Langlade and Lincoln county area anglers and others are invited to share their expectations for fishing for panfish in Wisconsin at a 6 p.m., March 11 meeting at the Merrill High School large conference room, 1201 N. Sales St.
The meeting is one of 28 public meetings in February and March by the Department of Natural Resource’s fisheries managers to discuss the future of panfish management in Wisconsin.
“These meetings are designed to talk and interact with anglers interested in panfish management in Wisconsin,” said Dave Seibel, DNR fisheries biologist. “This meeting is particularly focused on panfish in Langlade and Lincoln county waters. It is a great opportunity to talk about the direction our panfisheries are headed and what changes anglers would like to see. We can also discuss other fisheries related topics that folks want to talk about.”
Panfish account for nearly two-thirds of all fish caught in Wisconsin, according to a 2006-07 mail survey, with nearly half of all panfish caught being kept for the table. The DNR has long had management plans in place for game fish species such as walleye, bass, musky and northern pike, and biologists and some anglers believe such attention is necessary for panfish.
The evening’s agenda includes a brief presentation on panfish management in Wisconsin and attendees will be asked to fill out a short questionnaire to help DNR understand their concerns, issues and priorities for panfish.
The questionnaire and background materials presented at the meeting are available online at the Wisconsin DNR website: dnr.wi.gov, search on keyword “panfish.”