Governor Scott Walker wants to make Wisconsin a walleye fishing destination. A plan from the governor calls for spending nearly $13 million to expand fish hatcheries in the state and stock walleye in more Wisconsin lakes.
DNR fisheries manager Mike Staggs says the program would greatly increase the number of fish stocked by the state each year. Currently, the state stocks anywhere between 60,000 to 120,000 walleye in Wisconsin waterways each year. Under Walker’s proposal, that number could climb as high as 800,000.
AUDIO: Mike Staggs (:13)
The move is aimed at trying to make multiple regions of the state into fishing destination, which Staggs says could bring a big boost in tourism dollars. Wisconsin currently has a strong walleye fishery in the Lake Winnebago system, so he says the focus would be on other lakes.
Staggs says the overall goal is just to expand the number of walleyes across the state in a variety of waters.
Rick Schuh, WHBY
