Minnows spew into lake

Courtesy of Andy Steinke, Dells Events

April 22, 2009

Another restoration fund donation came in and the first batch of minnows went out at Lake Delton Monday morning. Lake Delton Fisheries Restoration Project founders gathered at the East Adams Street boat launch Monday to watch the first 9 million minnows enter Lake Delton. They also accepted a $5,000 check from Leinenkugel's for the fish restocking efforts.

The fathead and golden shiner minnows were bought from Gollon Bait and Fish Farm in Dodgeville with $18,000 of restoration fund money. Village Trustee Gordy Priegel said it was important for the minnows to be placed in Lake Delton when they were because they are near the spawning stage. They should be reproducing in the next week or two, he said.

The minnows will serve as food for the pan fish and game fish that will be stocked later this year.

Project co-founder Dan Small said the first 9,000 walleyes will be stocked on June 9, the one-year anniversary of the lake's draining. Once all pan and game fish are stocked by the end of the fall, there will be no special restrictions on fishermen. Pan fish have no legal size limit, so anglers can keep anything they deem big enough, Priegel said. But the game fish, like the walleye, won't be big enough to keep legally for a few years.

The project has accumulated more than $100,000 in donations and pledges so far, project co-founder Ben Hobbins said. Now-retired Department of Natural Resources Fish Biologist Tim Larson said last year that it would cost at least $200,000 to restock Lake Delton.

Hobbins said he is confident the money will be raised by the end of this summer, even though initial goals were set to raise the money in three years.

"Everyone has come on board slowly but surely," he said. Small added that Priegel has "almost single-handedly raised most of the money."

Some of the major donors to date have been Rhapsody Hotels ($9,000), Walleyes for Tomorrow ($7,500) and Leinenkugel's. Leinenkugel's donated $5,000 Monday, but has pledged to give $40,000. The brewing company will be teaming up with local distributor C&H Distributors to raise the rest of the $40,000.

John Leinenkugel said the company is going to distribute paper canoes in the Lake Delton and Wisconsin Dells area. Anyone can buy one for $5, and the entire $5 will go toward the fish project. Leinenkugel drove to River's Edge Resort after the minnow stocking and bought the first paper canoe, and signed it with the company's name.

C&H Sales Manager Judd Cassity said they have printed 5,000 paper canoes, which people can write their names on, and will print more when they are needed. The C&H account that sells the most paper canoes will receive the Leinenkugel's-labeled canoe that Leinenkugel used to paddle into Monday's gathering on.

"It's great to give back to a state, to an area, that's given so much to Leinenkugel's," Leinenkugel said.

The project is also expecting about $10,000 from this February's Madison Fishing Expo and $15,000 from Taste of the Dells.

Hobbins said the restocking project is also planning to start a canister campaign shortly. About 300 donation canisters will be placed in the Dells and Lake Delton, and another 100 will be placed around Madison. He said he is hoping the campaign will raise another $20,000 for the fishery.

As for Lake Delton, village Trustee Tom Diehl said it is one foot from being completely full. It should be filled by the end of the week. The DNR and Department of Transportation have been monitoring wells on the river side of the Highway A berm to see if there is any water seeping through the berm, he said. There have been no problems and the refill has gone faster than planned, Diehl said.