Northern Zone Smallmouth Bass Season Starts June 18

SPOONER, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that the 2022 smallmouth bass season in the northern zone begins on June 18, 2022 and runs through March 5, 2023.

During the open season, anglers can catch and harvest smallmouth bass within the northern bass management zone. All regulations and license requirements apply. Check the 2022-2023 Guide to Wisconsin’s Hook and Line Regulations for details.

While anglers in the southern zone have been able to harvest bass since May 7, anglers will be able to harvest smallmouth bass in these additional waters as of June 18:

• Wisconsin-Michigan Boundary Waters
• Northern management zone
• Tributaries to Lake Michigan - north of Hwy. 29 in Door and Kewaunee counties
• Lake Superior - including Kakagon River and Slough

Anglers should note that there have been some changes to the bass regulations for some lakes in the northern zone, including:

• No minimum length limit for large and smallmouth bass on Upper and Lower Buckatabon Lakes (Vilas County), Katherine Lake (Oneida County) and Schoolhouse Lake (Sawyer County)
• North Nokomis Lake (Oneida County), Butternut Lake (Forest County) and Franklin Lake (Forest County) all have no minimum length limit, but only one largemouth or smallmouth bass over 18 inches long and no bass between 14-18 inches long may be kept
• Schoolhouse Lake (Sawyer County) is managed as a chain and has the same regulations as Durphee Lake. Only five bass from the entire chain may be kept daily
• White Potato Lake (Oconto County) has a 14-inch minimum length limit for smallmouth bass only

A list of all recent regulation changes is available on the DNR’s website.

Fishing licenses can be purchased online through Go Wild, the DNR’s online license portal, or from an authorized license vendor. More information on licenses can be found on the DNR’s fishing license webpage. Anglers should consult the 2022-2023 Guide to Hook and Line Fishing Regulations for daily bag and size limits.

Find tips and great locations for catching bass on the DNR’s website.