ASHLAND, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold an informational public meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 30, 2026, to discuss the recreational lake whitefish fishery in Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay.
The popularity of angling for lake whitefish in the Chequamegon Bay region has increased in recent years, both through the ice and from a boat. During the development of the 2020-2029 Lake Superior Fisheries Management Plan, the advisory panel identified lake whitefish angling in this region as a specific topic of interest, and the DNR has spent the years since collecting additional data from the fishery during creel surveys and with independent monitoring on the R/V Hack Noyes.
The data collected thus far has provided the DNR with a wide variety of information, shedding light on important metrics such as abundance and harvest levels, sizes of fish available and harvested, growth rates and survival, angler participation, angling effort and harvest efficiency. The findings of this work will be discussed by DNR staff at the meeting.
Additionally, the DNR is seeking to learn more about how Lake Superior anglers themselves value and view the lake whitefish fishery. All meeting attendees will have the opportunity to take an online questionnaire, which will poll anglers about their experiences with the fishery, why they choose to target lake whitefish, what they think about current regulations and other important aspects of lake whitefish fishing.
“We do not have any specific management recommendations for this fishery,” said Dray Carl, DNR Lake Superior Fisheries Biologist. “We want to use this meeting to present some background information and hear directly from the anglers themselves about their thoughts and values of the current fishery, both in person and through the online questionnaire. Our team will combine the fishery data we’ve collected with angler values into a holistic view of the fishery,” he said.
For those unable to attend in person, a recording of the meeting, along with a link to the questionnaire, will be published afterwards on the DNR’s Lake Superior Fisheries Outreach webpage.
More information on Lake Superior fisheries management is available on the DNR’s Fisheries Webpage.
EVENT DETAILS
What: Public meeting on Lake Superior Lake Whitefish Management
When: Monday, March 30, 2026 at 6 p.m.
Where: Vaughn Public Library, Community Room
502 Main St. W
Ashland, WI
