The unseasonably warm temperatures of last week forced our spring field season to get started a bit early this year.  Our DNR fisheries crew currently have fyke nets set on Little Lake Butte des Morts as part of a 5-year rotational comprehensive survey.  We also have fyke nets set in the Fox River in Oshkosh as part of a yellow perch assessment.  We will be marking perch captured from the Winnebago System with anchor tags this spring, similar to those used to mark walleye for the last 20+ years. 
These tags each have a unique number sequence, are white in color, and inserted into the second dorsal fin on the left side of the fish’s body.  Similar to when anglers catch a tagged walleye, we ask that the angler notify the DNR with information on when and where the fish was caught, a rough estimate of fish length, and whether the fish was harvested or released.  We ask that anglers treat these tagged fish in the same manner as if they were not tagged (ie. keep the fish if you would have had it not had a tag). 
Anglers will then receive a letter in the mail with information on when/where the fish was tagged and any other information we have about that fish.  Tag recapture information can be sent via mail (DNR Service Center, 625 E County Rd Y), email ([email protected]), or by calling fisheries technician Jake Richter at (920)303-5429.