Got a line & a pole? Saturday's the day
10:45 PM 4/29/04
Jerry Davis For the State Journal

For people like Chad Mathews of Mount Horeb, fishing's lure is simple. <

"Fishing is a way to get out and get away from everything," Mathews, 19, said Thursday as he prepared for Saturday's statewide opening of the inland fishing season. <

"It's a way to relax." <

Mathews, who plans to brave the chilly, overcast forecast to pursue bluegill on Lake Mendota, is one of about 2 million people the Department of Natural Resources estimates will cast a line into Wisconsin waters this year. <

Minnesota boasts of being the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." But Wisconsin has more waterways and, as former Gov. Tommy Thompson once noted, "Our lakes have fish in them." <

Those who fish in Wisconsin - nearly 25 percent of resident adults cast a line, while the state ranks second in the nation (behind Florida) as a destination for non-resident anglers - are well aware the state is home to 15,000 lakes and includes 44,000 miles of rivers and streams. <

What's more, fishing in Wisconsin has an economic impact of $2.3 billion each year, according to the American Sportfishing Association. <

"The fishing opener is a pretty big deal," said Mick Stone, a store manager at Gander Mountain's West Side store. "We have anglers coming in buying all types of gear, poles, line, lures, depth finders, trolling motors and licenses." <

Bob Selk, a 60-year-old Madisonian who has fished since he was old enough to walk, was gearing up at the store Thursday. He said that while he will be trout fishing in Montana this weekend, he expects to be on Wisconsin waters at least 80 times this year. <

Middleton's Hans Nutting plans to stay close to home Saturday, fishing for walleye and sauger in Lake Mendota. <

Those species are some of the 159 found throughout the state. Anglers will likely also focus on rainbow, brown and brook trout, along with northern pike, muskellunge, largemouth and smallmouth bass and perch. <

"Some of the bluegills in Mendota are huge, too, and I hear there are some nice muskys there," Nutting said. <

According to Kurt Welke, DNR fisheries biologist in Madison, Lake Mendota is good for walleyes and has a growing smallmouth bass population. Among other area lakes, Lake Monona has an outstanding largemouth bass resource and is a quality bluegill lake. Lakes Waubesa and Kegonsa have healthy northern pike populations and Lake Wingra is known as an "action" lake for musky. <

Wherever people fish, DNR Secretary Scott Hassett said he hopes memories will be the primary catch. <

"As we kick off another season, I'm reminded once again how important the fishing season is to all of us in Wisconsin, and how many family memories are related to fishing experiences," Hassett wrote in a DNR Web posting this week. <

"It's so much more than a fish caught or the one that got away; it might be a time or a place, an osprey crashing the surface of a lake or a mink working the shoreline. <

"It might also be a new lure high in a tree, a plug left out of a boat, or otters raiding a full stringer tied to a pier. It's all happened to me, and I wouldn't trade the memories for anything." Contact freelancer Jerry Davis at sivadjam@mhtc.net or 924-1112.