Northeastern Wisconsin Great Lakes Sport Fishermen held its 50th annual Manitowoc Salmon Derby July 4-6. The Super Derby was July 5.

There were 337 participants and they registered 1,159 fish over the three-day derby.

In the Coho Salmon division, Craig Kaikapl took first place at 8.56 pounds.

In the Brown Trout division, Joe Sharpe took first place at 26.67 pounds.

In the Chinook Salmon division, Jake Dupont took first place at 21.68 pounds.

In the Rainbow Trout division, Jessica Sicard took first place at 14.17 pounds.

In the Lake Trout division, Dave Kodet took first place at 25.90 pounds.

Manitowoc Salmon Derby Super Tournament winners included the following:

• First-place team: Shur-Katch, captained by Paul Monk, with five fish and a weight of 83.53 pounds;
• Second-place team: Liquor Box, captained by Jeff Kozaczuk, with five fish and a weight of 83.30 pounds; and
• Third-place team: Throbbin Rod, captained by Jeremy LeClair, with five fish and a weight of 67.02 pounds.

Also, on July 5, NEWGLSF held a youth derby and the Youth Big Fish winner was Kennedy Kulpa with a 17.89-pound king salmon

Cleveland Fish Derby is July 25-27

The 43rd annual Cleveland Fish Derby will be July 25-27 at Hika Bay Park, Cleveland. Prizes will be awarded in five fish categories. Daily activities include the following:

• July 25, enjoy a fish boil from 4 to 9 p.m.;
• July 26, take in live music by Whiskey Ditch from 7 to 11 p.m.; and
• July 27, partake in raffle drawings starting at 4 p.m.

Food and refreshments will be served daily starting at 10 a.m.

For more information, call 920-693-2111.

Clarks Mills club’s Tractor Pull & Picnic is July 19

Clarks Mills Sportsmans Club is having its annual Tractor Pull & Picnic July 19 at the club grounds, 81 Sportsmans Lane, Clarks Mills. Rain date is July 20.

The tractor pull starts at 4 p.m. with weigh-in from 1 to 3 p.m. A cash raffle drawing will be held after the tractor pull. Any available tickets can be purchased at the clubhouse. Only 500 tickets will be sold.

Food and beverages will be available at the event. A picnic and cornhole tournament begin at noon and sign-up for the tournament is at 11 a.m. at club grounds.

Contact Bob Stadler at 920-323-7014 for more information.

Ruffed grouse survey results find slight decrease from 2024

Data from annual spring surveys of Wisconsin ruffed grouse and pheasant are now available.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said pheasant observations were above the five-year average for the second consecutive year.

The results of the ruffed grouse survey showed a slight decrease from 2024, but numbers were still significantly up from the five-year average.

Find these wildlife survey reports and others on the Wisconsin Wildlife Reports webpage.

Here’s more about the 2025 Spring Ruffed Grouse Survey:

The annual Roadside Ruffed Grouse Drumming Survey measured ruffed grouse drumming activity heard along roadsides throughout Wisconsin this spring and showed a 6% decrease in statewide drumming activity compared to 2024.

“Although we observed a decrease in drumming activity statewide, this slight decline still exceeded our expectations for this year,” said Alaina Roth, DNR ruffed grouse specialist. “In 2024, we saw a large, unexpected 57% increase in drumming activity, so a slight 6% decrease from 2024 is still good news overall and should mean good hunting prospects this fall.”

The exceptionally dry and favorable nesting and brooding conditions could have contributed to the increase in drumming activity in 2023 and 2024.

Since 2021, survey data have been organized and analyzed by ruffed grouse priority areas to help monitor key populations across the state, as defined in the Wisconsin Ruffed Grouse Management Plan 2020-2030.

The 2025 survey results for priority areas compared to 2024 showed the following:

• An 11% increase in drumming, with an average of 0.46 drums per stop, in the Central priority area;
• An 8% decrease in drumming, with an average of 2.13 drums per stop, in the Northern priority area; and
• A 250% increase in drumming, with an average of 0.09 drums per stop, in the Driftless priority area.

For more about grouse hunting or managing habitat for ruffed grouse in Wisconsin, visit the DNR’s Ruffed Grouse Hunting webpage.

That’s it for this week, so have fun in the great outdoors.