Jun 17

What Fish is That? Types of Game Fish in Wisconsin (Part 2)

It’s the fish identification guide you’ve been waiting for! If you’re still undecided on your catch after reading Types of Game Fish in Wisconsin (Part 1), check out our next list of common game fish found in Wisconsin below.

1. LARGEMOUTH BASS

Also known as “Bucketmouth,” the largemouth bass has a big mouth with an upper jaw that extends beyond its eye. If you’re fishing near lily pads, docks or weed beds, and catch a fish with a prominent line on its side and an indentation in its dorsal fin, you might have caught a largemouth! Fishing in weedy areas is risky though, so make sure you use a weedless bait or you may lose your lure!

2. SMALLMOUTH BASS

Shhh! The secret to catching smallmouth bass is to fish quietly near old logs or rocks. But how do you know if you’ve caught one? If the fish has vertical markings, a shallow indentation in its dorsal fin and an upper jaw that ends in line with the center of its red eye, congrats! You’ve caught a smallmouth bass. Pro tip: the easiest way to tell a small- from a largemouth bass is the size of their mouth! Small’s mouth ends in the middle of its eye and large’s mouth extends past its eye.

3. WALLEYE

Walleye have unique features that make them easy to identify including a white triangular mark on their tail fin and large eyes that help them see well in low light. You can find these large-eyed fish in clear-water lakes or large river systems. Want to catch one? Try casting out minnows, leaches, night crawlers or small plugs.

4. SAUGER

If you think you’ve caught a walleye but see a polka-dotted dorsal fin instead of white triangular mark on their tail fin, chances are it’s a sauger. Sauger are also smaller in size and have black and rusty blotches on their sides. Commonly found in the Lake Winnebago-Fox River system, these fish like waters that are muddy and dark.  

5. NORTHERN PIKE

A favorite among ice fishing enthusiasts, northern pike are large predatory fish that spawn along marshy shorelines or marshy streams flowing into lakes. These fish have horizontal, “bean-like” markings, a rounded tail fin, and scales on the lower part of their gill covers. A hungry northern pike will bite on almost anything that swims its way, but remember to use a steel leader and keep your bait moving!

6. MUSKELLUNGE (MUSKY)

The muskellunge is Wisconsin’s state fish (and the largest predator fish in the state!). Known as a ferocious fighter, these fish are easiest to catch with some big bait like jerk baits, spoons and bucktails! Musky and northern pike may look alike, but musky have wide, vertical markings and do not have scales on the lower part of the gill cover like the northern pike does.

Whether you’re a professional angler or just starting out, having a basic knowledge of the types of fish in Wisconsin can be helpful. Learning your freshwater fish identification helps you share your passion with fellow anglers and is also important when it comes to state regulations. Before you start catching fish, renew your fishing license and pick up a copy of the Wisconsin fishing regulations so you know just how many fish you can catch!

Jun 09

28th Annual Kids Fishing Day Is A Huge Success!!

On Saturday, June 8th Learn 2 Fish With Us, Karen and I traveled up to Manistique, Michigan and the Hiawatha National Forest to be part of the Camp 7 Lake’s 28th Kids Fishing Day.  We had over three hundred youth attend the event on a fine sunny day!!  We have been a part of this event for the last four years.  The first year we attended this event, the organizers enjoyed us bringing in our fishing educational stations to the event.  This year we added live bait to our fishing educational booth and it was a huge success.  The live bait included big sucker minnows, large fatheads, rosy reds, night crawlers and of course leeches. They were so excited to see them and hold them!! Our booth also consisted of the Learn 2 Fish With Us Pop-Up Banners for fish identification, safety on the water and knot tying.  We had a hands on knot tying and casting station education, where we worked with the youth.  Other stations at the event were a  trout pond where kids could catch trout, Aquatic Invasive Species, casting contest, fly casting and more!!  Learn 2 Fish With Us appreciated the volunteers that were provided to us by the U.S. Forest Service.  Thanks to the National Professional Anglers Association for providing fishing combos and a couple hundred NPAA Future Pro shirts.  Many of the youth asked Captain Greg to sign their shirts.

 

Jun 07

Learn 2 Fish With Us educates Oaklawn Elementary Fourth Graders To Fishing

On Tuesday, June 4th, Learn 2 Fish With Us and it’s volunteers educated Oaklawn Elementary fourth graders to the sport of fishing.  The fishing clinic was held at Menominee Park in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  The day started out by Captain Greg presented a shortened version of his Fishing Basics seminar educated attendee’s on the skills and equipment needed to begin fishing.  After the seminar the fourth graders were split into three groups  which rotated through three fishing educational stations which consisted of the following.  Station one was fish identification, here the fourth graders learned how to identify the different fish along with where they can be found and best bait to use.  Stations two, they learned how to cast accurately.  The final station, they learned how to tie a Clinch and Palomar knot.  After completing all the fishing educational stations it was time for the four graders to go fishing and they caught perch, bluegill, bullhead and largemouth bass!!  You should have seen all the smiles.

Jun 07

Northeastern Girl Scouts Learn 2 Fish on Wisconsin’s Free Fishing Weekend

On Saturday, June 1st, Learn 2 Fish With Us and it’s volunteers educated the Northeastern Girl Scouts to fishing during Wisconsin’s Free Fishing Weekend.  The day may have started off raining, but by the start of the event, the rain had stopped.  The fishing clinic started out by Captain Greg presenting a shortened version of his Fishing Basics seminar which educated attendee’s on the skills and equipment needed to begin fishing.  After the seminar, Girl Scouts were split into five groups  which rotated through five fishing educational stations which consisted of the following.  Station one was fishing identification, and here the Girl Scouts learned how to identify the different fish, along with where they can be found and best bait to use.  Station two they learned how to cast.  Station three, they learned about the aquatic invasive species and how they can prevent the spread of them.  Station four, was artificial bait, and Captain Greg brought leeches, different minnows and worms so the Girl Scouts could see and touch them.  The Girl Scouts learned how to hook the live bait.  Greg also shared the artificial bait he uses such as PowerBait and crankbaits.   After completing all the fishing educational stations it was time to go fishing and each Girl Scout received a rigged Shakespeare fishing combo.  We fished the Marion Pond where many fishing were caught from Bluegills, Bullheads and perch.  You should have seen all the smiles.
 
Thanks to our sponsors the youth went home with a rigged fishing combo and a National Professional Anglers Association Future Pro shirt.  The Reel Shot provided all the bait.

May 20

Learn 2 Fish With Us Educates Future Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament Anglers

This past Saturday, May 18th, Learn 2 Fish With Us volunteers educated future Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament anglers during the Kids Fishing Day event.  Thanks to Bryce and Reece which are Wisconsin’s High School Bass fishing champions helped in the Learn 2 Fish With Us booth.  Learn 2 Fish With Us educated the families on casting, fish identification, knots and live and artificial bait.  Casting we taught them how to be accurate and safe caster.  We taught them how to tie a Clinch and Palomar knot.  They learned about the different fish and how they can identify them and what bait they prefer.  The families than got to check out all the live bait we use while fishing, which included; different types and sizes of minnows, leeches and worms.  “They really enjoyed touching the live bait; Captain Greg said. The weather kept attendance down but we were still very busy educating the families to fishing.  
 
Thanks to the Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament for making a five hundred dollar donation to Learn 2 Fish With Us. 

May 19

Learn 2 Fish With Us Educates Future Anglers At The Reel Shot Grand Reopening

This past Saturday, May 18th, Certified Angler Educator Greg Karch and NPAA Member #138, hosted a fishing seminar to introduce future anglers to the sport of fishing by hosting a Learn 2 Fish seminar during The Reel Shot grand reopening. The Reel Shot is located in Appleton, Wisconsin.
 
Greg kicked off his Learn 2 Fish seminar which educates attendee’s to the skills and equipment needed to begin fishing.  Learn 2 Fish seminar taught them: safety while fishing, fishing combos, casting, fishing presentations, knots, live and artificial bait, fish identification, the environment and the Clean Drain Dry message.  So many future anglers wanted to do hands on education with Captain Greg during and after the seminar.  During the seminar the youth and adults asked Captain Greg so many questions on the sport of fishing, which was so cool.  Greg really enjoyed The Reel Shot layout, as they had plenty of room, even enough for casting indoors.
 
If you haven’t stopped in at The Reel Shot, they have everything for fishing and hunting along with a very helpful staff!!  There live bait is top notch!!

Thanks to the National Professional Anglers Association each youth went home with a spinning or spin cast fishing combo.

May 19

Oshkosh Community Learns To Fish

On Wednesday, May 15th, Learn 2 Fish With Us volunteers hosted a fishing clinic for the Oshkosh Community, which was held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin at the YMCA facility.  

The fishing clinic started out with Captain Greg presenting  a shortened version of his Fishing Basics seminar which educated the families on safety while fishing, fishing combos, fishing presentations, live and artificial bait and the environment.  After the seminar the youth were split up into four groups that rotated through four stations.  Station one was casting and here they learned how to properly cast with a spin cast and spinning fishing combo and if they had a good cast, would catch a Backyard Bass. The second station was knot tying where they learned how to tie a Clinch and Palomar knot.  You should have seen all the youth as they were so excited to tie their own knots.  Station three was the Aquatic  Invasive Species where they learn about the different species, where found and what they look like.  The final station was fish identification and attendee’s learned how to identify the fish, where they can be found and the best bait to use to catch them.  
 
At the end of the fishing clinic each youth received fishing combo and Future Pro shirt.
 
 

 

May 19

Learn 2 Fish With Us Educates Families To Fishing At CMD Company Picnic

On Saturday, May 13th, Learn 2 Fish With Us Certified Angler Educator Captain Greg and Karen Karch, hosted a fishing clinic to introduce CMD families to the great sport of fishing during their company picnic which was held at Appleton Memorial Park in Appleton, Wisconsin.

The morning started out with Greg presenting his Fishing Basics seminar which educated the families on skills and equipment needed to begin fishing such as: safety while fishing, fishing combos, casting, fishing presentations, knots, live and artificial bait, fish identification, the environment and the Clean Drain Dry message.  After the seminar it was time for the families to practice casting as many had never fished before.   Once they were done practicing casting they enjoyed lunch.  After lunch it was time for fishing!!
 
The families took all the skills they learned and applied them while fishing.  Fishing was tough but a few future anglers had nibblers but were not able to catch them.  This spring we have had such weird weather,  with cold days and then a warm day intermixed making the water temp changing every day, which makes fishing very tough.  Many families look forward to fishing in the future as the youth received fishing combos and Future Pro shirts thanks to the National Professional Anglers Association.
 
Greg would like thank his and Learn 2 Fish With Us sponsor’s which include: Shakespeare, Thrivent Financial, National Professional Anglers Association, Writing By Design, James & Rosanne Keller Family Foundation, Mercury Marine, Triton Boats, Badger Sportsman, The Boat Doc, BassPro, Battle On Bago, Berkley, Dave’s Musky Club, Off Shore Tackle Company, Northland Tackle, TTI Blakemore Fishing Group, Maui Jim, Mad Wraps, Future Angler Foundation and The Reel Shot.
 

May 09

Free Admission Day at Discovery World – a Learn 2 Fish Record-Breaking Event!

Learn 2 Fish Free Admission Day

What’s better than spending the day at Discovery World in Milwaukee? Enjoying free admission to a variety of interactive exhibits thanks to the U.S. Forest Service! 

Sunday, May 5 was a day to remember for Learn 2 Fish With Us! More than 2,000 fishing enthusiasts of all ages visited the Learn 2 Fish station and learned how to identify fish, cast and tie knots, setting a Learn 2 Fish record for number of individuals educated at a single event. 

“This was a huge event for Learn 2 Fish With Us,” Captain Greg Karch, founder of Learn 2 Fish, said. “Sharing our passion for fishing and giving back to the community is what we do best, and I’m looking forward to more record-breaking free fishing workshops!”  

In 2017, Learn 2 Fish hosted a fishing clinic, called Camp Fish, at Discovery World. During this event, Captain Greg presented his fishing basics workshop and invited participants to go fishing.  The workshop was a hit and Discovery World asked Learn 2 Fish to come back for their Earth Day celebration in 2018 where they set their previous attendance record (over 1,000 youth and adults!). A hit once again, Discovery World invited Learn 2 Fish to their free-admission day this year! 

With the free-admission day at Discovery World setting a Learn 2 Fish workshop record, Captain Greg said he can’t wait to come back again next year.  

“We couldn’t do it without our volunteers,” Greg said. “We would also like to give a huge thanks to Discovery World for hosting the event and U.S. Forest Service for providing free admission for all attendees. And a big thank you to the volunteers from Discovery World and U.S. Fish and Wildlife for lending a helping hand during the event.”   

Check out more photos of our volunteers and fishing enthusiasts having a blast at this record-breaking Learn 2 Fish event! 

May 06

5 Reasons Why Volunteering with Learn 2 Fish With Us is Fin-tastic!

Learn 2 Fish With Us is always looking for passionate volunteers to help out at our free fishing clinics in the Wisconsin area. Whether you’re a professional angler or only cast a rod once a year, there’s a volunteer position for everyone. We want to reel in your support, so check out our top reasons why you should volunteer with Learn 2 Fish With Us! 

1. You can make a difference in young anglers’ lives.

Remember the excitement of reeling in your first catch? You get to relive that as you help kids learn how to fish. Children absolutely love Learn 2 Fish free fishing workshops. Whether you’re a knot-tying expert, can identify fish with your eyes shut or just love fishing, get your volunteering hat on because kids are waiting for YOU to teach them something new.  

2. Your employer might even pay you to volunteer.

Some employers offer volunteer time off (VTO). What’s better than getting paid while volunteering at Learn 2 Fish events? We can’t think of anything. Check with your human resources department today!  

3. Volunteering is healthy!

Feeling down? Get out and volunteer! People naturally have a need to help others, and studies show that volunteering makes you happy, increases self-confidence, provides a sense of purpose and helps you stay fit. 

4. It helps you find friends who share the same love for fishing.

Volunteering at Learn 2 Fish events is a great way to meet new people who share common interests (like fishing!). From bait junkies to fish-finder snobs to not-so-secret fishing spot guides, there’s a fish-loving friend for everyone in the Learn 2 Fish With Us volunteer community.  

5. Volunteering adds personality and character to your resume.

Want your resume to stand out? Start volunteering! According to Hiration, listing volunteer experience on a resume shows that you care about the community, take action and work well with teams. 

Now that we have reeled you in, sign up to volunteer for an L2F event today! Or, click here for more information. *To volunteer at an upcoming Learn 2 Fish event, sign up and click on the link to get a background check done (that’s it!). After signing up, Captain Greg will reach out to you prior to your event via email to ensure you know where to go and to also make sure you get your free yellow Learn 2 Fish t-shirt at the event!