Higher levels are taking smallmouth bass into uncharted waters ahead of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources public meeting this month in Sturgeon Bay. The DNR will present information from recent surveys of the Door County smallmouth bass population as well as gather input from various stakeholders. Competitions often provide a barometer of how a fishery is doing, and the Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament has seen its catch rate and winning sizes go up in recent years. Tournament President JJ Malvitz says with the lack of knowledge about where smallmouth bass winter and higher water levels opening new habitat, he would like to see more technology be used to learn about the population.

The public meeting will take place on October 15th from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Crossroads at Big Creek in Sturgeon Bay.