On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce is joined by DNR Fisheries Biologist, Nathan Lederman, to talk all about what makes the fishing up north so exceptional! Nathan is a Wisconsin-native and current DNR Fisheries Biologist for Oneida County. In this conversation, the guys dive into what makes the fishing up north so good from a biological perspective. Nathan shares how the DNR uses a three-legged approach to ecosystem management in order to serve the needs of all stakeholders of the waterways, what a year of fish sampling looks like for a fisheries biologist, the various types of data collected to monitor the growth rates and health of various fish species, what species go underappreciated in some of the most popular areas, the impacts of panfish bag limits, and all of the resources that the DNR puts out to share their findings with the public. All that and more in this week's episode!

If you're planning your fishing trips for 2025, be sure to check out the resources mentioned in the episode below:

Trout reports

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/trout/TroutSurveys

https://dnrmaps.wi.gov/H5/?viewer=TROUT

Full survey reports

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/reports

Snapshot survey reports

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/north/springsurveys

Creel surveys

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/north/trtycrlsrvys

Ceded territory fisheries reports

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/ceded/reports

Lake Superior Management Reports

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/fishing/lakesuperior/managementreports

Lake Michigan management reports

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/lakemichigan/ManagementReports

Lake habitat and aquatic invasive species

https://dnrmaps.wi.gov/H5/?viewer=Lakes_AIS_Viewer

Aquatic plants

https://dnr-wisconsin.shinyapps.io/AquaticPlantExplorer/

Big thanks to our fantastic partners:

onX Hunt: www.onxmaps.com

XOP Gear: www.xopoutdoors.com

Huntworth: www.huntworthgear.com

Wisconsin Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: www.backcountryhunters.org/wisconsin

Good Chance Fly Fishing: www.goodchanceflyfishing.com

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