April 17, 2026

There is an old axiom in Wisconsin which states, “Wait an hour and the weather will change!” Whether it be an hour, a day or a few days that certainly has been the case this past late winter and now early spring. Yesterday it was 75 degrees, today it’s struggling to hit 60, and the forecast for tomorrow is a high of 35 degrees. Such is the roller coaster life in Hayward, Wisconsin. But we’ll take it, as the vagaries of early spring has vanished our snow and all that hard stuff that forms on our lakes for more than 4 months annually. Time to get the open water crappie and walleye gear out. I love it, as do the millions of other anglers who anxiously await “the fishing opener!” Good luck to all.

With the precision of a fine Swiss watch, our crew has readied our grounds and museum for our opening to the public. We opened our grounds 2 days ago and attendance has been brisk. I certainly hope that this trend continues. Over the past 2 years we have made many improvements to our grounds and museum. It appears the expenditures are reaping rewards. Please come and visit us this season. I guarantee you will be impressed. And remember members, you get in free!  

Some of you may have already noticed, but commencing with last February’s issue of The Splash, we stopped updating our new World Records in print. Don’t worry folks, this program is alive and well. It’s not going anywhere. I just felt that these updates were taking up too much space in The Splash. Room that can be better used for content. It is, after all, what our readers prefer. Going forward these record updates will appear on our website each May. We will continue to print the hard copy record book biennially, with an annual update appearing on our website during the intervening years. Access to this information is available free to our members. A printed update will always be available upon request, each May. Of course, it will be free of charge to all members. 

While writing this column, looking for motivation, I asked our bookkeeper Vicki Musiala, what’s the best way to catch a fish? Her lightning wit responded, “Have someone throw it to you!’ 

Okay, ‘nuf said, that’s a wrap.

Until the summer,

Emmett A. Brown, Jr. | Executive Director