Statewide trolling change up

[Lee Borgersen]

Statewide trolling change up for vote at DNR/WCC spring hearings



If You Go
The annual Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Wisconsin Conservation Congress spring hearings give outdoorsmen a chance to voice their opinions and vote on a variety of potential rule changes and advisory questions. One meeting is held in each county in the state.

Where: Chippewa Falls Middle School autotorium

When: Monday, April 14

Time: 7 p.m.

A vote to allow for trolling on all bodies of water statewide is the lone rule change up for vote at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Wisconsin Conservation Congress annual spring meeting on Monday, April 14 at 7 p.m.

One meeting will be held in each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties with the Chippewa County meeting being hosted in the auditorium at the Chippewa Falls Middle School (750 Tropicana Blvd., Chippewa Falls).

The meetings give outdoorsmen the chance to give their opinions and vote on one proposed rule change and many advisory questions that could become rule changes in the future.

In addition, the DNR will give an update to deer herd numbers and answer public questions about new gun deer season rules and regulations that begin this fall that were approved after input from the Deer Trustee Report.

“The department has been trying to get the Deer Trustee Report put into action with rule changes that will be in effect the next deer season and we thought the spring meetings would be a good chance for the local managers to get that information out to the local sportsmen and sportswomen about what changes they’ll see during their deer season,” Wisconsin Conservation Congress Liaison Kari Lee-Zimmermann said.

This year the lone rule change up for vote is a proposal to allow trolling statewide in all waters. Trolling is trailing a lure or bait from a boat that is propelled in ways besides drifting and rowing. Trolling is currently allowed on all waters in 18 Wisconsin counties and on one or more specific waters in 45 counties (105 total waters statewide). Currently Chain Lake and Long Lake (including Herde Lake) are the only waters in Chippewa County that allow trolling.

The proposal would allow trolling with three lines in most counties (including Chippewa and Eau Claire Counties) and one line in 17 counties. Sawyer County would be the closest of those 17 counties to allow just one line.

“Just because there’s just one rule change I wouldn’t say its less important for people to come out because the advisory questions are very valuable for the department and the board is asking some questions as well,” Lee-Zimmermann said.

This year the conservation congress is seeking public input on 23 advisory questions on proposal topics including fishing, wolf trapper education and developing a potential tundra swan season. The DNR has many advisory questions of their own including possibly changing the start date of the fishing season in years when it conflicts with Mother’s Day, simplifying hunting and fishing stamp requirements and restricting deer baiting and feeding to 10 days before and the nine days during the gun hunt season, among others.

“Citizens have the opportunity to weigh in on natural resources issues that may affect them,” WCC Chippewa County chairman Jim Morning said in a press release. “The Congress asks these questions to gauge the public’s support, or lack thereof, on any given issue.”

Each year, more than 200 resolutions are submitted to the congress from outdoorsmen. Anyone that wishes to submit their own resolution must bring two copies of the resolution typed or neatly printed on standard-size paper. Instructions on writing resolutions are available on the DNR’s website.

In addition, the meeting is also reserved as a time to elect delegates to the WCC. This year two Chippewa County seats are up for election. Any citizen of the county, who is also at least 18 years of age and a Wisconsin resident, may vote. Nominees can be elected for terms of two or three years.

“Nominees must be willing to volunteer their time and represent their local citizens on natural resource issues,” Morning said.