Sometimes, introducing a species into a waterway is just what the doctor ordered. A couple of species that have been stocked in Lake Gogebic – most notably walleye – have taken to the lake like they’ve always been there.
“Walleye are the mainstay of the sport fishery for this lake,” said Department of Natural Resources senior fisheries biologist George Madison, who oversees the 14,000-acre Upper Peninsula lake. “It has a very abundant walleye fishery; however the fish are chronically on the small size.”
“It also has a beautiful smallmouth bass fishery and northern pike fishery,” Madison continued. “But the lake is best known for its abundant walleyes and it’s been like that since the 1900s when walleyes were first introduced.”
Madison said Lake Gogebic is ringed with cobble and gravel, providing ample walleye-spawning habitat on the shoals. Because of the abundant walleye spawning habitat, the lake produces strong annual year-classes of natural fish. This abundance of walleye has impacted the forage base for the lake. As such, the walleye grow well on mayfly larvae until they reach about 13-inches, but with the lack of forage the walleye have a difficult time growing much larger.
This cycle of strong annual reproduction, followed by a lack of forage to grow these fish to a large size has plagued this water body since the original colonization of the species. The local chamber of commerce and lake association tried stocking minnows in the lake, in an attempt to provide forage for the walleye, but with the large size of this lake (14,000 acres) and shear abundance of walleye, the minnow stocking did nothing to improve their growth.
“Originally, even northern pike were not part of the fish assemblage of this lake,” Madison said. “The original fish community was bass (both largemouth and smallmouth), bluegill and perch. In the 1890s northern pike were introduced and in 1904 walleye were introduced.
“Because pike are not overabundant in there – they’re just an added component of the whole fishery -– anglers fishing for them will find big fish and because they’re coming out of clear water they’ve got a very vibrant color.”
That same very vibrant color is a characteristic of the lake’s yellow perch, another important Lake Gogebic species. They have that bright green and yellow coloration that’s very striking.
“Gogebic is noted for its jumbo perch fishery,” Madison said. “The locals have coined a nickname to these large perch as ‘teeter pigs’ because they say when you place them on their belly they don’t teeter over. In the spring one of the local resorts even sponsors a “hog-a-thon” fishing tournament for them.”
The yellow perch fishery is so important to the local tourism that the DNR reduced the limit to 25 fish daily, of which no more than five can be 12-inches or larger. According to Madison, the DNR’s creel census studies show people usually do not catch their total bag limit, and most often anglers will catch between three to five perch.
“The regulation was put into place by the request of the local businesses and lake owners to protect that fishery in the event there was an exceptional spring bite and the anglers would really get into it. The regulation has been appreciated by local anglers to preserve yellow perch uniqueness to the western U.P.”
The perch limit isn’t the only adjustment the DNR has made over the years. For many years Lake Gogebic had a 13-inch size limit for walleyes.
“The 13-inch limit was to allow some harvest of the smaller fish, but these small fish did not provide much of a fillet for folks who wanted to catch walleye to eat. The local community wanted to experiment with the limit to see if they could have larger walleyes,” Madison said. “It was changed to 15-inches in 1996. An evaluation in 2006 showed the change has produced a larger proportion of 15-inch fish in the lake.”
Lake Gogebic is an important resort lake, boasting numerous cabins and resorts.
“It’s a known destination in the western U.P.,” Madison said. “It’s great for fishing, good swimming, there’s a state campground and two county parks. There are numerous opportunities for people to enjoy the area up here.”
According to Madison, the local businesses and sporting clubs are vigilant about protecting the lake though there are a couple of factors that are being watched.
“The lake does have spiny water fleas,” he said. “Hopefully that’s not going to hamper the health of the perch fishery, and we’re keeping an eye on it.”
Click To Submit Press Releases, News, Calendar Items, and Community Events to mediaBrew radio stations WFXD, WKQS, WRUP, GTO, Fox Sport Marquette, and 106.1 The Sound
Marquette, Michigan Calendar; Ishpeming Calendar; Negaunee Calendar; Gwinn Calendar; Negaunee Calendar and Events; Upper Peninsula Calendar of Events; Escanaba Events and Calendar