By Topf Wells
Two of our excellent DNR trout biologists have furnished material you’ll enjoy and learn from. It’s free and just a click or two away …

Dan Oele, biologist for Dane, Green, and Rock Counties, has released his survey, assessment, and recommendations for Black Earth Creek and its key tributaries.  The sobering news is that the creek’s trout fishery has significantly declined.  It’s a good trout stream but brown trout numbers are down in many sections.  Dan has plans to address some of the key issues.  I hope and expect SWTU will be a great partner with Dan to improve one of our key home waters.

A bit further afield, Justin Haglund, biologist for Iowa and  Richland Counties, published the same sort of material for the designated trout water on Mill Creek and the tributaries on upper and middle Mill Creek.  In general, Justin documents some great trout water.  Included in his plans are major restorations on segments of the stream that really need such work and the elimination of the Catch and Release section.

Both documents are based on many hours in the field and hours more analyzing all that data.  I just hope at least the key proposals in both are implemented.

They are easy to find. Google  “WI DNR trout surveys” and then scroll to Dane and Richland Counties.