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Looking for another reason to get on the water? How about the Midwest Walleye Challenge? The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is partnering with MyCatch by Angler’s Atlas on a statewide walleye fishing challenge that includes all inland waters and runs through June 30.

The MyCatch mobile app maintains anonymous location data, so anglers’ secret spots stay secret, while Michigan DNR fisheries biologists get valuable information – generalized lake and river catch data entered via the app – to better assess and manage walleye populations. Specific catch locations from anglers are not listed on public leaderboards.

“We’re interested to see what new information we can learn from Midwest Walleye Challenge participation,” said Seth Herbst, manager of the DNR Fisheries Division’s Research Section. “We have hundreds of waters in the state where we manage for walleye, but because of the vast amount of lakes and rivers in Michigan we have a limited ability to monitor the status of those fisheries.

“The challenge provides a unique opportunity to supplement our survey data and have a better understanding of the status of walleye populations throughout the state. In particular, we are excited to learn whether our walleye stocking efforts are resulting in successful trips for anglers. The more anglers who join this challenge, the better data we’ll have for future management decisions.”

The challenge

This year’s challenge includes several states across the Midwest and into Canada as part of a larger fisheries research project funded by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Michigan anglers compete only against Michigan anglers for biweekly prizes, while all catches from across the Midwest qualify for the grand prize drawings at the end of the event. Full details about prizes and qualifications are available on the prizes tab of the main event webpage.

Participants can choose the free entry option to qualify for noncash prizes or pay the $25 fee to qualify for all prizes, including cash payouts.

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Michigan anglers can register for the Midwest Walleye Challenge and get in the game!

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The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is awarding more than $1.7 million in Fisheries Habitat Grants for conservation projects on lakes and streams statewide. The funds are matched by more than $950,000 in partner contributions, for a total conservation value of about $2.7 million.

“These grants provide critical funding for projects that yield cleaner water, healthier fish populations and better aquatic habitats – all of which make the outdoors safer and more enjoyable for residents,” said Randy Claramunt, chief of the DNR Fisheries Division. “Our natural resources have always been central to Michigan’s appeal as an outdoor recreation destination, and creative, collaborative projects like these make a lasting, positive impact on those resources.”

The projects will rehabilitate and protect valuable fish habitats that provide the foundation for Michigan’s world-class fisheries. Two of them are DNR Priority Habitat Conservation Projects – those proactively identified by the department as important to sustaining healthy habitats, fisheries and aquatic communities – and another four are projects that directly benefit priorities of Michigan’s Wildlife Action Plan.

The Fisheries Habitat Grant program provides funding for a variety of activities including fish habitat conservation, dam removal and repair, resource assessment studies and access to recreation opportunities such as fishing. Funding from fishing license sales, state of Michigan general funds and a settlement with Consumers Energy is distributed through three grant areas: aquatic habitat conservation, dam management, and aquatic habitat and recreation in the Au Sable, Manistee and Muskegon river watersheds.

Most of the funding is distributed through traditional grants that are funded this year, but the Fisheries Habitat Grant program also provides conditional commitments for funding from future years. These conditional commitments enable partners to leverage future Fisheries Habitat Grant funds in applications for federal and other funding sources, making high-priority and sometimes very expensive projects possible.

Joe Nohner, a resource analyst with the DNR Fisheries Division, said the funded projects will protect and rehabilitate aquatic habitats across the state, while in many cases also improving public safety through the removal of dams.

“These projects are critical to strengthening and maintaining populations of fishes and other aquatic species,” Nohner said. “They will improve fish migration in over 327 miles of Michigan streams and boost public safety through the removal of three dams and seven culverts.”

Supporting work in 12 counties Read more