1–16 at the Little Manistee River Weir. Eggs and milt (sperm) are gathered from fish during the annual salmon run. At the weir, salmon swim up a fish ladder and into holding ponds. From there, fish are brought into the facility, where eggs and milt are collected and the eggs are fertilized.

“We experienced a solid run of wild Chinook salmon this year,” said Aaron Switzer, Fish Production Program manager. “The run at the Little Manistee was healthy enough to provide all of Michigan’s egg needs. We were also able to provide eggs to Indiana and Illinois state-owned fish hatcheries. Once hatched, reared and stocked all of these Chinook salmon contribute to the Lake Michigan salmon fishery.”

Coho salmon eggs were collected at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery Weir from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1.

“We collected nearly 6.5 million coho salmon eggs at the Platte River weir by the time the egg collection wrapped up. Read more

When the eggnog is finished and the last of the holiday feasts are over, many live Christmas trees are destined to sit next to the road until the sanitation department picks them up. Instead of tossing your festive fir to the curb on Dec. 26, donate it to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Habitat for the Holidays program.

AGFC biologists throughout the state have designated special Christmas tree donation locations where you can deliver your tree so it can be used as fish habitat in local lakes.

The drop-off locations act just like a “take-a-penny, leave-a-penny tray” at a cashier’s station, only it’s for fish. Anyone who wants to drop off their natural Christmas tree can take it to a location and leave it. Any angler who wants to take the trees and sink them can do so throughout January. After that, AGFC staff will take the remainder of the trees and freshen up some of the existing fishing hotspots found on the AGFC interactive map.

Anglers should bring their own rope and weights to sink the trees. Paracord works well to bind trees together and attach the weight (sandbags and cinder blocks are most commonly used).

Christmas trees are relatively short-term habitat because they don’t have much thick woody material, but they can be gathered in clusters easily and sunk in large groups. The main stems will last longer than the wispy branches and continue to draw fish throughout the year. Many anglers use these Christmas trees to freshen up productive attractor sites every year, with the main trunks offering long-lasting cover and the branches of the new brush.

While skiing and snowboarding are often what first comes to mind when people think of outdoor recreation during the winter, ice fishing is another great activity for the coldest months of the year. If you are planning to go ice fishing this winter, here are a few things you should know. Read more

Take advantage of the gap between fall and ice fishing season to stalk the biggest muskies of the year.

Muskie fishermen are at the very least super focused on their quest to hook and land a giant, and truth be known, most are obsessed with it. Why else would somebody dedicate nearly every angling second in pursuit of these Jurassic-sized freshwater fish?

Muskie fishing is hardly a high-volume ordeal, and the old saying – yes, the ten thousand cast one, well it often rings true. But these fish keep numbers of anglers coming back for more punishment season after season. You could even call muskie fishing a lifestyle for many anglers. Naturally, some are just better at it than others.

One such angler is Lee Tauchen of Madison, Wisconsin. He has spent countless hours hammering away for the next big tug at the end of the line.

Fall muskie fishing is a grand finale for those who revel in their annual quest for fishing glory. It’s the BIG BOOM. This is when massive ‘skis put on the feedbag and forage with a fair amount of consistency, which is a welcome departure from their incredibly reliable propensity to make even the most battle-worn anglers question whether these mythical beasts exist. Fall, and during warm years such as this, early winter as well, are periods that increase the odds of breaking personal bests and landing a true record class fish. Read more

“Everything about our portable battery line-up has been re-designed and improved,” says Norsk Lithium VP of Strategy & Development, James Holst. “And we’ve been able to make all of the improvements to the features, internal components, and overall safety of our products without having to raise our prices.”

Starting with the 14.8 volt line, over the past couple of years discerning anglers have gravitated to Norsk’s higher voltage “orange” batteries due to the increased efficiency and longer runtimes for running everything from 7-inch displays up to 15-inch screens with live imaging/FF sonar and MEGA 360.

The first feature the company has added is Bluetooth® technology, allowing users to connect to the battery via the Norsk Guardian® app, providing anglers the runtime calculation to determine how much longer they can keep their sonar units powered. Read more

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today that silver carp, an invasive species, have been detected in portions of the lower Chippewa River and lower Black River in western Wisconsin.

In May 2024, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) collected 134 water samples from the lower Chippewa River to test for invasive carp environmental DNA (eDNA). At that time, no eDNA was found for invasive carp.

In July, the DNR began receiving reports from anglers of jumping fish suspected to be invasive carp at the Dells Dam on the lower Chippewa River in Eau Claire. The Dells Dam in Eau Claire prevents further upstream passage of invasive carp in the Chippewa River System.

On Aug. 1, DNR staff went to the dam and observed jumping fish but were unable to verify the species of fish. On Aug. 27, the DNR downloaded data from an acoustic receiver tasked with listening for transmitters embedded in fish in the lower Chippewa River, 6 miles downstream of the Dells Dam. Data showed that a single silver carp, originally tagged and captured on the Mississippi River near Davenport, Iowa, was detected on July 21, Aug. 4 and Aug. 26, confirming that silver carp had migrated into the lower Chippewa River at that time. Read more