From any angle, fishing boosts state businesses

Green Bay Press Gazette

...Wisconsin ranks second in the nation behind Florida in the number of days nonresidents spend fishing in the state, said Mike Staggs, state Department of Natural Resources director of the bureau of fisheries management.

...Larsen said fishing is a major component of the tourism economy in Wisconsin, and he accepts the DNR's estimate that the fishing industry generates $2.3 billion statewide. The figure comes from a report that also claims that fishing generates $1.2 billion in retail sales and 26,000 jobs statewide.

...Troy Peterson, captain of Mr. Bluegill Guide Service in Oshkosh, said he is concerned about low water from lack of rain and snow, and from the low water table in central Wisconsin.

"It's just destroying fishing for a lot of people," he said.

DNR officials say they have concentrated efforts on stocking fish, improving the fishery and preventing habitat degradation so that fishing remains strong.