The 2025 Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention is taking place March 26-28 in Stevens Point. 

Learn from experts, grassroots organizers, and passionate water advocates!

Engage in the pre- and post-convention workshops and 60+ concurrent sessions.

Enhance your network of water-focused professionals and citizens by connecting with attendees, speakers, and exhibitors. 

A virtual option will be available for concurrent sessions on Thursday (all day) and Friday morning.

Learn more at wisconsinwaterweek.org.  

Reserve Your Lodging Now!

The Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center is the location for the 2025 Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention. 

SPIDER LAKE PIKE PROJECT 2025:  HELP Remove Northern Pike

After the huge success of Pike Project 2024, volunteer leaders will launch again in 2025, beginning Memorial Day Weekend

Mission: 

1. Northern Pike are an invasive species in the Spider Chain of Lakes.  Our aim is to eradicate 750 Northern Pike in 2025. 
2. Harvesting Northern Pike will reduce the pike population and help improve musky, walleye and other native fish habitat.

All pike must be legally caught. Pike must be removed from the lake and transported home or donated

HOW WE DO THIS:

Spider Lake Pike Project continues throughout 2025 with its launch on Memorial Weekend (May 24-26)  Anglers are invited to drop off pike in designated coolers during specified hours (Saturday-Monday).  Volunteers will process and distribute fish to local groups.

The 2024 Launch Was Fun!  

The Spider Lake Pike Project Memorial Day weekend 2024 launched a tremendous response: over 100 pike were caught and removed from the Spider Chain of Lakes. 

Each pike was measured and recorded by volunteers for the WDNR Musky Research Project. Small pike were wrapped and donated. Large pike were filleted and ground into fish cakes for the local food shelter.

Volunteer turn-out was exceptional! Folks stopped by to learn; volunteers processed pike; the boat launch was THE place to be as the community gathered.

Donuts and coffee accompanied conversations about protecting Spider Lake and the excitement was palpable.

Thank you to all volunteers, especially coordinators Jessica Heller and Steve Salisbury for making this event fun and successful.  

The total recorded pike removed in 2024 was over 1,000 fish. Join us for the 2025 lauch during Memorial Day Weekend!

Go to EVENTS page of SCLA website for details on the 2025 Launch.

Download Spider Lake Fishing Regs "Tip Sheet" to share and post.

Thanks to Dave Mickelson and Cate Amery a NEW educational brochure was inserted into the property tax bill of every household in the Town of Spider Lake.  The brochure highlights how ALL OWNERS AND VISITORS can protect the water and land in our beautiful area by participating in invasive species control.

Click here for a copy.  Share with your friends and neighbors!

LEARN MORE about Invasives on Spider Lake: go to the Spider Lake Catalog of Invasive Species on the SCLA website.

Thanks too, to the Quiet Lakes Improvement Association, for their help funding the cost of the brochure.

NEW Snails!

Banded Mystery Snails have been in Big Spider for several years. Originally only seen in a couple of areas such as Steamboat Island, they have since migrated to other areas in Big Spider and the north end of Little Spider. These snails grow to a size of 1.5 inches and have distinctive concentric bands encircling the snail. There is no known remediation for this snail except manually removing them from the lake.

Removing snails from the lake should be done with gloves since they can leave a long-lasting odor or stain on your hands.

Negative Impact of Snails:

1. The snails only live for 1-2 years and can die off in large numbers, causing a foul odor on the shoreline.

2. The snails cling to all surfaces including docks and boat lifts.

3. The shell of the snail is sharp when broken down and can cause injury to bare feet.

The Spider Chain of Lakes has native snails as well, generally much smaller in size than Banded and Chinese Mystery Snails. 

NEWLY EXPANDING - NARROW LEAF CATTAIL

Several years ago, a new invasive plant was detected: “Narrow Leaf cattail.”  There is now a significant patch in the East Bay of Big Spider. In 2025, SCLA leaders plan to work with landowners to help coordinate mitigation efforts. 

The SCLA Rapid Response Plan Works! SCLA is fortunate to have a Lake Monitor Program of trained member volunteers, an active Aquatic Invasive Species and Water Quality Committee, and an involved Board of Directors who are all committed to protecting the Spider Chain of Lakes from Aquatic Invasive Species. 

Please report suspect samples to SpiderChainOfLakes@gmail.com ATTN: AIS & Water Quality Committee or Sawyer County AIS Coordiinator, Natalie Erler (715-634-6463). 

For an easy to print copy of the SCLA RAPID RESPONSE PLAN go to the Spider Lake Catalog of Invasive Species page of the SCLA website.

The Summer 2025 Northwest Wisconsin Lakes Conference returns to Hayward High School!!  

This is a terrific opportunity to hear from professionals who work in lake management, fishery, and best practices for shoreland owners.

DATE:  JUNE 20, 2025

LOCATION:  HAYWARD HIGH SCHOOL

DETAILS:  Click Here 

Take a friend and enjoy seminars and chats with others who love lakes (and you don't have to drive to Spooner!). 

For a peek at the 2024 NW Wisc. Lakes Conference (and later for the agenda for 2025) go to NWWISLAKESCONFERENCE.org

Like Reading Spider LINES?

volunteer to become a Spider Lines Journalist!

Email SpiderChainOfLakes@gmail.com ATTN: Spider Lines Journalist

SCLA IS TURNING 70!!!

Like many in our community who preceded it, the Spider Chain of Lakes Association turns 70 this year.

Join us in planning a celebration this summer, including bringing back the 4th of July BOAT DECORATING CONTEST.

To join the SCLA BIRTHDAY TEAM send an email to SpiderChainOfLakes@gmail.com

To learn about the Spider Lake Musky Research Project go to 2024 Spring SpiderLines article (p. 18) by Max Wolter, WDNR Fisheries Biologist. Or download the article here.  To download the presentation from the July 5, 2024 "Kick-Off" meeting click here.

UPDATES from Max Wolter:

July 12, 2024:  Colin and I were very pleased with the kickoff meeting last week! I attached the presentation from the meeting for anyone who was unable to attend Please let us know if that generates any questions we can answer!

After the meeting, the excitement for the project was contagious. In fact, my team wasted no time getting back out there to continue our work. We spent a day this week looking for juvenile pike and musky. It’s going to be a challenge, but we are learning a lot about what’s possible there. The photo below shows a pike we caught that was born this year. They are currently about 3” long, which creates a bit of a “needle in a haystack” scenario with all the expansive weedy bays.  

June 2024: The WDNR Fisheries Team from Hayward and WDNR Research Team from Spooner have been working hard to ramp up the Spider Lake Musky and Pike Project. This spring saw a flurry of survey activity, with a netting effort shortly after ice out targeting walleye, northern pike and muskellunge. Several electrofishing surveys are also being conducted, targeting bass and panfish in addition to the previously mentioned species. 

This is a larger survey effort than we have previously attempted on Spider Lake. In fact, it is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious survey efforts in northern Wisconsin in recent history. At the end of the year we should have estimates to the total number of northern pike and walleye. In 2025 we will complete an estimate of the total number of muskellunge.

Several hundred northern pike were removed during the survey effort. We encourage anglers to harvest pike they catch as well (remember, the bag limit has been increased to 10 per day!). WDNR teams are also working to deploy tags in muskellunge and northern pike and a sophisticated array of sensors to track their movement and interactions.

This project has been supported by private individuals and groups both locally and statewide. This project is the first of its kind for these species. The high tech equipment and approach will lead to insights into the fishery and will help us develop strategies to maximize opportunities for muskellunge and improved quality of pike.

The equipment is also pricey, and any additional financial support is welcome! If you or your family want to “sponsor” a tagged fish please reach out to max.wolter@wisconsin.gov. Project donors will receive periodic updates about what their fish is up to. All research and survey results will be shared with the Spider Chain of Lakes Association over time as the project progresses. We expect the project to last 2-4 years.

Chinese Mystery Snail was recently discovered near the Heineman Road boat landing. It is spreading

Narrow Leaf Cattail was discovered in a very large area on the west side of East Bay.

Photos and further details will be forthcoming.  To report sightings of these two invasives please send an email to:
SpiderChainOfLakes@gmail.com
ATTN: AIS Chair Ray Langer