Trout Running Cold In Sugar River
'Now, We've Got Nice Clear Water, And We Even Got Some Fishing”
Posted: 8:27 pm CDT October 25, 2004Updated: 10:01 am CDT October 26, 2004
MT. HOREB, Wis. -- It’s payoff time on the Sugar River for fishermen and environmentalists.
A 20-year, $2 million project has the trout, brown, brook and other cold water fish literally jumping out of the water south of Mt. Horeb.“It’s a member of the sea robin family,” said one fisherman Monday. “They're a cool water indicator.”Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk was among the fisherman along the banks on Monday.“This one is 8.9 inches,” said another fisherman. “It’s a beauty.”Monday's catch was a sign to some that the habitat creation, change in farming practices, and bank restoration was all worth it.“You would have went through here before the project, and we wouldn't have gotten one fish,” said Dane County conservationist Patrick Sutter. “It’s just extremely pleasing, the change in the stream."“You know, I was kind of leery about taking the trees down and all that, but they opened it up and got the water running colder, made it better for the trout," said farmer Wayne Schlimgen.Years ago the Sugar River was full of silt and not much else, thanks to decades of soil erosion and animal waste.Now the mud is gone and the 19-mile stretch of the narrow river runs cool and clean.
It is the first river to come off a federal list of waters that didn’t meet state water quality standards.“If you look at the quality of water that's coming down through the stream now compared to what it was 10 years ago, all it looked like was mud,” said farmer Leroy Haag. “Now we’ve got nice clear water and we even got some fishing, ha!”Ten Dane County rivers and another 200 around the state are still on the list.Many who took part in restoring the Sugar River hope it will serve as a model for others.The Sugar River restoration project was the effort of the government, conservation groups and private landowners.
A 20-year, $2 million project has the trout, brown, brook and other cold water fish literally jumping out of the water south of Mt. Horeb.“It’s a member of the sea robin family,” said one fisherman Monday. “They're a cool water indicator.”Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk was among the fisherman along the banks on Monday.“This one is 8.9 inches,” said another fisherman. “It’s a beauty.”Monday's catch was a sign to some that the habitat creation, change in farming practices, and bank restoration was all worth it.“You would have went through here before the project, and we wouldn't have gotten one fish,” said Dane County conservationist Patrick Sutter. “It’s just extremely pleasing, the change in the stream."“You know, I was kind of leery about taking the trees down and all that, but they opened it up and got the water running colder, made it better for the trout," said farmer Wayne Schlimgen.Years ago the Sugar River was full of silt and not much else, thanks to decades of soil erosion and animal waste.Now the mud is gone and the 19-mile stretch of the narrow river runs cool and clean.It is the first river to come off a federal list of waters that didn’t meet state water quality standards.“If you look at the quality of water that's coming down through the stream now compared to what it was 10 years ago, all it looked like was mud,” said farmer Leroy Haag. “Now we’ve got nice clear water and we even got some fishing, ha!”Ten Dane County rivers and another 200 around the state are still on the list.Many who took part in restoring the Sugar River hope it will serve as a model for others.The Sugar River restoration project was the effort of the government, conservation groups and private landowners.Copyright 2004 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
