General Inland Fishing Season Opens
Saturday, May 4
With over 15,000 inland lakes, 42,000 miles of perennial streams and rivers, 1,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline and 260 miles of the Mississippi River, Wisconsin offers anglers a variety of places to cast a line. / Photo Credit: iStock/stammphoto
At long last, fishing season is finally here! Wisconsin’s 2024-2025 general inland fishing season will open on Saturday, May 4.
It’s shaping up to be a good one, too.
Fisheries biologists expect anglers to find success on opening day. No matter where anglers decide to fish, all Wisconsin residents and nonresidents over the age of 16 are required to purchase a fishing license. Anglers can buy licenses through Go Wild, the DNR’s license portal, or from a license agent.
This year, new fishing regulations are in effect, including a new small tournament registration requirement and a statewide daily bag limit of three walleye/sauger per day on all inland waters. There are also bag and length limit changes for fish species in the following counties: Brown, Chippewa, Dane, Dunn, Eau Claire, Iowa, Iron, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marquette, Oconto, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Taylor, Vilas, Walworth, Waukesha and Waushara.
The full 2024-2025 hook and line fishing and trout fishing regulations are available online and in print in English, Spanish, Hmong and large print versions.
As anglers head out to their favorite fishing locations, the DNR would like to remind them to:
- Minimize the spread of aquatic invasive species by removing plants and animals from their boat before and after launching, draining all water from compartments and never moving live fish away from any waterbody.
- To prevent the spread of fish diseases, remove all water, aquatic vegetation and/or mud from fishing equipment before leaving their fishing location. All fishing equipment, including boats, trailers, boots, waders, nets and float tubes, should be thoroughly cleaned and dried completely before being used again.
- Practice responsible catch and release if they are letting their catch go.
- Follow safe boating procedures and always wear a life jacket.
Those looking to fish one of Wisconsin’s 13,000 miles of trout streams can use the recently updated Trout Regulations and Opportunities User Tool (TROUT) to learn regulations and find locations of DNR fishing easements, public lands and classified trout waters. For anglers looking for spots with easy access, try one of the several ponds stocked with catchable trout in the area.
With more than 15,000 inland lakes, 42,000 miles of perennial streams and rivers, 1,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline and 260 miles of the Mississippi River, Wisconsin offers anglers of all skill levels a variety of places to cast a line.
Discover new places to fish, launches, fishing locations and other fishing information on the DNR’s fishing webpage or by contacting your local fisheries biologist.
Good luck to all anglers wetting a line this weekend.
We can’t wait to hear how you do!
2024 Fishing Report Now Available
The DNR published the 2024 Fishing Report just in time for the general inland fishing opener on Saturday, May 4.
This report details the fishing season outlook for a variety of popular gamefish species, lists gear and tackle tips and information on recent fisheries projects.
This report summarizes DNR staff work across the state. More detailed publications and survey reports from individual waterbodies may be found on the DNR’s fishing webpage. |
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Trail Etiquette: Tips For Sharing Nature
As we embrace the warm weather, many of us are chomping at the bit to get out on our favorite trails. With the increase in foot, bike and hoof traffic this time of year, it’s important to remember proper trail etiquette. Many DNR trails are multi-use, meaning you never know what type of recreator you might encounter.
Here are some tips to keep in mind to ensure everyone can have an enjoyable outdoor experience on public trails:
- Treat all trail users respectfully and courteously regardless of their sport, speed or skill level.
- Stay to the right and pass on the left. Downhill traffic yields to uphill traffic, and faster users yield to slower users. Always look before changing positions on the trail.
- Protect our environment by staying on the trail, packing out all litter and leaving flowers and plants alone.
- Learn and use appropriate hand signals. Motorized users often cannot hear voice signals.
- Obey posted signs and travel only on trails open to your conveyance.
- Keep your dogs on a leash when using public trails and pack out any waste.
- All users yield to horseback riders. If it doesn’t appear that other users will yield, consider that they may not be familiar with trail etiquette. When in doubt, yield to others.
- When encountering a horse, speak in a calm, pleasant tone so the horse hears a human voice. Listen to the rider’s advice; they know the horse best.
- Do not approach, scare, harass or feed wildlife or livestock.
- Respect private property and the privacy of people living along the trail.
Think of yourself as an ambassador for your recreation activity. With the DNR’s Find a Park webpage, you can put these practices into action at a trail near you.
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