Consolidated Musky Club honored deceased fishermen with musky release

WOOD COUNTY – On Sept. 16, the Consolidated Musky Club honored Richard “Dick” Alnes and Timothy Bierman with two musky releases totalling 1,335 fish.
The first release honored Alnes with 500 fish, and the second honored Bierman with 835 fish. Funding for the fish came from a $5,000 donation from Alnes’ family, a grant from the Hugh Becker Society and proceeds from a spring banquet and a Recon boat fundraiser. The fish, costing $13.50 each, are sourced from Gollon Bait and Fish Farm in Dodgeville. The total cost was $18,000.
The first release was at Nepco Lake at 9:30 a.m., and the second at Freeman’s Landing in Nekoosa at 5 p.m. Families of the honorees participated in the releases, and memorial signs were placed at both locations.
The fish are sourced from Gollon at a cost of $13.50 per fish. Club President Don Kempen said in years past, the club was able to obtain and raise the fish themselves, but that changed in the year 2000.
“We used to get fish from the DNR, and we were raising them in a sewage treatment plant that was closed down in Wisconsin Rapids by the zoo. We did that from 1980 all the way until 2000 and then we were no longer able to harvest minnows for the fish,” Kempen said.

The families of the deceased members were present at the releases, helping to plant the fish.
Timothy Bierman was a lifelong member of the club, involved in fishing and the outdoors. He worked at a paper mill in Wisconsin Rapids and loved musky fishing, camping and trips to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota. One of his greatest joys was spoiling his nephews, sharing fishing trips with them. According to Kempen, Bierman was a man of few words, but if you mentioned fishing, he could talk your ear off.
Richard “Dick” Alnes was not a member of the Consolidated Musky Club but was a passionate fisherman and outdoorsman who had an affinity for musky fishing in particular. Alnes’ family, including his daughter, wife and son, attended the release. The $5,000 donation for the fish came from family and friends, including some from Alnes’ estate. Alnes, a former band teacher, enjoyed outdoor activities besides fishing like hunting and bird watching. His family hopes the donation will encourage more people to enjoy nature and spend time with family and friends.
The club has released fish into local bodies of water since its inception in 1980, but the addition of donations as a memorial service is more recent.
“We have been doing this — honoring somebody who has passed away from our organization — since 2012,” Kempen said.
The releases as a commemoration have further involved the community in preservation of the wildlife and ecosystem in Wood County. Since 1984, the club has released about 130,000 fish.