FREMONT, Wis. _ A switch flipped last week in Wolf River country.
Just up the road from Red Banks Resort, three tom turkeys fanned and strutted in the wake of a dozen hens.
A few hundred yards downstream, wood ducks flew into stands of trees along the shore and searched for nesting cavities.
And in the river, the water was rife with hopeful signs of the season.
"Well, look at that," said Bob Caryl of Fremont, Wis., nodding at a leopard frog swimming on the river's surface. "That's a sign of the season."
If anyone needed more convincing, Mother Nature provided it in spades Tuesday: Spring had sprung.
Caryl said they have a saying in these parts: "When the frogs have croaked for two days, the walleyes will be spawning in the marshes."
When it comes to the outdoors, it's wise to listen to local wisdom.
Scientists get advanced degrees in phenology and study the timing of migrations, hibernations, leaf-out, breeding cycles and other natural happenings.
On the matter of the area's fish, I'll take Caryl's word for it.
He and I were intent on tapping into one of the grand Wisconsin events of spring, the Wolf River walleye run.
At mid-afternoon, the mercury read 56 degrees and bright sunshine sparkled off the Wolf.
"They've been moving through in good numbers," said Caryl, 65. "No hurry to get on the water, though. The best action will probably be toward evening."
Lakes Winnebago, Poygan, Butte des Morts and Winneconne have one of the state's largest, naturally reproducing populations of the popular game fish.
And while walleye season is closed from early March to early May on most inland waters, it's open year-round on the Wolf.
The walleyes swim upriver each spring to spawning habitat in the marshes that line the river.
The flood plain is connected to the Wolf along much of its length, allowing the natural wetlands to absorb the seasonal outflow.
Many of the marshes are accessible and have been restored thanks to projects of Walleyes For Tomorrow, Shadows on the Wolf and other conservation organizations in partnership with the Department of Natural Resources.
In high-water years, walleyes have access to about 100,000 acres of spawning habitat, according to a DNR estimate.
The run is divided into an "up" and "down" movement of fish.
The early parts of the first stage, dominated by male fish, had been in motion for the last couple weeks, Caryl said.
More and more female fish had been caught in recent days, indicating the spawn could be near.
In a commendable ethic that has evolved on the river, many _ if not most _ anglers release all female walleyes caught on the up run.
"They need a chance to reproduce, so let them go," said Rita Caryl, Bob's wife of 42 years. "Let's get another generation going."
Few people know this stretch of the Wolf, and the habits of its fish, as well as Bob Caryl.
He's been fishing the Wolf for nearly 40 years, including the last 34 (with Rita) as owner and operator of Red Banks Resort, where he also operates a guiding business.
He's on the river almost every day from mid-March through November.
