Temporal Profiles of Walleye Angling Effort, Harvest Rate, and Harvest in Northern Wisconsin Lakes

Abstract

In regions where water resources are abundant, broad-scale fisheries management requires quantifying fishery trends on a representative sample of lakes and then using these data to evaluate management actions and assess fishery status. Therefore, we quantified regional fishery profiles of the average number of complete-trip interviews, effort per acre, the number of walleyes Sander vitreus harvested per angler-hour, and the number of walleyes harvested per acre among hours, seasons, and years from 1991 to 2002 in northern Wisconsin lakes. The average number of interviews within days was similar between weekday and weekend day types but differed between open-water and ice-fishing seasons, peaking at midday and late afternoon during open water and midday during ice fishing. The average harvest rate within days was similar between day types and seasons and was highest in the morning and afternoon. The average angler effort during the angling season differed between day types and peaked in July on weekdays and in May on weekends. The average harvest rate during the angling season differed between day types and peaked in May on weekdays but also December on weekends. The average harvest per acre during the angling season was similar between day types and declined from May to February. The cumulative average angler effort was higher on weekdays than on weekends during 1991–2002, but the harvest rate and harvest per acre were similar between day types. Angler effort, harvest rate, and harvest per acre did not change significantly among years. Angler use and success changed systematically within days and among seasons but not among years, which suggests that walleye populations and the associated fishery were stable. The regional fishery profiles for each estimate were similar to the results from smaller-scale studies, suggesting that regional profiles can accurately depict patterns on a smaller scale.