Walleye

What’s up with the Walleye?  How can a fish cause so much trouble? Fish don’t cause problems, people cause problems.

Several years ago a group of very ambitious people hatched a plan (pun intended, you’ll get it later).  They wanted to construct a warm water fish hatchery at the lake.  The state was against it.  Already have 9 hatcheries, one for warm water fish.  The Fish & Game was against it.  Didn’t want to run it, take care of it, just didn’t want it. 

Well these people would not let it go.  More fish for the lake, tourism to a stricken area, revenues, all good things.  So after lobbying congress and getting federal funds the warm water fish hatchery was built.  Problem:  The same ones who were so against it have overbuilt the hatchery to a point that now there is no money to run the "dam thing".(nother pun intended)

Well about this time last year I was talked into becoming the sec/treas of the local walleye unlimited club.  Oh, just a few meetings a year, and a banquet in the spring.  Well we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a state wide tussle.

Meetings coming out of our ears, local, state, citizen advisory commissions, notes to all parties.  And through all of this a completely hopeless, helpless feeling.  They haven’t even opened it yet.  We cannot not let this thing go.  A 24 million dollar facility. 

It will a saga that last the ages I fear.