Fishing Seasons & Limits
Opening day for Wisconsin fishing is traditionally the first Saturday in May. Season dates often vary by species and waterbody. Check The Guide To Hook And Line Fishing Season Dates, 2024-2025, for specifics of where you plan to fish.
2024-2025 FISHING SEASON DATES
(Effective Date: April 1, 2024; Dates Inclusive)
Early Inland Trout (catch and release)
January 6 (5 a.m.) - May 3
General Inland Trout
May 4 (5 a.m.) - Oct. 15
General Inland Fishing
May 4 - March 2, 2025
Largemouth Bass Northern Zone Harvest
May 4 - March 2, 2025
Smallmouth Bass Northern Zone Harvest
June 15 - March 2, 2025
Large And Smallmouth Bass Southern Zone Harvest
May 4 - March 2, 2025
Large And Smallmouth Bass Catch And Release
At all other times of the year.
Musky Northern Zone Harvest
May 25 - Dec. 31
Musky Southern Zone Harvest
May 4 - Dec. 31
Northern Pike
May 4 - March 2, 2025
Walleye
May 4 - March 2, 2025
Lake Sturgeon
Feb. 10 - Feb. 25 (spearing)
Sept. 7 - Sept. 30 (hook-and-line)
Free Fishing Weekends
Jan. 20-21, 2024
June 1-2, 2024
Not sure which zone you're fishing in? Have other questions? Refer to the Wisconsin Fishing Season Definitions for specifics.
EXCEPTIONS
Exceptions do exist. Not all Wisconsin waters follow the general dates for the hook and line or trout season. You must still consult the current regulations' particular county or boundary waters tables to determine if any special season dates exist for the specific waters you plan to fish with hook and line.
SPECIES NOT LISTED
Species not listed have no open season. For species that are listed, It is illegal to fish for those species during the closed season - this includes catch-and-release fishing. It is also unlawful to take, transport, possess or sell any wild animals specified by the DNR's endangered or threatened species list within the state. Be sure to be familiar with the fish on this list.
DAILY BAG AND TOTAL DAILY BAG LIMITS
DAILY BAG LIMIT
The daily bag limit is the maximum number of fish that an angler may reduce to his/her possession from a specified waterbody or a portion of a waterbody in one day.
TOTAL DAILY BAG LIMIT
The total daily bag limit is the maximum number of fish that an angler may reduce to his/her possession in one day from all waters or portions of waters fished for that day.
An angler may combine the catch of a particular species from multiple lakes until the total daily bag limit is reached as long as the daily bag limit for each body of water is never exceeded. Be aware that while on the water you may not possess more than the daily limit for that body of water. For example, an angler catches a daily limit of walleye from a three-bag limit lake. The angler can not then go to another lake with a two-walleye limit while still possessing the three fish from the previous lake.
Total daily bag limits for Wisconsin fish species
| Species | Total daily bag limit |
|---|---|
| Catfish | 25 in total, of which only 1 may be flathead catfish from the Lake Winnebago system |
| Cisco (lake herring), whitefish, and hybrids Inland waters Outlying waters | 10 in total 10 in total |
| Lake sturgeon | 1 per season |
| Largemouth and smallmouth bass | 5 in total |
| Muskellunge | 1 |
| Northern pike All waters north of U.S. Hwy 10 All waters south of U.S. Hwy 10 | 5 in total 2 in total |
| Panfish (bluegill, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, white and black crappie) | 25 in total |
| Rock, white, and yellow bass and bullheads | No Limit |
| Ruffe, white perch, and gobies | 0 but one of each may be killed and possessed for immediate delivery to a DNR Service Center or regional office. |
| Shovelnose sturgeon | 3 |
| Walleye, sauger, and hybrids | 5 in total |
