(DNR) MADISON – Together with Walleyes for Tomorrow, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announces the continuation of the walleye reward tag study in the Bay of Green Bay and its major tributaries.
The Bay of Green Bay and its tributaries support a world-class walleye fishery, allowing anglers to catch walleye of all sizes, including trophy-sized fish. The popularity of this fishery continues to be a major draw for anglers locally, statewide and throughout the Midwest.
The DNR began the reward tag study in spring 2024 and will continue implementing the study with walleye tagging efforts this spring, thanks to funding from Walleyes for Tomorrow. The study aims to better understand the walleye fishery and gain estimates of walleye exploitation rates (i.e., the percentage of the walleye population that anglers harvest each year).
DNR staff will tag up to 5,000 walleyes with yellow floy tags throughout five major spawning areas around Green Bay this spring – Sturgeon Bay and the Fox, Oconto, Peshtigo and Menominee rivers. In addition to the yellow floy tags, 400 red reward tags will be distributed throughout these areas.
What Happens If I Catch A Tagged Walleye?
The fish can be harvested if it is legal to do so (within bag limits, season restrictions, etc.) or released. Any tagged fish not meeting minimum length requirements should be immediately released after collecting the necessary tagging information described below. Please keep the tag intact when releasing any walleyes and follow responsible catch and release practices.
Anglers are encouraged to report all walleyes that are caught with any color floy tag. We ask anglers to report the following information regarding their tagged fish: tag number, tag color, species, length, location caught, date caught and whether the fish was harvested or released.
Reward tags will be red and say, “REWARD $100.” All red reward tags will have a date printed on them, which is the date the reward is valid until. While the tagged walleye does not need to be harvested to receive the $100 reward, anglers must provide proper verification that they caught a walleye with a reward tag. Verification must be done in one of the following ways:
- If harvested, present the physical tag to the DNR.
- If released, take a close-up picture of the tag that includes the three-digit tag number and a picture of the angler holding the walleye with the attached tag visible.
To report your catch to the DNR, email DNRFHGBFISH@wisconsin.
ATTN Fish Biologist
2984 Shawano Avenue
Green Bay, WI 54313
Anglers that report a yellow or green (from previous tagging years) floy tag will receive information about the fish, including date, location, size, sex and possibly age at the time of tagging. Anglers do not need to provide picture verification or mail in the physical tag when reporting walleyes with a yellow or green floy tag.
Reports of captured or harvested tagged walleyes will help the DNR guide walleye management throughout Green Bay and its tributaries by tracking angler harvest, exploitation rate, spawning site fidelity, summer movement patterns and growth rates.
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