Ashland‑Iron County fisheries staff outline 2025 stocking and survey plans

Jason Bolsa, fish biologist for Ashland‑Iron County, reviewed last year’s survey work and outlined plans for spring and summer 2025 fisheries work in Ashland County.

Bolsa said crews conducted walleye population estimates on English, Spider (Spider Mocha in the transcript), Potter and Spilliver lakes last year to determine whether stocking was needed and that at least some of those lakes will need continued walleye stockings. He said English Lake will receive muskie stockings while other lakes already have adequate muskie populations.

He reported a past winter kill at Augustine Lake and that crews restocked walleyes last year; they plan to stock walleyes and muskies again this year if monitoring indicates it is warranted. Crews also conducted trout surveys at Beaver Lake, Devil’s Creek, Bad River and Marengo, finding reasonable trout populations in some upper reaches and warm‑water species such as walleyes in lower stretches of the Bad River.

To measure angler use, Bolsa said the county will place a creel clerk at the Galilee Lake boat launch and will use a motion camera and a self‑reporting "creel" slip at Beaver Lake (federal land) to gauge whether continued trout stocking is justified. He described the creel clerk shifts as typically 10‑hour shifts covering peak days and some weekdays, with a layoff period in late November and early December when fishing activity drops.

Bolsa said Galilee Lake will be the main survey lake for Ashland in 2025 to fulfill an obligation tied to a "treaty declaration" referenced in the meeting record. He also said the county will run muskellunge population estimates on Spider and Meter lakes and do spot checks at other lakes after ice out.

Bolsa offered to return in the fall with a recap of 2025 survey results. The presentation was informational; no committee action was requested.