DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Despite Monday’s chilly temps, fishermen were out on the Fox River in De Pere.
The springtime walleye run has arrived, and most anglers are looking to land, and then release, a trophy fish.
Dozens of boats jockey for position on the waters downstream of the De Pere Dam. The search for trophy walleye is underway.
“We’ve been coming here for 20 years, so absolutely.
Why? The size, the quality of the fish. It’s just absolutely tremendous,” said Jon Rabb, Madison.
“It’s such a walleye factory. And you have the potential to catch 50-75 fish in a day. They’re nice fish,” said Pat Collins, Blue Mounds.
Many anglers tell FOX 11 fishing was slow.
“Conditions are good. It’s just, yesterday with the northeast wind, and cold temperatures, they weren’t biting as well, so maybe they’ll pick up today as it warms up,” said Collins.
Not everyone was in a boat, some anglers fished from shore at Voyageur Park on the east side of the river. Others took the shallows.
“There’s a lot of walleye here. And when it’s good, it’s fun to catch them all. It’s been slow, but it’s getting better,” said Jacob Diedrich, Appleton.
In the springtime, walleye typically move upstream looking for areas to reproduce, and with a daily bag limit of one, and a minimum size limit of 28 inches, Chuck Schwamb tells FOX 11 much of the fishing is catch and release.
“Once you get into it enough, you appreciate the fish a little bit more. So you take what you need, and that’s pretty much what we do. There’s a lot of fun catching them. Getting out. It’s much better outdoors than it is indoors today.”
The walleye run typically goes until the end of March.
The Department of Natural Resources says, on a busy weekend, there could be 500 boats on that part of the river.
