2025 Fishermans Road Fishing Club Scholarship Winners
Luke Pendowski -Campbellsport High School Graduate
An exceptional student, athlete, and active community member, he maintained a 3.75 GPA throughout high school while demonstrating strong leadership skills. Combined with his great sense of humor and genuine passion for nature and natural resources, these qualities will be instrumental in helping him achieve his career goals in the Natural Resources field. He is currently attending UW–Stevens Point.
Carolyn Riesterer – Kiel High School Graduate
A well-rounded student with a deep appreciation and connection to the outdoors. Her hunting experiences and outdoor activities have given her valuable time to listen to and observe nature, while also fostering an excellent work ethic. She has consistently maintained above-average grades, demonstrating her dedication to academic success. These qualities will serve as a strong foundation for achieving her career goals in the Natural Resources field. She is currently attending UW–Stevens Point.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters Fishing Event
On Sunday June 1, 2025 - Fisherman's Road Fishing Club hosted a Fishing event for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Fond du Lac area. The weather was excellent and many thanks go out to Frank Ziegelbauer for providing a great get together at the Family Farm Pond for a fun morning of catching fish. Fisherman's Road Fishing Club provided assistance with member directors, fishing gear and bait. They had a great experience catching many panfish of all sizes. The Fishing Club provided a noon lunch of hamburgers, brats and refreshments at the clubhouse with lots of pictures, exciting conversations about their first time catching lots of fish.
Fisherman's Road Fishing Club is a proud supporter of Walleyes For Tomorrow and has selected us to be part of their
2025 Walley Hatchery Project
Click on the very informative video to the right, (it will open up in a new window) to learn more about Walleyes for Tomorrow and how the Walley Hatchery Project works. Fisherman's Road Fishing Club will be assisting in funding and setting up the system. It includes setting nets, collecting, fertilizing the eggs, fry hatching, and fry releasing.
Your support will be greatly appreciated as we move ahead with this project. If anyone has any questions, please give us a call. Thank you!
3 Ways to Obtain Your Boat Sticker
Attention Existing and New Members of FRFC
There are three ways to obtain your boat launch trailer decals.
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Available at Pike Express
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Attend a monthly meeting
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Send a self addressed stamped envelope along with your $25 membership fee to:
Fisherman's Road Fishing Club
Fond du lac, WI 54936
Winnebago Alliance Meeting
Lake Winnebago 2022 Trawling Results
It would appear the 2022 walleye spawn is the 3rd highest recorded since trawling started in 1985. An average spawn results of 5-7 Young of the Year (YOY} are captured each time the trawl net is pulled. This years average was 17.4. Trout perch, a 4” forage species was an all time high population. There were possibly 3 Gizzard Shad hatches. Yellow Perch YDY numbers are extremely high as well.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
2023 Lake Winnebago Bottom Trawling Assessment Report
Waterbody Code 131100
Angelo Cozzola, DNR Senior Fisheries Biologist, Dec. 20, 2023
The Lake Winnebago bottom trawl survey is one of the most insightful fisheries assessments on the system. The survey, in its modern capacity, dates back to 1986, providing a lengthy time series of catch data for comparison over the years. This allows readers to compare species abundance of the past and present, as well as the outlook for future years through the comparison of annual year class strengths. The main objectives of this report include the assessment of year class strength for gamefish, non-gamefish and panfish species, relative abundance of forge fish species, and general population trends of adult gamefish and non-gamefish species. The 2023 trawl survey was completed utilizing a team of fisheries management and operations staff as well as our typical volunteer assistance. We had 33 different volunteers out on the RV Calumet this year. Volunteers throughout the surrounding area continue to be a major asset to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) Oshkosh fisheries crew in the completion of this survey.
The Lake Winnebago bottom trawling assessment has been conducted with the same standardized method for the last 38 years. This involves a total of 138 net pulls split up into three sampling events. We conduct 46 net pulls during the first week of August, September and October. An average day on the trawl consists of 10-12 net pulls (about 8 hours on the boat). The 27-foot-wide trawl net is deployed behind the boat and pulled along the bottom of the lake at 4 miles per hour (mph) for 5 minutes. When the net is pulled in, the fish are emptied onto the counting table, and the trawling crew counts the fish and separates the gamefish and panfish into a holding tank where they get measured and released. The long-term data set from the survey allows for the comparison of year class strength and adult fish relative abundance over the past 37 years, giving fisheries managers and interested anglers insight on the status of the Winnebago fishery.
