A History of Stocking Fish in Lake Geneva

2015 – The WIDNR stocked approximately 109,000 large fingerling (6”+) during the week of Sept. 21. The DNR decided to not stock the fish by boat, hoping to minimize the amount of stress placed on the fish. Instead, they’ll be targeting stocking at those launches with the best access to weeds so the fish can find cover quickly. The launches at Trinkie’s, Williams Bay, Linn Pier and Abbey Springs. The goal is to spread the fish out as much as possible.

The DNR also completed two nights of electrofishing before the fish ere stocked and some netting and electrofishing a few weeks after stocking, as well. Any young-of-year fish captured in these surveys will be clipped and analyzed for parentage at Stevens Point.

 

Large Fingerling Muskies
being stocked in Lake Geneva!

Large Fingerling Muskies
being stocked in Lake Geneva!

2014 – 4.6 million walleye fry (Walleyes For Tomorrow), for a total of 10.6 million in the last 3 years. 2500 Fin clipped  large fingerling Muskellunge (Governor Thompson Hatchery – Spooner) (DNR with help from many volunteers). 28,746 Brown Trout on 9/11 (St. Croix Hatchery) 39,620 Lake Trout on 10/7 (Les Voigt Hatchery – Bayfield)

2013 –  3,800,098 walleye fry (Walleyes For Tomorrow), DNR stocking   184,555 small fingerling walleye. The DNR has stocked 26,310 large fingerling brown trout, and 26,310 large fingerling lake trout in the fall. DNR did a gill net survey for Cisco and found 3 year classes and one of the strongest populations of any lake that has Ciscos.

2012 – 4,990 large fingerling muskellunge, and 1,826,000 walleye fry (Walleyes For Tomorrow).  26,000 lake trout large fingerling and 26,000 brown trout large fingerling are due this fall. The Walworth County Chapter of Walleyes for Tomorrow in their first effort, collected 3,320,000 eggs, hatched 1,970,000 fry from the eggs, OTC marked and released 1,826,000 fry. The hatch rate was 59% from egg to fry hatch. Great job for a first effort, this will be every year for 6 years then every other year.

2011 – 177,651 Walleye. 27,010 large fingerling Brown Trout, 21,458 large fingerling Lake Trout.

2010 – 188,966 Walleye. So thanks to DNR’s Doug Welch’s off year request, we have Walleyes being stocked again. Also in Oct. 3,492 Muskies were stocked with right ventricle fin clipped. 27,005 brown trout and 27,005 lake trout to be stocked yet this year.

2009 – Doug Welch DNR fisheries manager informed us that Geneva will get no Walleyes this year because of a shortage at the hatcheries. Geneva is on a every other year walleye stocking schedule and we missed ’07 because of VHS, that means we have had no Walleyes since ’05, so Doug has put a request in for stocking next year which would be our off year so we can only hope. No Brown and 26,305 Lake Trout, and 0 Walleye.

2008 – 28,000 Brown Trout 0 Lake Trout.

2007 – 26,310 Brown Trout. No lake trout or walleye were stocked. We missed the Walleye because of VHS scare

2006 – Outlook, no Walleye, 12,000 Seeforellen strain Brown Trout & 26,400 Lake Trout scheduled for the year.

2005 – 238,132 Walleye fingerling, 4,412 Seeforellen strain Brown Trout yearlings, and 26,310 Lake Trout fingerlings.

2004 – 50,500 Lake Trout (2 inch)

2003– 247,369 Walleye Fingerlings (2 inch) 22,949 Lake Trout fingerlings (2 inch) & 12,000 Seeforellen Brown Trout

2002 – 18,084 Lake Trout Fingerlings & 14,302 (Seeforellen) Brown Trout Fingerlings (New species) Seeforellens and ‘German’ browns are different strains of the same species. Seeforellens can be distinguished by finclips, although only fish stocked in the Menominee, Kewaunee and Root Rivers are generally clipped. Differences in the time of spawning and age at maturity can also be used to distinguish each strain from the other, but physically the fish are very similar. The ‘German’ or Domestic strain of brown trout may begin staging in harbor mouths for their spawning run beginning in July, with the majority of the run occurring in September and October. The spawning run for Seeforellens generally occurs in November and December. The age at which the fish matures is also a distinguishing characteristic of each strain, with the Domestic brown trout maturing at 2-3 years of age and the Seeforellen at 3-4 years. This later age of maturity in the Seeforellen usually allows for greater growth before their first spawning.

2001 – 275,415 Walleye Fingerlings (1½ – 2″); 20,000 Lake Trout Fingerlings & 6,000 Brown Trout Fingerlings

2000 – 12,000 Lake Trout fingerlings; 3,000 Brown Trout Fingerlings

1999 – 529,100 Walleye Fingerlings; 3,000 Brown Trout Fingerlings; 20,000 Lake Trout Fingerlings

1998 – 3,755 Walleye Adults (from Delavan); 20,000 Lake Trout Fingerlings; 5,000 Brown Trout

1997 – 45,400 walleye Fingerlings; 2,000 Walleye Fingerlings (Club stocking); 12,500 Lake Trout Fingerlings; 5,000 Brown Trout

1996 – 25,914 Lake Trout Yearlings; 3,000 Brown Trout

1995 – 110,185 Walleye Fingerlings; 19,925 Lake Trout Fingerlings; 3,000 Brown Trout Fingerlings

1994 – 819 Northern Pike Fingerlings; 3,000 Brown Trout Fingerlings

1993 – 93,904 Walleye Fingerlings; 3,000 Brown Trout

1992 – 2,500 Northern Pike Fingerlings; 34,290 Lake Trout Fingerlings (left pectoral fin clip)

1991 – 96,462 Walleye Fingerlings; 3,000 Brown Trout Fingerlings; 22,750 Lake Trout Fingerlings (right pectoral fin clip)

1990 – 2,000 Brown Trout Fingerlings

1989 – 102,802 Walleye Fingerlings

1988 – 4,000 Brown Trout Fingerlings

1987 – 350 Lake Trout Adult (pink floy tag); 2,000 Brown Trout Fingerlings

1986 – 100,000 Walleye Fingerlings; 16,500 Lake Trout Fingerlings (right ventral fin clip)

1985 – 2,500 Northern Pike Fingerlings; 2,000 Brown Trout Fingerlings; 20,000 Lake Trout Fingerlings (dorsal fin clip)

1984 – 101,026 Walleye Fingerlings; 2,000 Brown Trout Fingerlings; 13,000 Lake Trout Fingerlings (left ventral fin clip)

1983 – 1,300 Northern Pike Fingerlings; 2,000 Brown Trout Fingerlings; 3,100Lake Trout Fingerlings (left ventral fin clip)

1982 – 109,436 Walleye Fingerlings; 1,500 Walleye Fingerlings (club stocking); 1,800 Lake Trout Fingerlings (adipose fin clip)

1981 – 6,900 Walleye Fingerlings (Lake Geneva Fishing Club stocking)

1976 – 20,000 Lake Trout Yearlings (right ventral fin clip) 27,000 Lake Trout Yearlings (right pectoral fin clip)

1975 – 15,000 Lake Trout Yearlings (left ventral fin clip)

1974 – 20,000 Lake Trout Yearlings (adipose fin clip)

1973 – 14,870 Lake Trout Yearlings (no fin clip)

1972 – 100,350 Walleye Fingerlings