The Lake Metonga Association (LMA) is once again asking for the public’s help to remove black bullheads from Lake Metonga, as they are at nuisance levels in the lake which hurts the walleye and perch populations. 

Since 2008, LMA has been working with Mike Preul (Mole Lake Fisheries Biologist) and Greg Matzke (DNR Fisheries Biologist – Forest and Florence Counties) to decrease the numbers of bullheads in the lake. It has been proven that bullheads can have a negative effect on the walleye and perch populations in the lake as they forage on the young of the year walleye and perch. This sort of behavior makes it so that there are less walleye and perch growing into those nice eaters everyone loves to catch!

From 2008 to 2017, approximately 33,000 bullheads were removed by electrofishing and netting; however, in 2018-2020 no removals were done due to multiple events, and this let the bullhead population rebound! Last summer the Fisheries and Habitat Committee (part of the Lake Association) began a bullhead removal project, which was very successful. Mike Preul’s team was able to remove about 12,500 adults and volunteers netted approximately one million minnows. After these efforts last year, more walleye young of the year were seen in a DNR survey than there were the previous couple of years.

If you love your fishing opportunities and wish for them to possibly get better, help with bullhead removals this summer! The Lake Association needs help to net out the bullhead minnows when you see them, along with keeping any adults you may catch!

If you are interested in aiding the fishery of Lake Metonga in this way, visit the LMA website to get more information and to fill out a volunteer agreement form (this is what makes the netting legal).

Phil Resch

LMA Fisheries and Habitat Committee member 

805-617-5023 (cell)

View the recent story on WJFW Newswatch Channel 12.