Wildlife Unlimited of Dickinson County and We Energies are again teaming up to provide financial support for a plan to bolster the walleye fishing experience for area anglers.

After an extensive investment in recent years in the Twin Falls and Kingsford flowages of the Menominee River, the walleye stocking effort now includes Lake Antoine and Carney Lake in Dickinson County.

While the objective of enhancing the fisheries is the same for both efforts, the strategy is different for Lake Antoine and Carney Lake. The goal for the two lakes is to simply enhance the number of walleyes that anglers could eventually harvest. The purpose of the Menominee River effort is to also help create a self-sustaining walleye fishery through enhanced natural reproduction.

According to Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries, Lake Antoine and Carney Lake do not have the extensive spawning habitat that the Menominee River system has. Therefore, both lakes would likely need continued supplemental stocking to support an attractive fishery for anglers.

About 7,500 walleye fingerlings were transplanted into Lake Antoine on Tuesday under a partnership between Wildlife Unlimited of Dickinson County and We Energies. Carney Lake, meanwhile, was to receive 1,500 fingerlings. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News)

“Our objective, nonetheless, is still important and worth pursuing,” Wildlife Unlimited president Alex Manier said. “With the generous support of We Energies and our valued members, we see this as yet another opportunity for us to enhance the outdoor experience for the good people in our area.”

Wildlife Unlimited will be working closely with Michigan DNR Fisheries on a three-year stocking plan of larger 5- to 9-inch fingerlings rather than smaller 1- to 3-inch fish that are more susceptible to predation.

Beginning this fall, 7,500 larger fingerlings will be stocked annually in Lake Antoine and another 1,150 in Carney Lake. This equates to 10 walleye per lake acre, a level that Michigan DNR Fisheries believes can optimally support stocking, based on the available habitat.

The fish are being reared by Pickford-based Michigan Wholesale Walleye, whose hatchery operation consists of nine ponds and a 240-acre lake that produces an annual crop of naturally fed walleye fingerlings. While this approach is more costly per fish and involves fewer fish, it is a strategy that Michigan DNR Fisheries and Wildlife Unlimited believe is worth trying.

“We look forward to working with Wildlife Unlimited of Dickinson County on this project,” said Jennifer Johnson, a Norway-based DNR fisheries biologist. “The organization is making a serious commitment to improving the fisheries in these two lakes. We will be monitoring the success of this effort in the years ahead, which hopefully leads to anglers having access to some quality walleye lakes in the area.”

Wildlife Unlimited of Dickinson County committee members Dick Sherwood, left, and Jim Nicolas look at the walleye fingerlings transplanted this week into Lake Antoine. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News)

We Energies is one of the largest property owners along the Menominee River basin, which includes Lake Antoine and Carney Lake, as these waterways eventually spill into the Menominee River. Through licensing agreements with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the company established a Mitigation and Enhancement Fund to improve the quality of terrestrial and aquatic resources in the upper Menominee River basin. Their mission includes enhancing the experience for outdoor enthusiasts, anglers among them.

Wildlife Unlimited has for more than 40 years advanced its mission of promoting the outdoors experience of residents of Dickinson County and the surrounding area.

“We’ve been at this for a long time,” Manier said, “but our passion to make a difference for our area remains strong. Lake Antoine and Carney Lake are important to our quality of life here. Hopefully, area anglers can experience that firsthand in the years ahead.”