Walleye Fishing the Most POLLUTED Lake in Wisconsin!
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- This video is of two trips I took with my buddy Troy and with my wife Michelle out Fall walleye fishing from shore on the Madison chain of lakes here in Southeastern Wisconsin. The lake we fished is considered to be the most polluted inland lake in Wisconsin. We mainly targeted the walleyes with lures like the Rapala Husky Jerk, the Rapala X-rap and the Rapala Rippin Rap. But I talk about all of the lures that work best for Fall walleye fishing and I demonstrate the best way to work the lures we are using. I also mention what fishing gear is needed to catch walleyes. Enjoy the video!
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Yall get around on these videos. Most grateful for folks like you putting in the footwork to make such great content!
Thanks so much man, it’s a lot of fun fishing the Madison Chain lakes but the parking situation can be a pain in the ass sometimes, and it’s a lot of walking up and down shore and covering water for fish.
I don’t keep anything out of there anymore after reading the info on the pollution and chemicals in the lakes out there in Madison, and the Walleyes I’ve kept tasting funky overall. But the fish do grow big in those lakes so it’s still a good opportunity near home for some trophy fish once in awhile.
I know guys who eat fish out of those lakes regularly, and they’re asking for health issues. and I wouldn’t recommend it with all the signs that literally say (only eat 1 meal a month of walleye, pike, bass, crappie, catfish, Whitebass), and (1 Meal a week of Bluegill, Perch, Pumpkinseed) . Tends to make you a bit weary about what is all contaminating those lakes like chemicals and sewage.
But thanks for watching bro, you and I will have to take some trips out there sometime and I’ll show you around. I’m still learning a lot of new spots on those lakes, but it’s a diverse city to fish for multiple species of fish. 🎣👍🏻
We don't have any papermills in Madison it's worse over to the east of us all along the Milwaukee coastline too
Yeah but for a inland lake the DNR says it’s at the top of the list for pollution. I didn’t know if the Madison limit was 15 or 18 inches, I was hearing 18” was the southern WI size limit so I just went by that measurement. But I’m not eating those Madison fish anymore, they were off tasting and the consumption warnings make me squeamish 😆. It’s fun to fish though because of the trophy sized fish, love throwing Jerkbaits and plastics at night! Hope you have a great fishing season Madtown. And great video content by the way! 👍🏼
Mendota is 3 @ 18", but the other lakes like monona, waubesa & kegonsa are 5 @ 15"
This was a great trip!
I think the walleye have to be fifteen inches in Monona now. I still won't eat them. I don't think I've eaten any fish out of lakes around Madison except a couple catfish almost twenty years ago
Happy anniversary guys!! Definitely a red flag seeing that blue crusty algae crap in the water.
Thanks man and yeah that was pretty nasty. No idea what it is 🤢
The water appeared to be clear at least....Koshkegnon is extremely dirty in comparison
Hey Johnny, thanks for the comment and watching the video! Truly appreciate your time and feedback!
Water clarity sadly doesn’t determine whether a body of water is polluted or not unfortunately . Lake Michigan for example has extremely clear water and it’s our most polluted lake (that’s not an inland WI lake).
And with Lake Koshkonong being a giant shallow and muddy bowl connected directly to the Rock River it’s basically gonna have the same water clarity as the river itself flowing through it most days.
The Rock River has pollution as well from fertilizer from farms, sewage, runoff. But it didn’t have the paper mills, power plants, and industrial chemicals pumped into it like the Madison Chain has over the decades.
The water samples and studies conducted don’t read off nearly as bad and polluted on the Koshkonong stretch of river as the Madison/Yahara River/Lower Rock River below Indianford Dam.
Reading studies in Madison you’ll see they been dumping a lot of bad things in those lakes over the years, and a lot of “forever chemicals” as they call any chemical the environment can’t filter out or clean up on its own. Environmental protections and cleanups will help, but it’s never going to contain the worst of the chemicals they keeping finding in those waters.
I’ve seen the Madison Lakes pretty clear sometimes, and as murky as any river other times. But the issue is a lot of chemicals , sewage, and waste being dumped into the lakes over the course of a century, a lot of chemicals that aren’t found in most WI lakes in such high quantities or even at all when the water is tested.
Interesting fact I actually just found out is that the Yahara River from the Madison Chain of Lakes dumps into the Rock River below Indianford dam. So a lot of the fish in Indianford, Janesville, Beloit area pickup the contamination from the Madison Chain as well unfortunately.
I’m just hoping those fish aren’t mingling and mixing somehow with the Koshkonong fish above the Indianford dam. Not sure if they can make there way under, around, or above the Indianford Dam or not.
I just wanted people to see the risks and warnings about the Madison Chain of lakes being polluted, and decide for themselves. Those signs around the lakes weren’t posted not too long ago, and its info about pollution I would’ve never heard about or thought about otherwise.
I run into a lot of the same people fishing out there, and they’re keeping and eating those fish despite the health risks , studies, and signs warning them about it.
If a body of water scores #1 for most polluted inland lakes, it’s probably not wise to eat too many fish out of there. The DNR and biologists say (1 Meal a Month for Walleyes, Pike, Catfish, Whitebass, Bass, and Crappies) and (1 Meal a Week for Bluegill, Perch, RockBass) …… Which means the only thing I feel somewhat better about keeping and eating are the bluegills, perch, and rockbass. But I don’t need to eat walleye and pike so bad I’ll be keeping anymore out of the Madison Chain waters.
But there’s still not enough studies to truly tell whether or not there will be long term effects and consequences to our health as people even eating 1 meal a month of week. They’re basically just saying to limit your intake of fish from those lakes and rivers testing off the charts for pollution.
Which to each their own respectively if they keep and eat the fish, it’s their right to do so. But after tasting some “off tasting walleyes” , and reading the studies, I just catch & release those fish nowadays and treat the lakes as a trophy potential lakes to fish in Madison. Great opportunity for some big walleyes, pike, Muskies, Bass, catfish, etc…..
But I will keep my dinner table fish elsewhere where I can guarantee they’ll be safer to eat and taste that much better when all is said and done.
Sorry this was a bit lengthy but just explaining what I learned and feel about the pollution warnings and studies on the Madison Chain, and what other waters are impacted by the Yahara River system.
Hope anyone reading it is careful about how much they keep and eat from lakes and rivers testing high for dangerous chemicals, bacteria, algae, and sewage issues. Thankfully I don’t eat fish so much that I truly worry, but I’m not keeping anymore fish in Madison unless it’s maybe Bluegills or Perch like I said. Even then the warnings make me feel uneasy eating those fish.
Thanks for your feedback and hope the video was informative and helpful, and thanks for watching! Good luck fishing and stay safe this ice fishing season if we see any safe ice anytime soon! 🎣 👍
@WeckerleOutdoors Thank you for all that information. I was born and raised in Janesville and don't recall ever hearing about the pollution in those areas. Of course that was 1965-1985 that I lived there. Thanks again very informative 👍
@@johnnyford9839 no problem, and glad you enjoyed the video and conversation. A lot more studies and understanding of pollution and its impact on fish and wildlife and our health as people is very helpful today. Sucks we have to worry about such things, but the industrial revolution brought as much bad as it did good for the environment and mankind. Hopefully they find ways to clean up that problem and make the waters clearer and safer . There’s even stories of peoples pets swimming in the water and getting sick, people getting rashes and infections, studies on long term effects and cancer on peoples health, ….. the fish also tasted more like catfish than it did walleye with how muddy and off tasting it was when we ate it. I love fishing Madison but my fish will definitely be going back to live and swim another day !