Local Column River Currents 9-1-08

gengberg September 4th, 2008

     Last week, I wrote about the many different hunting and fishing seasons that are opening in September. The Early September Canada Goose season and the dove season both open with promising outlooks on September 1st. The hook and line lake sturgeon season opens on September 6th on the Wisconsin River from below the dam at Wisconsin Dells to and below the dam at Prairie du Sac. This includes all of Lake Wisconsin and all of the river’s waters downstream from the Dells Dam    This year, due to over-harvesting below both dams, has resulted in a shorter season that closes September 30th with a minimum size of 60 inches for these prehistoric fish. The limit is 1 lake sturgeon per season. Check last week’s column for more sturgeon fishing suggestions, dove tactics, and tips for the Early Canada Goose season.Friday evening, I was out fishing with my neighbor, Bob Morrissette, for walleyes and saugers. We fished from the boat landing on Highway Y to just below the old bridge below Highway 12 with decent success. The VHS restriction on seining and trapping minnows has forced us to troll more instead of live bait jigging and rigging. The Lower Wisconsin River borders the Mississippi River where VHS has been found, so seining and trapping on the river is illegal.Trolling crankbaits is a good technique for the river, but sometimes the fish want live bait or my favorite live bait, river shiners. They don’t live long, but sometimes freshly caught river shiners are all the walleye, saugers, and smallmouth want. There is an abundance of forage or baitfish in the Wisconsin River and they are so abundant that I often catch 3 inch shiners on my baits that I’m trolling. I’ve even caught 2 shiners at once on my treble hooks. If you can “hook” minnows, then there must be millions of them in the river.

Friday night, Bob and I caught several legal saugers from 15 to 17 inches, some under-sized smallmouth, and some fat walleyes just short of the legal 18 inch minimum. The amazing thing was that we were the only people on the Wisconsin River on the day that the last holiday of the summer, Labor Day, began. It was a beautiful evening with good fishing, a spectacular sunset, and no people!

I thought that the summer of 2008 would be a boom year for the Lower Wisconsin River area and the many people that can’t afford to drive hundreds of miles to vacation and fish with the ridiculous price of gasoline and higher prices for all consumer goods. I thought that our great resources like the Wisconsin River, Lake Wisconsin, and Devils Lake would bring even more visitors to southern Wisconsin. But, where were the people?

Saturday and Sunday renewed my faith in this wonderful and scenic area of the state and people who love the outdoors. I was close to my river home both days and there was a steady and constant stream of canoes, kayaks, jet-skis, and smaller boats. A vast majority of these people were not on the water to fish. They were here to soak up the sun, enjoy the scenery, and take advantage of the Wisconsin River and its beauty. There were more people on the river this past weekend than I have seen at any time this summer and that includes the Fourth of July. The banks of the river were filled with families and groups of friends camping, cooking, and getting together for the last unofficial weekend of the summer.

Actually, there are a couple of months left to enjoy the peace, quiet, and solitude of floating or paddling down the river. September and October provide some great opportunities for all with fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and nature watching available and only 30 miles from downtown Madison. Soon, the trees will begin to turn, the days will get shorter, and there will be even less people on the water. As we progress into fall, there are many chances for wildlife, bird, and waterfowl viewing as many birds migrate through on their way to their wintering grounds.

September 13th is the opening of the deer archery season and the fall turkey season. I suggest that you make sure that your bow is tuned (check those strings and arrows) and you’ve done some shooting before you start sitting in your tree. I know that many of you shoot year-round, but for those who don’t practice before the season starts. Make sure that your tree stand and or blind is in good shape and ready to go, so that you don’t have any difficulties on opening day.

Way too many deer are wounded in the bow season! Practice your shooting because it’s a shame to find wounded deer with an arrow sticking in them. Make sure that you can hit the kill zone and don’t take shots if they are outside the shooting distance that you’re comfortable with. You never can practice too much.

The fall turkey season also opens September 13th in all of Wisconsin and runs to November 20th. You had to apply to the state by August 1st for a fall permit which costs $3.00 for the application. You also must have a 2008 Fall Turkey/License/Carcass Tag combination to be legal while hunting. The resident license costs $15.00 and the turkey stamp costs another $5.25. Check the DNR website because if hunters didn’t apply for all the permits available then they may be bought on a first-come first-served basis at any ALS center.

This fall, the 46 turkey zones have been reduced to 7 large zones. There is still the same amount of total turkey area and the permit process is the same. The new zones are a combination of many smaller zones which will give hunters more flexibility to move around when searching for turkeys. Make sure that you have permission from the landowners where you plan to hunt.

One of the keys to success in fall turkey hunting is to find what they are eating. Scott Hull, a DNR upland game ecologist, said that “turkeys spend 90% of daylight in hardwood habitat. Both brood flocks and adult male flocks make extensive use of areas dominated by oak and hickory trees.” Hunters should check out the acorn crop where they hunt because this will determine where the turkeys will be. A poor acorn or mast crop will force turkeys to use corn fields more for food. The key as with most hunting is to do some scouting before the season to locate game and see where they are feeding and what they are eating. Be safe and good luck.

You can always contact me at www.garyengbergoutdoors.com

  

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