October 2020 Update
- 2020 is the second year of Robert’s Lake Association Fish Rehabilitation Program. We are working with Wisconsin’s DNR and the Mole Lake Tribe.
- On October 5 - 6, 2020 a total of 6,225 walleye fingerlings, averaging a length of 7.1 inches, were stocked in Roberts Lake by Mole Lake Fisheries. This was paid for by the Association. An equal number of walleyes were stocked in the lake in 2019, at no cost to the Association.
April 2020
You may have noticed some nets on the lake. These are part of the ongoing fish management project.
Please be respectful of the nets, remembering it is illegal to tamper with them. If you see something, please say something. Also, volunteers are not requested at this time due to the current social distancing guidelines.
Rehabilitating Fish Populations in Roberts Lake
A meeting, attended by several Roberts Lake property owners, was held April 19, 2019 at Wabeno Town Hall. Greg Matzke, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) fisheries biologist, presented a detailed plan designed to decrease the population of northern pike and large mouth bass in Roberts Lake and increase the population of walleye, yellow perch and muskellunge.
The populations of the former have been increasing exponentially since 1999, and the populations of the latter have dropped precipitously in that same time period. WDNR, through Greg Matzke, has developed a comprehensive plan to accomplish the rehabilitation over a period of several years, although there are no guarantees. (The goal gamefish community is: musky 0.15, largemouth bass 1.5, northern pike 3.0, small-mouthed bass 3.5, and walleye 4.0.)
Bob Nack, Association president, reviewed the timeline of the plan development which formally began with a discussion in July of 2017 between the Association and Greg Matzke. The cost to carryout the rehabilitation was discussed. Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has donated substantial funds to Roberts Lake Association over the years. This money would be used to fund plan implementation.
After lengthy discussion, the meeting attendees voted overwhelmingly to move forward with this plan. You may have seen activity on Roberts Lake this spring as the northern pike population is actively decreased. Anglers are encouraged to catch and keep large mouth bass and northern pike rather than catch and release.
Planting Walleye Fingerlings (date unknown)
