Photo By Scott Sturkol | Anglers try their hand at catching some rainbow trout in Suukjak Sep Lake on May 4,...... read more read more
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Every year, anglers have 15,000 reasons to go fishing at Fort McCoy. Every year, 15,000 rainbow trout are stocked in several Fort McCoy waterways so those who fish at the post have a game fish they enjoy catching, said Fort McCoy Fisheries Biologist Steve Rood with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch.
“Opening weekend is one of the busiest two days for angling on Fort McCoy as anglers pursue rainbow trout in some of the lakes,” Rood said. “This year is not any different, as Fort McCoy again stocked six lakes with rainbow trout. This is a tradition that began in 1963 and has been carried on for more than 60 years and totaling over 1.2 million rainbow trout stocked over that period. Creel survey results show that over 60 percent of Fort McCoy anglers will pursue rainbow trout at some point throughout the season.”
Rood said that since rainbow trout are a preferred species of fish for anglers at Fort McCoy, and that’s why they so many are stocked on post, it’s important to keep a strong relationship with the Genoa National Fish Hatchery in Genoa, Wis.
“And rainbow trout are only stocked into lakes at Fort McCoy, which gives anglers the opportunity to pursue native brook and brown trout in our streams,” Rood said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which operations the Genoa hatchery, states on their website at https://www.fws.gov/species/rainbow-trout-oncorhynchus-mykiss that rainbow or steelhead trout are one of the top five recreational fish species in North America and are culturally important to Native American tribes.
“Steelhead trout have been known to jump 11 feet into the air when climbing waterfalls on migration runs and can go from zero to 25 miles per hour in one second,” the website states. “The oldest steelhead trout ever captured was 11 years old, and there have been reports of steelhead weighing up to 55 pounds.”
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources states at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/sites/default/files/topic/Fishing/Species_rainbowtrout.pdf that annual stocking of rainbow trout is necessary because poor natural spawning habitat results in little successful natural reproduction. Once stocked, the trout will survive feeding on fish, insects, and crayfish.
At the opening weekend of the 2025 fishing season at Fort McCoy, which began May 3, many anglers were spotted throughout post trying for and catching rainbow trout at places like Suukjak Sep Lake by Pine View Campground, Sparta Pond on North Post, and Stillwell Lake, Sandy Lake, Swamp Pond, and Big Sandy Lake on South Post.
Anglers must have the appropriate Wisconsin licenses to fish on post. This includes a general Wisconsin fishing license, a trout stamp if fishing for trout, and the Fort McCoy fishing permit.
The cost of a Fort McCoy annual fishing permit is $13 for people aged 16 and older. Permits for youth under 16, seniors, and disabled anglers and four-day fishing permits are $8. All are available for purchase through the iSportsman website, https://ftmccoy.isportsman.net.
“All Fort McCoy permits, including the iSportsman Annual Access Pass expire on March 31 each year,” Rood said. “This means anyone interested in participating in recreational activities on Fort McCoy will need to log into their iSportsman account and acquire new permits for the activity they wish to participate in. For all hunting, fishing, and trapping permits, a state of Wisconsin license is required in addition to a Fort McCoy permit.
“Also, as a reminder, a free annual access pass is required for everyone participating in recreational activities including non-hunting/non-fishing activities such as hiking, dog walking, or berry picking,” Rood said.
Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 05.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2025 15:57 |
| Story ID: | 497866 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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