The Wednesday Night Muskie League will have an organizational meeting Wednesday, May 8, at 6 p.m. to discuss the upcoming season.

The meeting will be in the downstairs meeting room at the American Legion Bar in Three Lakes.

Those who would like further information can contact Chris Blicharz at (715) 493-4640 or Tom Wallschlaeger at (715) 891-7506.

Anglers venturing out for the May 4 opening day of the inland fishing season will find strong fish populations — particularly for walleye — and will want to use early season tactics to reel them in, state fisheries officials say.

“It’s been a long winter and people are eager to get out fishing and enjoy the excitement and tradition of opening day,” said Mike Staggs, Wisconsin’s fisheries director.

“The key will be for anglers to use early season fishing tactics since many fish species likely won’t have finished spawning,” he said.

Opening day of the 2013 regular inland fishing season

The Department of Natural Resources will offer a boating safety class at Northland Pines Middle School, located at 1700 Pleasure Island Road.

Classes will meet in Room 442 Tuesdays and Wednesdays from May 14 through May 22, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. for a total of 12 hours.

The class is open to the public. The successful completion of this program

A North Woods tradition had a spot on the Vilas County Board agenda at its April meeting.

The 49th annual Musky Marathon awards presentation to the full county board included distribution of plaques to several finalists.

Present to receive their plaques during the April 23 meeting were: Robert Hybiak of Park Ridge, Ill., for third place in the Men’s Division; Timothy Priefer of Eagle River for first and second places

Nearly 330,000 catchable size trout are being stocked in dozens of inland trout waters across Wisconsin before the May 4 inland fishing season opener, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Five waters in Vilas and Oneida counties will be stocked this spring, according to the DNR.

In Vilas County, 500 brook trout will be stocked in Allequash Springs, 200 brook trout in Stevenson Creek Flowage and 2,530 brown trout in Stormy Lake. In Oneida County, 536 rainbow trout will be stocked in Hawk Lake and 208 brook trout will be stocked in Mercer Springs.

In northern Wisconsin, the lingering

Preliminary bag limits announced earlier this year for walleye caught in the ceded territory will not be printed in volume by the state and distributed, but will be posted at public boat landings and available for download from the web, state fisheries officials say.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will, however, print and distribute in volume the final bag limits set after tribal spearing has occurred and sport fish bags are updated. Those finalized limits would be in effect for the rest of the 2013-’14 game fishing season, which ends March 2, 2014, according to Mike Staggs, Wisconsin’s fisheries director.

“Anglers planning to fish for walleye

The Headwaters Chapter of Muskies Inc. held its 35th annual banquet Saturday at Eagle River Inn with 105 muskie enthusiasts attending.

While chapter member fishing awards were presented at the banquet, Bill Jacobs of Eagle River, chapter president, said the purpose of the evening was to raise funds to improve the muskie fishery.

“With the proceeds

The Rhinelander Friends of National Rifle Association (NRA) Banquet will be held Saturday, April 27, at the Northwoods Banquet Center in Rhinelander.

Friends of NRA is a national nonprofit organization with fundraising banquets organized across the county by local volunteers.

All of the money raised will be awarded to nonprofit organizations to support community events related to firearm education, hunter safety, wildlife conservation, range improvements, youth marksmanship, law enforcement and other shooting

ST. GERMAIN — Approximately 180 area residents showed up to vote on 68 rule changes proposed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) at the annual Spring Fish & Wildlife hearing in St. Germain Monday night.

The bulk of the questions  in the Vilas County hearing were voted on without discussion, although proposals to allow trolling statewide and expand crossbow use generated some comments.

The trolling proposal would allow those trolling to use three hooks, baits or lures, per angler, which was unanimously opposed by public speakers at the hearing.

Voters in Vilas shot down the