DNR publishes new fishing regulations for 2024-25 season

WISCONSIN (Civic Media) – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources published its new fishing regulations for the 2024-25 season.

The new regulations go into effect on April 1, 2024.

The biggest change is lowering the daily bag limit for walleye and sauger on inland lakes to three. It was previously at five.

Another significant change is a small tournament registration requirement. While registration will still be free, organizers will have to register for all events under 20 boats or 100 participants.

In addition to the lower bag limit for walleye and sauger, the DNR also has several specific waterbody adjustments for which fish can be kept. In Wisconsin’s northern zone, which is roughly north of Highway 8, some of the adjustments include only being able to keep muskellunge over 50 inches and two Sawyer County lakes with lower panfish bag limits.

To the west, there are additional walleye and sauger size limitations. Trout streams in Pierce, St. Croix and Dunn counties allow up to five brown or rainbow trout to be kept, but brook trout need to be released. There are also several changes to regulations for the St. Croix River, including the establishment of a fish refuge from the Highway 8 bridge up to the St. Croix Falls Dam from March 1 through June 15.

In southern Wisconsin, in addition to several lakes adjusting to allowing only muskellunge over 50 inches to be kept, some lakes have lower panfish bag limits, including Lake Mendota in Dane County. Two trout streams in Sauk County also call for immediate release of brook trout.

Finally, in eastern Wisconsin, a wide variety of changes are coming to a handful of lakes, including the establishment of an urban fishing pond in the Village of Suamico.

All of the new fishing regulations can be found on the Wisconsin DNR website.

A county-by-county look at fishing regulations is available in the DNR’s hook-and-line guide for 2024-25.

The DNR will be hosting free fishing weekends June 1-2, 2024 and Jan. 18-19, 2025.

The 2024-25 inland fishing season begins May 4, 2024 and runs through March 2, 2025. Some areas and species have different seasons, which you can see on the DNR’s fishing season website.

There are no changes to fishing license fees for 2024-25. You can buy your license online or at any DNR sales locations.