Lake Delton Fishery Restoration Gaining Momentum 11-17-09

gengberg November 17th, 2009

DATE: November 17, 2009
CONTACT:
Dan Fuller, Fisheries Technician, Poynette: 608-635-8127
Scot Stewart, Fisheries Program Manager, Fitchburg: 608-273-5967
Gordie Priegel, Lake Delton: 608-253-6839
SUBJECT: Walleyes Average Almost 10 Inches
LAKE DELTON FISHERY RESTORATION GAINING MOMENTUM LAKE DELTON - The restoration of Lake Delton’s once beached fishery is well underway, according to data collected recently via electro shocking by Department of Natural Resources biologists.
Fish populations are exploding and one particular species - walleye - is doing exceptionally well, noted Scot Stewart, fisheries program supervisor for the agency’s 11-county South Central Region.Walleye Lake Delton Stocking Small
“What we found is simply amazing…there were fish everywhere, growing like crazy. It’s as if Mother Nature is trying to fill a void in the lake,” said Mr. Stewart.
The prime example is walleye, a prized gamefish, of which over 9,000 small fingerlings about 1.3 inches long were stocked on June 9, 2009, and now average almost 10 inches in length.
DNR fisheries staff boom shocked the 267-acre lake several weeks ago. The boom shocker sends out a 300 volt/14 amps pulsed electric current which momentarily stuns fish, causing them to float to the surface. There, biologists measure their length and observe their condition. Fish quickly recover from the brief stunning.
Other results show the average length of black crappie at almost four inches, largemouth bass at 5.65 inches, yellow perch at almost four inches, and smallmouth bass at six inches.
Heavy rain in June, 2008, caused a catastrophic breech of Lake Delton at County Highway A and total dewatering into the nearby Wisconsin River. The lake’s fishery was either flushed into the river or left stranded on the lakebed.
Before the lake started refilling in December, 2008, a carp eradication project was conducted on the portion of Dell Creek flowing between upstream Mirror Lake and behind a coffer dam pool on the lakebed. Carp were removed because they compete with native fish species, destroy aquatic habitat, roil water and stir-up sediment, reducing water clarity.
Forage fish were then stocked in the spring of 2009 after the lake refilled to provide a food base for the game fish such as walleye and smallmouth bass that were stocked during the early summer.
“We kept the stocking predator heavy with an eye towards those fish preying on any carp that migrated back into Lake Delton from Mirror Lake or that we missed with rotenone (fish toxicant) during the chemical treatment,” explained Mr. Stewart.
Lake Delton area businesses and sports clubs deserve most of the credit for raising money to pay for restocking, he said. Much of the local fund raising was coordinated by retired DNR fisheries biologist Gordie Priegel, Lake Delton.
Mr. Priegel retired in 1993, “but here we are 16 years later and Gordie is still managing fish. The Lake Delton fishery wouldn’t be in the good shape it is now if it wasn’t for Gordie,” he pointed out.
Mr. Priegel, for his part, noted that local businesses and sports clubs contributed close to $40,000 towards paying for fish stocking. This also includes $5,000 donations each from the Madison Fishing Expo and Walleye North American, $16,000 for a boat, motor and trailer raffle coordinated by Walleye North American with items provided by C&H of Lake Delton, Crestliner and Mercury Marine, and $7,000 from Walleyes for Tomorrow. Area businessman Tom Diehl and DNR’s Lake Mills Fish Hatchery also helped-out.
Recently, Gollon Bait & Fish Farm, Dodgeville, stocked 23,000 three-inch bluegills and 1,500 eight-inch channel catfish into Lake Delton, said Mr. Priegel.
Mr. Stewart predicts that largemouth and smallmouth bass, along with walleye in Lake Delton will reach their legal size limits of 14 inches and 15 inches, respectively, by fall 2011.

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