Wisconsin amends lake trout rules in Apostle Islands area

The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board has changed lake trout angling limits in the Apostle Islands area, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced earlier this month.

In that unit, designated WI-2 (east of Bark Point), the new limit will be two lake trout daily with a minimum length of 15 inches, and only one fish may be longer than 25 inches.

The amended emergency rule will take effect when signed by Gov. Scott Walker — likely in early January, said Terry Margenau, DNR Lake Superior fisheries supervisor at Bayfield — and will remain in effect through Sept. 30, 2017.

If the recreational harvest reaches 7,350, or 75 percent of the total allowable recreational lake trout harvest of 9,800 fish, the recreational lake trout season will close in WI-2, according to Department of Natural Resources officials.

The reason the season would be closed down before the harvest quota is reached is due to the time it takes to process harvest reports, Margenau said.

In addition, hooking mortality — fish that die even after being released by anglers — is higher than previously thought, Margenau said.

"New research from the state of Michigan shows the hooking mortality can be as high as 38 percent," he said. "It was previously thought to be in the teens. And we've heard a lot from sport anglers about fish being hooked badly. So, we incorporated that into our new emergency rule."

Under the previous emergency rule, in effect for the past year, anglers in WI-2 could keep two lake trout from 20 to 25 inches long, with a third if it was over 40 inches.

In Wisconsin waters of zone WI-1, west of Bark Point, the lake trout limit for anglers remains at three, with a 15-inch minimum size limit, and only one lake trout may be over 25 inches. Even if the recreational season closes east of Bark Point, up to three lake trout per day may continue to be harvested west of Bark Point, DNR officials said.

The angling lake trout harvest is tracked through DNR "creel surveys," in which anglers are interviewed upon leaving the water by DNR clerks.

"We manage our lake trout by a quota allocated among different user groups," Margenau said. "With this more aggressive regulation, we're going to be more likely to reach that quota before the season ends on Sept. 30, which means we'd have to close the season."

"The quota for the past year was 9,800, and anglers caught about 7,000 fish," Margenau said. "But the last two winters, we've had poor ice. Anglers couldn't get to deep water to do the bobbing (for lake trout). What's going to happen this year, I don't know."

In addition, Margenau said, the loss of Saxon Harbor in Iron County due to flooding last July likely reduced fishing pressure for the remainder of the summer.

Before setting the new emergency rule, the DNR held several meetings with anglers to discuss regulation options. Four regulation options were presented at those meetings and in an online survey. The option selected for the emergency rule is the one most anglers preferred, Margenau said.

Dave Sorenson, who operates Dave's Fishing Charters in Ashland, has concerns about the new emergency rule. He is president of the North Wisconsin Rod and Gun Club.

"I think it's better than what we went through last year," Sorenson said. "I'm a little concerned about the emergency shut-off quota. I'm very worried what that might do."

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