yeah you got a bigger camera today oh then the last guy yeah yeah what kind
what camera did he have a little smaller there's a little smaller we had him on
the boat too yeah they missed some nice night work I saw a video cool yeah we
had good weather for it not always happens
all right you can drive over to if you'd like a walk we're gonna go to walk over
to the other side
Yeah, it's a PBS Wisconsin.
Still pretty big.
Let's get picked up, what we could go nationwide.
Yeah.
All right, these waders might be way too large or a little bit large to be.
That's all right.
As long as they don't leak, that's the best part.
Genevieve, maybe go through the side of the door.
It looks like a drop, right in the...
You're not too bad.
All right, that one is your Robbie.
And that's the loading thread thing or something?
Yeah.
Oh, this is going to get me.
So this stuff is very powdery.
So we're going to want to spread it close to the water.
So with your bucket when you're down there, you want to get close to the water.
I look at that.
And then you want to see which way the wind's blowing.
Once you start pouring it, you'll see which way the wind's blowing.
If you want to try to face away from the wind, so it doesn't go in your face.
Got it?
Got it.
Got that, Jose?
Yeah.
Okay.
It switches a lot.
Oh, got it.
Last time I had trouble getting off the line.
That's why we start here.
It's squeezed.
Oh, yeah.
You're right.
That stuff is powdery.
Yep.
So the wind is blowing.
What's actually...
We'll call it North.
All right, guys.
Here you go.
Take your bucket down.
All right, Greg.
Take your time walking down there.
Got that on.
I got you.
You can start spreading there.
Let's just slowly putting it on.
Let's kind of walk in like a zig zag.
So start straight across and then start coming down and then keep going down towards the
other end.
Going straight down like that, Greg?
Sure.
That works.
Start pouring some and see how the wind goes.
Kind of give it like a little shake too.
There you go.
Just like that, Jose.
Okay, Greg.
Can you speak for you?
Yep.
Just a little bit.
Yep.
Just like that.
This is quite hard.
Yep.
This is their first time.
I like that I don't have to do it every time.
So we're slowly filling the ponds.
We played them other nature and she's been pretty good to us this year.
Weather wise.
As the water we add is 48 degrees and right now we got it up to about 70.
So with the black liner and the sun heats it up nice.
And then by this fall we'll be full all the way to pretty much to the top.
Okay.
And then that's the funnest part is getting the fish out in the end.
Yeah.
As far as timing on that is it still late September or early October?
I would say October for sure.
Okay.
Unless something happens and something always could happen.
It could be anything.
The middle guys could run out of minnows for us to feed them so we'll have to get them
out of the ponds.
But if we're able to keep feeding them we'll go until second week in October.
Okay.
Yeah, because right now I've got a videographer book the week of like October 6th 10 or 7th
11th.
Yeah.
That sounds like a good window.
Yeah.
Actually it's pretty much right when we did it last year.
Perfect.
So we'll shoot for that.
I will email you and everyone involved just so everyone can.
Yeah.
Not that our schedule dictates yours but all things equal we can be here.
We can get at least one pond for sure in those days because one pond takes a full day.
Okay.
Three days here for us and then whatever they get across the street.
Okay.
Because we help with theirs too.
Yeah.
That's what he said.
He tried and timed it so it's kind of the same time for clipping fins.
Yeah.
And we have the stocking truck to do it.
Okay.
So if we actually see the minnows are they all just scurrying away?
They are scurrying away.
Most of them will actually stay down by the, we call it a apron.
It's a concrete apron that goes out.
And right in those where the air is to that's where they hang out.
Okay.
It was about, I think it was last week.
We actually ran the same through here and caught some torrent for sure.
Okay.
It definitely keeps out a lot but it's not 100%.
They keep an otter out?
Yeah.
We'll keep an otter out but once an otter gets in they're really smart.
Once they figure out they climb over the flesh and under a fence somewhere.
And they'll go as far as they can to just try and get the, all right.
I'm going to go talk to them.
Did you get to see all the outdoors over there?
Well, we saw the pons.
We didn't see anything.
Okay.
Yeah.
I thought it was a little too light.
There must have been enough weeds.
Yeah.
The pons look a lot different than these.
Yeah.
They're much different.
Yeah.
They do water quality.
Not sure what parameters exactly but.
Well, he mentioned trying to long apply for the right of grant for studying the plastic
mining versus the clay lining on the dimorphism.
Okay.
To see if this, well what causes a higher percentage of females to get in the stocking process.
Yeah.
Which sounds really interesting.
Yeah.
For sure.
That's another pretty easy one.
You know, you just check in the end if the females are.
Yeah.
So, I guess kind of lay out the setup here.
How long have you had the pons here?
So, we've had, these pons have been here since 1995.
But we actually, they were all not classic lined.
They were clay lined for until probably six years ago.
So, six years now we've had the plastic line pons.
And how does that impact success versus the old clay line lines?
It's made it a lot easier for sure on getting the final product, like getting the fish out.
It's a, there's, it drains a lot better.
And you lose way less fish.
When we had just declared pons, you would lose a lot of fish in the clay when you're trying to drain them.
So, it's, it's definitely improved our success rate.
And how many, obviously these are eggs that we saw you harvest from Nimma Coggin.
Yeah.
And then you hatch down here or over at NADF.
So, we did Nimma Coggin for NADF.
Okay.
So, we collected eggs from the Nimma Coggin for them.
And then we were actually at Upper St. Croix Lake this year.
So, that's the, the walleye we have in our pons.
Okay.
So, we collected them at the lake and then we brought them to our facility.
And we hatched them there into tanks.
And then from there we brought them all to here.
Okay.
So, these are destined for St. Croix.
Yep, Upper St. Croix.
And where they come from is where they go back.
Yep.
That's what, that's what we try to do every year.
Okay.
And how many, how many eggs do you think versus how many fry versus what do you expect at the end?
Yeah.
So, we, when we collect eggs, we try to get at least three liters, maybe four.
And it's roughly 90,000 to 110,000 per liter.
So, from there, once they hatch, we stock each pond with roughly 80,000 fry at the time.
And then by the end, we're looking at getting 15,000 total.
So, it's not a very good success rate, but it's better than what they would do in the lake.
In the lake, it's less than 1%.
And we're pushing, you know, we're doing better than that here.
So, what impacts how the walleye survives?
Obviously, we're, we're exposed to the elements here.
Yep.
Yeah.
Well, it's, we check on them every day.
And then we, you know, make sure they're being fed.
And we try to keep the predators away, mainly the birds.
And then, you know, it's just, there's no other fish predators, like in the lake.
There's no, you know, yeah, big predators eating the fish.
The only predators fish-wise themselves, so, yeah.
Look.
Does that come into play by the end of the season?
So, it's, it's, it actually starts right away while I are very cannibalistic, they'll eat each other.
So, that's why we're adding, we're adding the fertilizer also to keep it turbid, keep the water darker,
so it keeps down the cannibalism.
Okay.
So, you've got a couple of, uh, interns here.
Walked me through how they came to, to be here and what they're doing.
Yeah.
I can do that.
They, uh, saw they're from the Bayfield School.
They, uh, they applied.
We usually get, uh, two to three interns from middle school to high school every year.
And, uh, usually, so it's just for the summer, since they're in school still.
And, um, they get to help with all the natural resources, so I get them just once in a while,
and you like to put them to work and do hands-on stuff.
And then, I mean, they're only around for about eight weeks, usually.
And, yeah, we try to keep them busy.
So, what's it like for you to be able to sit?
All right, here's what you gotta do.
Get in there and just do it, right?
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
It's, it's great.
I mean, I've put in my time doing it a lot, and it's nice to see some kids here from Red Cliff
actually interested in it and actually doing the work, so it's great.
I mean, they've got a good attitude about it, right?
Oh, yeah, for sure.
I mean, if you find out real quick if you don't like it.
And so, what is it that they're spreading here and what's the purpose?
How does that play into it?
So, what they're spreading is, uh, it's alfalfa meal.
So, the purpose of alfalfa meal is to, uh, get the bugs going in the water,
and also keep it turbid, like I said.
So, the, the walleye eat the bugs.
It's the easiest way to explain it.
Okay.
And this is that.
So, the day, while I start out eating algae, are they always going for bugs?
Or what's that food?
Yeah.
So, they, they start out with algae, too.
They'll, while I will pretty much eat anything, they can get their molds to fit on.
Okay.
So, we do get problems with, uh, toads, but the walleye aren't quite big enough yet to be
elite to tadpoles, but they'll, they'll eat anything they can get their molds on
pretty much.
Okay.
And so, this does draw in enough bugs that they can.
Yeah.
Yep.
For sure.
It's, uh, with the black clay lined, or black plastic lined, we get the water heated up
pretty nice and it gives a nice boom of bugs.
Okay.
And just, what kind of bugs?
Like everything imaginable?
Yeah.
Pretty much.
Anything you see in a lake, it's, it's getting in here.
We also get, uh, whatever comes from the lake off the birds' legs, too.
We also get put in here and then the wind, I mean, hopefully they eat the wood ticks,
too.
I'm hoping.
It'd be nice, right?
Yeah.
Okay.
Um, so as far as the, the cycle for the, for, for the walleye, we bought F-way or where
were we in there?
Yeah.
So it's easiest to say we start in the end of April and we're done in the second week
of October.
So whatever that timeframe is.
Okay.
Maybe not quite six months.
Yeah.
Okay.
So we're easily, you know, two, two months in.
Yeah.
Maybe a third of the way.
Yep.
A third of the way.
Very cool.
Yeah.
All right.
Looks like they need some more.
Yeah.
Right.
We're up.
Yeah.
Right.
Yeah.
Oh.
Yeah.
Sure.
Yeah.
There.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
Sure.
She's in here.
Okay.
Yeah.
There's a very last bolt.
Yup.
This is fine.
No, we're still on a sprint.
OK.
Beautiful.
Oh, god.
That bit?
Yup.
That's all the buckets now.
Oh, good.
OK.
I'm doing this.
Look.
What was going on with it?
My turn.
That's all it does.
That is correct, man.
Oh my God, I accidentally poured way too much.
Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God
oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh over here, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh no, no, no, no, ah, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my
Yeah.
Oh.
Oh,
Oh.
oh.
Oh.
Oh, so this is funny here?
That's it.
Ha ha!
You've re-dense it on the belt?
Yeah.
Alright, should we head over there?
Sure.
Let's see what's going on here.
It's a little too many right out there, full name on here.
We're going to see what's going on here.
Right.
This is a big hole here, right?
Oh.
Oh, it's a big hole here.
We're going to see what's going on here.
Oh.
Edward Ross regenerated white pine, and red pine, and soap.
Yeah.
Tan.
It's technically not gonna land, but it's going to get killed anyway.
Yeah.
It's a good point.
Really?
Here we go.
Wind.
D
and