09/23/2026
Yesterday the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources stocked an additional 1,500 fingerlings - released at the CC South and CC North Boat Landings - for a total of $6,000 fingerlings stocked to date! šš¼
We're grateful for the continued partnership with our local WI DNR experts and their efforts to maintain and improve the fishery of the Chippewa Flowage. š£
If youād like to donate šµ to our goal of stocking an additional 5,000 fingerlings, please follow the link below. Any and all donations help maintain and improve the fishery in the Chippewa Flowage! šš¼
https://givebutter.com/stockachippewaflowagemusky2026
āāāāā-
Yāall had some questions š§ on our earlier post...see a quick Q&A with our local DNR fish biologist below šš» for your reading and educational purposes.
Q: Are those spotted muskies? What strain are the fingerlings? Where are they reared from?
A: "These fingerlings are the product of eggs collected from wild Chippewa Flowage muskies in spring 2026. That ensures that they are a good genetic match for the waterbody since those fish have been living in the Chippewa River system for thousands of years. They are well-adapted to the conditions that occur in the Chippewa Flowage (e.g. water clarity, temperature), so we expect them to perform better than fish from other areas.
"Most muskies have spots when they are young as part of their camouflage. In some water bodies they lose the spots as they get older if other color patterns are more advantageous.
"A āgenetic strainā is a biological term that describes fish from an area that might be genetically unique compared to other areas. State resource agencies (including WI and MN DNR) typically use the most local genetics available for stocking of native species.
Q: Why so many, how many will survive?
A: "Itās true, only a fraction of these stocked fingerlings will survive. There are lots of things that can happen to little fish, whether they are wild or stocked. Some may get eaten by other fish, birds, or otters. Some may not survive for other reasons. That is part of the reason why we stock larger numbers of fish in instances like this. We have seen good survival from past musky stocking years in the Chippewa Flowage, and we estimate that about 40-50% of whatās out there today is the product of stocking."
Q: Will this have an impact on other species in the Chip?
A: "We do not expect this stocking event to increase the population of muskies to the point that other species' abundance would be greatly impacted. Most muskies in the Chip appear to be eating mostly mid-size panfish, which we have a lot of and additional predation on species like bluegill could be a slight benefit. Studies in WI and MN have shown musky and walleye co-exist fairly well, even if there is a little predation going back and forth."
Q: Do they naturally reproduce?
A: "Yes, we see some natural reproduction of muskies in the Chip. We consider the stocking to be a āsupplementā to that natural reproduction and a strategy to keep abundance high enough that anglers have a better chance at catching one. We estimate about 40-50% of the muskies in the Chip right now are stocked, with the rest being the product of natural reproduction in the Chip or fish that moved in from upstream lakes (which happens!). These fingerlings will start spawning themselves when they reach about 5-6 years old"
Q: Walleye Stocking?
A: "We have been fortunate to have strong natural reproduction of walleye over the last decade plus, so we have not had to rely heavily on stocking. We have been able to sustain and even increase the abundance of walleye mostly through natural reproduction. The LCO Tribe does stock some walleye in the Chip each year."
Q: Why not "spread" them out, more?
A: "Musky imprinting on stocking areas hasnāt been well-studied, but itās possible. We are planning on distributing the stocked fish across 7-10 different locations across the entire flowage. We often avoid stocking near a dam because some fish have a tendency to leave the lake over the dam if they get the opportunity. But weāre spreading them out across all other areas."
