WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — About 460 muskies were released into Lake Wausau on Wednesday by a group of volunteer conservationists.
Bill’s Musky Club was founded in 1964 and performs fish releases like this one frequently, sometimes several times a year.
President of the club, Chuck Brod, says the club has one large fundraiser to purchase fish and fund other projects, and there’s a big prize up for grabs for those who contribute.
Brod said, “We, along with 23 other clubs around the state, are offered a chance to sell raffle tickets for a big Ranger boat that’s given away at a large musky tournament in Eagle River each year, so our major funding comes from that.”
The fish were purchased to help replenish the lake after the drawdown for maintenance on the Domtar dam last fall. That’s not all that the club supports in central Wisconsin.
“We support fish habitat studies for the area,” said Brod. “We contribute money to the scholarship programs for the D.C. Everest Fishing program and also for the College of Natural Resources in Stevens Point.”
Brod feels that keeping musky levels high in lakes across the state is not only good for the environment, it also contributes to Wisconsin’s culture.
“It’s Wisconsin’s state fish, it’s the largest freshwater game fish that we have. They’re great fighters,” he said. “Musky fisherman are great, honest, hardworking people. They may lie about where they catch their fish, but they’re great people.”
More varieties of fish may be released into the lake later this year if the club is awarded a grant they’ve applied for. Each release is approved by the Department of Natural Resources.
The total cost for the muskies was in the $6,000 range.
