POST OFFICE BOX 57 • FIFIELD, WISCONSIN 54524 Phone 715 762-3469

It’s a 70 degree evening and I’m sitting outside at a picnic table in February. You guessed it! Tyler and I aren’t at home. But, as we all know, Boyd’s has a way of being at the forefront of every daydream and even though I might not be in Wisconsin, my heart still is. So tonight, I’m soothing my soul by digesting a compilation of Aqua Tech surveys, stocking reports, and the summary of many months worth of volunteer creel surveys. There is a lot of awesome information that I am excited to share with everyone about pretty much all of our fish species. This year, Aqua Tech did a comprehensive survey of walleye, musky, large mouth bass, small mouth bass, pan fish, and forage fish in both Long and Little Bass Lake. Aqua Tech also spent time with our Dave Lake trout and pan fish. For this letter, I find myself wanting to start by talking about our trout and pan fish. Maybe it’s because choosing the species and finding the right responsible outfit to stock was such a struggle, or maybe it’s because I could hear gleeful shouts come off of Dog Lake as folks young in age or young in heart reeled in bluegills, or maybe it’s because I know the walleye and musky folks will enjoy this portion of the letter like a slice of Jean’s

fresh bread while you wait for your main course. Whatever the reason, we’re going to start with bluegills! At the end of 2018, we were searching for a hatchery that could provide us not only with healthy fish, but also fish with genetic strains that complied with DNR regulations. In early 2019, we were thrilled that Aqua Tech was able to find a hatchery that would be able to help us with the important supplemental stocking of many fish species in all of our lakes. At the top of our stocking priorities was adding young bluegill to our current Dog Lake bluegill population. On May 17th Silver Moon Springs Hatchery delivered 500 bluegills ranging from 3-5 inches to Dog Lake. Aqua Tech will be conducting a population survey in the

spring of 2020 to determine how well these fish handled the winter, what our natural production was in 2019, and what our stocking plans should be for later in 2020. Exactly one month later, on June 17th, Aqua Tech surveyed our bluegill population in Dave Lake. While the fishery remains strong, we are seeing a slow decline in the population. In 2017, we saw an average of 14 fish per lift during the spawn, which decreased to 9 fish per lift in 2018, and finally to 4 fish per lift in 2019. The size and body condition of all the fish remains outstanding, with 92% of fish sampled in 2019 being 7 inches or larger, but we want to be sure this fishery remains healthy. As a result, Silver Moons Hatchery visited us on October 21st of 2019 and Dave Lake welcomed 500 new bluegills, which meant an increase of

BOYD’S FISH BULLETIN Spring 2020

Silver Moon Springs Stocking

Bluegills for Dog Lake Stocking Bluegills released in Dog Lake

Kamloops swimming after release Kamloops in tank preparing for release

about 20 bluegills per acre. Aqua Tech will be doing a survey in the spring to see how these new fish over wintered, and in the meantime we will be doing as much as we can to help them grow. While not all of the new fish will be large enough to take advantage of the 25 gallons of fat heads we provided as forage within Dave Lake, the additional food supply should help these 3-5 inch fingerlings escape predators that pass them up for easier and more plentiful prey. As long as we are talking about Dave Lake, it only makes sense that we jump into the topic of trout next. Given the way the popularity of this fishery has exploded, we have been working to diversify the experiences of trout anglers, while also being sure to protect the ecosystem of Dave Lake. We’ve had years of wonderful success with Kamloops, a strain of rainbow

trout, and this year we continued with our traditional annual stocking of 1000 Kamloops from Coolidge Springs hatchery in Fifield. When it comes to adding fish to our lakes, the process is a long and complex one. From finding the right hatchery to coordinating permits to timing the release of the fish, making sure appropriate stocking for our pan fish, game fish, and forage is smooth is a delicate process. Even after they arrived at their destinations, before any of these bluegill or trout went into our lakes, temperatures had to be checked and lake water had to be mixed with the water from the transport tanks to be sure that the new fish could acclimate to the temperatures of the lakes without too much stress. Our bluegill and Kamloops stocking went smoothly, and we all breathed a sigh of relief when the stocking of 400 brook trout went off without a hitch.

According to our creel surveys, 497 trout were caught this year. The Kamloops caught had an average size of 14.4” but ranged from 11-19.4”, while the brook trout ranged in size from 9.5-18.4”. Brook trout are a new species for us and these fish are fun to wrestle with on the line, beautiful to see in the water, and delicious for everyone who wants to bring home a fresh meal. We wanted to be sure that all of our guests who love to trout fish would enjoy the opportunity to catch more than one species. The feedback we received from anglers enjoying this fishery was incredible and we were excited to hear about all the fun experiences our Dave Lake fans had with brook trout. This species can have difficulty during the winter, so we need the help of all our trout anglers this upcoming fishing season. If you catch a brook trout this season, we’d appreciate it if you would record it on the volunteer creel survey either in your cabin or the fish cleaning house. We will not be stocking brook trout this spring, which means that any brook trout caught in 2020 will have over wintered with us. Brook trout can be distinguished from other trout species by the white streaks on the fins along their undersides and the beautiful light speckles along the top side of their body. The more information we have on the size and number of brook trout caught during 2020, the better informed we can be when making future stocking decisions regarding this species. To be sure that we continue to have a diverse trout fishery this summer, but can still get an accurate idea of how the brook trout population did over the winter, we plan to stock 400 brown trout this spring. Brown trout are a species that Dave Lake has hosted in the past, are fun to catch, will not cause a strain on the existing fisheries, and are easily distinguishable from both Kamloops and brook trout. Not only has this been a great year for bluegill and trout, but it’s also been a positive year for our walleye population. This year, 354 walleye were caught on Little Bass with 331 being released. Due to relaxed state regulations that applied to Little Bass in 2018 and resulted in an overharvest of adults 15-20 inches, we were anxious for the results of our 2019 spring population survey. We are relieved to report that our strong juvenile year classes have continued to do well and are growing into large and healthy fish. In May of 2020, Aqua Tech will be checking on juvenile walleye recruitment success and we will be doing appropriate supplemental stocking after receiving the results of that estimate. When stocking walleye, it is important that they have the correct genetic strain that would be found in our lakes. There are five unique strains of walleye that have been identified in Wisconsin, and each has slightly different habitat and reproductive characteristics. Because of this the DNR restricts stocking to walleye with the appropriate genetic strain for each watershed basin. We needed walleye with the genetic strain for the Mississippi

Brook Trout Stocking Process

Brook Trout being released

Headwaters watershed basin, and were able to find appropriate walleye fingerlings at Silver Moon Springs hatchery. To help supplement upcoming year classes, we stocked 1000 new walleye in Little Bass on October 21st. In addition to supplemental stocking, it is important that we protect some of our younger year classes so that we can ensure ample opportunities for larger fish in the years to come. We apologize as there was some confusion in 2019 regarding the different size limits on Little Bass and Long Lake, and the daily bag limit requirements. I’m going to do my best to untangle some of the state regulations and how our Little Bass regulations fit in to them. If anyone has any questions when they check in this spring, summer, or fall, please don’t hesitate to ask! Remember that puzzle about the farmer that needed to cross the river with his grain, his chicken, and a fox? Here is the real life version: For 2020, please observe a daily bag limit of 3 fish (when one fish is over 24 inches) which is the total kept from both Long Lake and Little Bass Lake combined. This means that at the most 3 walleye may be kept per day by each angler. On Little Bass, walleye must be at least 18 inches long and up to but not including 20 inches in order to be kept. At the most, 2 walleye from this slot limit may be kept per day. On Long Lake, walleye must be at least 15 inches long and up to but not including 20 inches in order to be kept. At the most, 2 walleye from this slot limit may be kept per day. In order to keep a total of 3 walleye per day, one fish must be 24 inches or longer, and may be kept from either lake. At the most, one fish of this size may be kept per day. Walleye from either lake’s slot limits may be combined, but may not exceed two. An angler can keep a 15 inch walleye from Long Lake and an 18 inch walleye from Little Bass Lake, but the last walleye of the daily bag limit would need to be 24 inches or larger. An angler could not keep two 18 inch walleye from Little Bass and then keep a 15 inch walleye from Long Lake as their 3rd fish. One fish has to be over 24 inches. Whew! Don’t worry in our next fish letter, we’ll lighten up and discuss something simple like cold fusion or the meaning of life. Back to the fun stuff! On October 21st, we also added 2400 walleye to Long Lake and the DNR has already double checked a sub sample of the fish we stocked to ensure the genetics are appropriate. According to this year’s creel surveys, 1279 walleye were caught on Long Lake with 90 being kept and the rest released. Of the fish kept this past year, 51% were

15 inches, and we are very happy that our younger year classes continue to be strong and join the population of fish that are of harvestable size. We will be continuing to monitor this fishery closely and will make 2020 supplemental stocking decisions after Aqua Tech conducts our spring population index. In addition to a stable walleye population, Long Lake’s musky population is also holding steady. This spring Aqua Tech captured 22 muskies during their spawn and marked them by clipping their top caudal fin and released them back into the lake. During the 2020 spawn, Aqua Tech will conduct a population survey for our Long Lake muskies and will be looking for these marked fish to help calculate an accurate population estimate. Of the muskies that Aqua Tech caught this spring, 54% were

over 40 inches, which is in line with what our anglers saw during the 2019 musky season. 68 muskies were caught on Long Lake and of those, 34 were over 40 inches and 34 were over 34 inches but under 40 inches. Similar to walleye genetic stocking regulations, the DNR has implemented musky genetic stocking regulations. In order to move forward with our plan to stock muskies in Little Bass, we need to find a hatchery raising muskies with the genetics from the Upper Chippewa watershed basin. So far, we haven’t found a hatchery that meets the DNR propagation regulations, however we are working on an alternate plan. Long Lake and Little Bass are connected by a culvert and share water. There is opportunity for smaller fish to move between the two lakes, which means that young musky could move naturally from Long Lake to Little Bass. Armed with this information, Aqua Tech will be talking with our local DNR office to request permission to help this process along by

Larry Faulkner’s 43 incher

Pam Faulkner’s 38 incher

allowing us to move some musky from Long Lake into Little Bass. We are awaiting to hear back from the DNR on this proposal and will continue searching for a suitable hatchery in the meantime. Our comprehensive spring survey also yielded some positive news on the large mouth bass (LMB) management front. While trying to make headway with the DNR regarding our LMB size limit exemption has been as frustrating as sitting in Wisconsin summer road construction (meaning we are sadly stuck without many options at the moment), working with our dedicated LMB anglers has been a breath of fresh air! Thanks to all of our fisherman who have been throwing out a few extra casts to catch those 14 inch bass and then taking them to the fish house, we are beginning to see relief from the pressure of the LMB population. In 2014 Aqua Tech’s comprehensive survey results showed a catch rate of 93 bass per hour. This past spring, that catch rate was down to 32 fish per hour. Unfortunately, last spring’s survey showed us that only about 10% of the current population is ready for harvest under state regulations, but we are optimistic that with everyone’s continued dedication we can work to balance out the population imbalance as LMB reach harvestable size. We haven’t touched on smallmouth bass in previous fish letters, and that is a fishery that has been self sustaining and is deserving of attention. This year, Aqua Tech’s spring shocking survey captured and catalogued smallmouth bass at a rate of 20 fish per hour, with fish ranging in size from 8-15.5 inches. It is nice to see this fishery doing well and members of the population reaching harvestable size for our bass anglers. To help all of our sport fish in Long and Little Bass Lakes this winter, we stocked forage in the form of fatheads with Little Bass Lake receiving 50 gallons of minnows and Long Lake receiving 100 gallons. Additionally, Long Lake muskies and walleye will be enjoying 50 gallons of suckers this winter.

Also, we’d love to be able to include lots of guest photos with this letter. If you have a great Boyd’s fishing photo, please email it to us at Boydsresort@gmail.com! I hope that this report finds all of you well, warm, and checking over your fishing gear! We are excited to begin opening our cabins in April and conducting our spring spawning surveys as soon as the ice is off the lakes and the temperatures are right. Until then, best wishes from your family at Boyd’s!

None of the research, stocking, and providing of forage would be possible without the help of everyone who contributes to our Fish Fund. We extend our sincere appreciation to everyone who helps make our fish management program possible!

- Michael David - Dan Brown - John Breidster - Virginia Jones - Mike and Linda Schwindenhammer - John Breidster

in Memory of Bill Breidster - Samantha Jones - Tom and Shirley Bykowski

- Rudy and Arden Carlson - John Breidster

in Memory of Dan Beyler - Tom Castagnoli - Cassie and Jack Gurnon - Alexis Reynolds - Gary and Jane Staudacher - Bevill Family

Steve Edson’s Largemouth Bass

Dog Lake Sunset

Snow on Little Bass Lake Long Lake Sunset