Waloways go old school to win derby

Team Brook Trout’s gamble paid off, going old school to catch the winning brown trout — a 20.82-pound giant — in the 44th annual Marinette & Menominee Great Lakes Sport Fishermen Brown Trout Derby.

Keith Waloway of Marinette was fishing Saturday with his dad, 85-year-old Rich (“Mossback”) Waloway, Tod Mayou of Menominee, and Melissa Kellow of Manitowoc. After a lull in the action, the group decided to take a chance and trolled all the way south to the Peshtigo Light late in the day.

“We only had minutes left to fish before we had to leave for a long ride back (to be able to register fish on time),” Keith said. “We caught it doing old school things at an old school location my dad brought me to so much as a kid.”

An Andy Reeker spoon was the winning bait. Minutes earlier, it had attracted another giant, but a broken hook ring allowed it to escape.

Waloway replaced the hook, and put the bait back down. Bam!

Thanks to generous donations from local businesses, the catch earned $1,500, nearly four times the payout of the past.

Meanwhile, David Dunn of Menominee won $1,000 for the heaviest Chinook salmon, a 23.3-pounder, while Ashley Sislo of Marinette got $500 for a 15.13-pound rainbow trout. Minnesota angler Andy Greenlee won $300 for the top walleye, a 9.47-pounder.

There were 403 tickets sold, up from 262 last year. A total of 757 fish were registered, up from 436.

Next up, the Shanty Days Fishing Contest at Algoma runs Aug. 8-10. Tickets and rules will be available at Algoma Citgo and Graf’s Mobil Mart.

Habitat helps fish

One of the feature pieces in the latest Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine is by Garrett Dietz, public information officer in the DNR’s Office of Communications. He highlights the benefits of adding coarse woody habitat to lakes with data from a 10-year study in Vilas County’s Sanford Lake.

Trees in the forest surrounding the lake are cut down and added to the water (these are called “tree drops”). Trees also can be brought to lakes from other areas (these are called “fish sticks”) to help conserve the surrounding riparian forest cover. Whatever the case, the newly added habitat encourages the growth of algae and other microbes, increasing the available food for macroinvertebrates. This, in turn, means more food for smaller fish species using the habitat as a nursery, or a refuge from larger predators.

The first three years of the study involved monitoring the lake to understand its fish populations and other features. Once a baseline was established, 140 trees from the adjacent riparian zone were cut and dropped into the water. Then the monitoring began.

Essentially, what researchers have found, is that the woody habitat does a lot more than simply attract fish to congregate around the new structure. It actually helps increase the lake’s ability to carry and produce more fish.

DNR fisheries team leader Greg Sass said since adding the trees to Sanford Lake in 2018, they’ve seen fish production double. Researchers will now drop more trees to see how that further influences fish production, and the study continues until 2031.

If you’re a lakefront property owner who wants to pursue habitat additions to your waterbody, contact your local DNR fisheries biologist and learn about the best practices and permits required to do so. You can find contact info at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/people/fisheriesbiologists.

There’s also good info at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/ShorelandZoning/Care/explore.html. 

Apply for upriver tag

Anyone interested in a lottery for one of 500 coveted harvest tags for the 2026 Lake Winnebago system Upriver Lakes spearing season needs to apply by the end of the day Friday, Aug. 1.

A much higher harvest rate on lakes Poygan, Winneconne and Butte des Morts means anyone wishing to spear there must apply and get drawn for an upriver lakes tag. Lake Winnebago spearing permits aren’t limited; a harvest quota system prevents overharvest there.

Muskie love

More than 1,000 amateur anglers will be trying to catch big fish and net some cash and prizes in the 39th annual National Championship Musky Open Tournament Aug. 14-17. Read all about it at https://eagleriver.org/events/national-championship-musky-open/.