WAUSAU PILOT AND REVIEW
NEWS RELEASE — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will hold a public meeting on May 29 in Wausau to discuss a temporary fishing season closure on the Eau Claire Flowage.
The Eau Claire Flowage of Schofield in Marathon County will be drawn down 5.5 feet from June 10 to October 1 to perform public utility maintenance for the City of Schofield. The drawdown is estimated to reduce surface area of the flowage by 80 to 90 percent.
The area of closure will encompass the Eau Claire Flowage including all sloughs, bayous, and flowages upstream to the first dam or highway bridge. The upstream extent is the county highway X bridge east of Schofield, and the downstream extent is the Brooks and Ross Dam, also known as the Schofield Dam.
Fish habitat will be limited primarily to the channel of the flowage at this time. During this time the reduction in habitat volume can concentrate fish and make them more susceptible to fishing and overharvest. To limit the potential impacts to fish populations, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will temporarily close fishing during the drawdown until further notice is issued.
The public informational meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on May 29 at the Marathon County Public Library, 300 1st St., Wausau.
If you have any questions about the closure, please contact Tim Parks, Fisheries Biologist at [email protected] or 715-498-0420.
