Friends of the Prairie River |
"Gleason, The Trout Fishing Capital of the World." The sign, located on Hwy. 17 is a weathered relic dating back 40 or 50 years, when the Prairie was a renowned stream. Then deterioration began, perhaps from the warming of the water due to the gradual silting in of the Prairie Dell Pond, perhaps as a result of poor farming practices and other development along the river. Perhaps it was only that the big trout were pounded to death by experts casting wet flies by night.
The Prairie River rises in wild, cutover, sand-and-bog country in northeastern Langlade County and lazes in a southwesterly direction through Lincoln County for more than 40 miles to join the Wisconsin River at Merrill. The Prairie is a big river, averaging 64 feet in width with a flow fo 15 to 40 cubic feet per second, according to a Department of Natural Resources survey. It is comparable in width to the Bois Brule, Namekagon, Wolf, Peshtigo, and Tomorrow/Waupaca.
For those of you interested in the result of removing the Prairie Dells dam, here is a summary:
The river temperature below the damn has fallen by an average of 7 degrees - good! Tons of sand and silt have moved downstream-not so good. But the DNR has constructed a sand trap downstream. Thousands of tons of sand and silt have been removed from the Prairie Dells sand trap. In 1992 alone the trap was dredged four times; 1500 tons of sand was removed at a cost of $2400 each time. The cost was borne by local chapters of trout unlimited. Hopefully the river below the sand trap will gradually flush out and the fishing will improve.
The Friends of the Prairie River is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Prairie River. It is the intent of the Friends of the Prairie River organization to help maintain its cold, clean waters and esthetic beauty. The "Friends of the Prairie River" organization is looking for dedicated members that will help in the rehabilitation of the Prairie River and it's trout population.
Your comments or suggestions are welcome, e-mail the Friends of the Prairie River
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