Salmon are starting to show up at state egg collection sites, with the first harvests at Strawberry Creek (Sturgeon Bay) and Kewaunee in the coming days. The Kewaunee River facility will host an open house Oct. 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with guided tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

A lot of anglers have been having success casting spoons, stickbaits or spawn off piers, docks and below dams on Lake Michigan and Green Bay tributaries. Chinooks are most abundant, followed by brown trout and, on the Kewaunee River, coho salmon.

Wind and rain have reduced pressure on Green Bay perch, pike and walleyes. When they can get out, anglers were finding the best action off most launches in 15 to 30 feet of water.

Trout season closes on most inland waters Saturday. With fall color nearing peak in the far north and spawn-minded trout colorful as well, it's a great time for a last-chance outing.

The Wisconsin River and lakes and impoundments in the Wausau and central Wisconsin areas have been productive for muskie, walleye and bass anglers. Soft plastics are working for muskies, jig and minnow combos for walleyes and tube jigs or chubs for bass.

Shawano Lake, High and Caldron Falls flowages and the Lake Winnebago system should be popular with fishermen and waterfowlers this weekend. White bass action on the Fox and Wolf rivers has been good, with perch hitting on Winnebago.

Southern zone duck hunting season begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. The daily bag of six ducks can't include more than four mallards (of which only one may be a hen), two wood ducks, one black duck, two redheads, two scaup, one pintail and one canvasback.

Wisconsin's first statewide youth either-sex deer hunt will be held Oct. 7-8 for hunter education graduates ages 12 to 15. Those in earn-a-buck units will be able to shoot any deer they see without following the regular-season procedure. However, if they shoot a buck, they must use their regular season gun tag. Youth archers must follow earn-a-buck regulations that weekend.

Strong winds and some rain this week have knocked down a lot of foliage. That should help grouse and woodcock hunters, many of whom are reporting more flushes this year than last.

The Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship is set for Oct. 4-7 on Lake Oahe near Pierre, S.D. Only 51 of the top professionals will be entered, paired with 51 co-anglers. Dean Arnoldussen of Appleton, Pat Neu of Forestville and Jerry Ruffolo of Manitowoc are among the pros in the hunt. Fox Sports Net will broadcast the event at 10 a.m. Nov. 5.

The Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters is holding a listening session on Oct. 11 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Brown County Library, 515 Pine Street. For more on the group's lobbying efforts, visit www.wlwca.org .

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