Quote Originally Posted by Banjomarsh View Post
I think they still raise them at the Jake Wolf hatchery and I sure they net them at Spring Lake south to milk them to take to the hatchery that is next door. I think they trade them for fish from other hatcheries. I too wish they would stock them locally. I like to eat them and they fun to catch.
Northerns do best in a cold water environment. They can and do overpopulate if the conditions are right for them. About 40 years ago he Wisconsin DNR 'accidentally' dumped a couple truckloads of the into the Chippewa Flowage, where they had never been. Within 5 years they had almost completely wiped out every musky fingerling in the Flowage (they spawn earlier) and almost destroyed the once thriving black crappie population. Trust me when I say that you DON'T want northerns stocked in Illinois! Once they get big they are fun to catch and good to eat, but the damage they do while GETTING big is pretty tough to accept...