Local News

Walleye stocking continues at Lake Antoine, Carney Lake

IRON MOUNTAIN -- Work continues to enhance the walleye fisheries in two area lakes in the Menominee River basin.

Wildlife Unlimited of Dickinson County and We Energies Mitigation and Enhancement Fund have continued their financial support for a plan launched last year to bolster the walleye fishing experience in Lake Antoine and Carney Lake. This project follows an extensive investment by Wildlife Unlimited in recent years in the Twin Falls and Kingsford Flowages of the Menominee River in partnership with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fisheries.

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 these two lakes is to simply enhance the numbers of walleyes which anglers could eventually harvest.

The purpose of the Menominee River effort also has been to help create a self-sustaining walleye fishery through enhanced natural reproduction. According to Michigan DNR Fisheries, who is overseeing the current project, Lake Antoine and Carney Lake do not have the extensive spawning habitat that the Menominee River system has. Therefore, both lakes will likely need continued supplemental stocking to support an attractive fishery for anglers.

"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 is 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 which are more often stocked, but which are more susceptible to predation.

On Thursday, 7,500 larger fingerlings were again stocked in Lake Antoine and another 1,150 in Carney Lake, which equates to 10 walleye per lake acre, the level at which Michigan DNR Fisheries feels can optimally support stocking based upon 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 feel is well worth trying.

A recent electro-shocking survey of both lakes conducted by Michigan DNR Fisheries indicates that good numbers of fish from last year's first stocking have survived and are growing at a healthy rate.

For its part, We Energies is one of the largest property owners along the Menominee River basin, which includes Lake Antoine and Carney Lake because these waterways eventually spill into the Menominee River. Through licensing agreements with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the company established the Mitigation and Enhancement Fund to improve the quality of terrestrial and aquatic resources in the upper Menominee River basin.

Very importantly, their mission includes enhancing the experience for outdoor enthusiasts, anglers certainly among them.

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

"We've been at this for a long time, thanks in no small measure to our valued members," Manier said. "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, once these fish grow to legal size, area anglers can experience this firsthand in the years ahead."