McGee Lake: 35 Years of Trout Management Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel McGee Lake: 35 Years of Trout Management Past Successes and Future Challenges Function F8 to toggle between computer screen and projection screen displays Dave Seibel Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Antigo Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel About 300 spring ponds in Langlade County McGee Lake is one of the largest Definition of spring pond – no inlets, permanently flowing outlet, headwaters of class 1 trout streams Native brook trout water Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Specific Conductance: 340 Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Spring ponds are highly productive systems Purchased in 1968 for $18,300 (152 acres of land including McGee Lake ) This included: 23 acre McGee Lake (Spring Pond) 54 acres of land of land around the lake including all the shoreline 300’ of the outlet creek (Class I trout water) 75 acres of land including another 0.2 acre spring pond and outlet cr. $3,500 spent on improvements 1969-73: install outlet structure (1971), removal of dike (1973), parking lot 23 Acre Spring Pond Total Alkalinity: 174 ppm pH: 8.1 Specific Conductance: 340 Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel 38’ max depth Point out outlet creek location Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

McGee Lake 1969 Survey May - Boom EF September - Gillnet Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel McGee Lake 1969 Survey May - Boom EF BK - 3: 5.4-7.3” YP - 1,000’s: 2-9” WS - 1,000’s: 3-17” Gold. Sh. - 1,000’s: 2-7” PS - 7: 5-7” GS - 6: 4-5” BB - 4: 7-8” Sculpin - 1: 4.8” Dace - Common Shiners - Common September - Gillnet BK - 19: 8-16.4” YP - 87: 6-11” WS - 166: 6-18” Gold. Sh. - 18: 5-7” PS - 1: 7.4” GS - 7: 4-8” 1973 EF survey found a few more minnow species Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel All fish from NR Ability to grow large brook trout Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Depth (ft.) July 25, 1969 10 20 30 Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel July 25, 1969 10 Depth (ft.) 20 1969 Temp and DO profile on July 25: Surface temp = 74oF 6 PPM DO down to 22’ 52oF at 22’ 30 Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Chemically Renovated - October 1974 - $5,110 Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Chemically Renovated - October 1974 - $5,110 Rotenone - 340 gallons - 3 ppm Antimycin A - 344 lbs. & 11,025 ml - 10 ppb Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Restocked with 4,040 brook trout in 1975 Opened to fishing in 1976 Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Restocked with 4,040 brook trout in 1975 Opened to fishing in 1976 4,000 yearling brook trout stocked/year 1975-1988 40 adult brook trout stocked in 1975 Closed to fishing in 1975 Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel 1976-78 was great fishing Brook trout from 17-23” harvested Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Rainbows first stocked in 1989 2,000 yearlings/year along with 2,000 brook trout yearlings/year Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

McGee Lake Stocking History Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel McGee Lake Stocking History Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

McGee Lake Regulation History Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel McGee Lake Regulation History 1 Closed to fishing in 1975 following renovation 2 Drought Regulations in effect: C & R August - September 1989; Art. Only Closed 1990 C & R 1991 - Artificial Lures Only Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Studies were done to evaluate regulation changes that were made to try and develop a catch and release ethic and grow more large brook trout. Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Fishing pressure and catch pretty much tracked each other throughout the creel surveys Same scale on both sides of graph 1980 - regulation change - 2 fish/day; no size limit 1986 - regulation change - artificial lures only Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Catch rate stayed high even though overall fishing pressure declined Catch rate was highest in 1986 (1.10/hr) All other catch rates were between 0.58 - 0.71/hr 1980 – 2/day; no size limit 1986 – artificial lures only 1990* – 12” MLL (*Drought rules in effect until 1992) Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Catch rate and harvest rate tracked each other throughout the creel surveys Release rate was lowest in 1977 (11%) With new regulations in effect in both 1980 & 1986, the release rate was 48% 1980 – 2/day; no size limit 1986 – artificial lures only The release rate in 1981, 1982, and 1988 was 32, 41, and 46% respectively Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Harvest size increased in 1986 & 1988 Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Good trout populations in late 1980’s and early 1990’s Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Wild brook trout numbers increasing in 1988 Brook trout die-off in June and October 1986 June kill was from bacterial furunculosis 1997 fish kill? Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

2,859 LMB Removed 1999-2002 = 126/Acre Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel 2,859 LMB Removed 1999-2002 = 126/Acre EF catch rate and number/acre track each other Total of 2,859 (126/acre) LMB removed form 1999-2002 June 1999 - 14/acre October 2000 - 49/acre June 2001 - 32/acre October 2001 - 9/acre June 2002 - 23/acre Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel In 2002 a regulation that allowed anglers to keep any size bass up to their daily limit of 5 fish went into effect (artificial lures only and only during the trout season - first Saturday in May through September 30) Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel < 6” = NR The 1994 survey was in April – prior to stocking Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Future Management Plans Session 4 - Regulations Future Management Plans 4-4 Seibel Do Nothing - Budget cuts to put and take trout fisheries; Manage for LMB and panfish Stock Larger Trout - Additional cost to already strained budget; Ability of hatcheries to produce them on top of other demands? Physical Removal of LMB - Is it doing any good? Constant battle Partial Renovation - Hit the bass while they are most vulnerable, Will it work? Probably very short term benefit = Never get them all Complete Renovation - Start over again; Relatively high cost; Illegal stocking could happen again Temp/DO Monitoring - Is the lake still suitable for trout? Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Complete Renovation 2004 cost for rotenone ~ $15,000 Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Complete Renovation 2004 cost for rotenone ~ $15,000 If it lasts for another 25 years ~ $600/year (10 years ~ $1,500/year; 40 years $375/year) The annual cost of hatching, rearing, and stocking 4,000 yearling trout? ~$4,000/year or about $100,000 over the last 30 years Manage as a quality brook trout fishery sustained entirely by natural reproduction (no annual cost) Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

Session 4 - Regulations 4-4 Seibel Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)