Walleyes for Tomorrow Project at Long Lake

Walleyes for Tomorrow (WFT) is a non-profit organization based in Fond du Lac.
No one receives any salary for everything they do because of donations from individuals and businesses through sponsorships and fundraisers.
Walleyes for Tomorrow has 10 mobile hatcheries in Wisconsin, and WFT also does habitat work to help natural spawning and to help walleyes thrive.
“We also partner with the DNR from population estimates to DNA testing to verify that what is being done is working the way it was intended,” said Walleyes for Tomorrow Brian Bahls.

The group has released approximately 39,000,000 fry from their hatcheries in 2025.
“All of our hatcheries are operated by local chapter members, and the group designed and built all the hatcheries from scratch,” said Bahls. “We work closely with the DNR to ensure our efforts are in line with what they are striving to achieve.”
Currently working at Long Lake for the next four to five weeks, for the first year, Wallyes for Tomorrow has had the opportunity to operate a hatchery on this body of water.
“We hope to hatch and release 800,000 fry on Long Lake this year, and we are in the process of netting fish and working them for the hatchery,” said Bahls. “There are several local land owners who have helped give us access and help provide needed supplies to operate the hatchery, which is located at the southern end of the lake by the dam.”
“Walleyes for Tomorrow uses fyke nets to capture walleyes, then we sex the walleyes and strip the eggs and milk, and all of the adults are returned to the waterway unharmed,” said Bahls.
Then they place the eggs in “jars” in the hatchery and pump water from the waterway continuously over the eggs until they hatch.
The eggs hatch in approximately 21 to 28 days, depending on water temperature, and when they hatch, the fry are transported in coolers to a deep part of the lake and released.
“Using these methods, we get 90 to 95% hatchability, where nature is about 45%,” said Bahls. “We have also found that releasing the fry in the deep doubles the survival rate in getting the walleye to breeding age from 1/2% to 1%.”
The public is always welcome to visit the hatchery and learn about what Walleyes for Tomorrow does.
The best way to get information about WFT is through their web page, Walleyesfortomorrow.org, or their Facebook page, Facebook.com/share/18dFQHdyr4/.