1. 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)

2. 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)

3. 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 : 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)

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

5. McGee Lake 1969 Survey May - Boom EF September - Gillnet
Session 4 - Regulations
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McGee Lake 1969 Survey
May - Boom EF
BK - 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: ”
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)

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

7. 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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

15. McGee Lake Regulation History
Session 4 - Regulations
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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 Artificial Lures Only
Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

16. 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)

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

18. Session 4 - Regulations
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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 /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)

19. 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)

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

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

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

23. Session 4 - Regulations
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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)

24. 2,859 LMB Removed 1999-2002 = 126/Acre Session 4 - Regulations
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2,859 LMB Removed = 126/Acre
EF catch rate and number/acre track each other
Total of 2,859 (126/acre) LMB removed form
June /acre
October /acre
June /acre
October /acre
June /acre
Wild Trout VIII (Sept. 2004)

25. 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)

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

27. Future Management Plans
Session 4 - Regulations
Future Management Plans
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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)

28. Complete Renovation 2004 cost for rotenone ~ $15,000
Session 4 - Regulations
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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)

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