DNR Publishes New Fishing Regulations For The 2024 – 2025 Season

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that the 2024 – 2025 Guide To Wisconsin’s Fishing Regulations is now available online.

These regulations, which include changes to walleye/sauger bag limits on inland waters and new registration rules for small tournaments, will go into effect on April 1, 2024.

With a few weeks still to go before these regulations kick in and over a month until the general inland opener, now is the perfect time for anglers to review the season dates, any special regulations and the daily bag and size limits for their favorite fishing spots around the state. All license requirements apply.

All residents and non-residents over 16 must have a 2024 – 2025 general fishing license to fish in Wisconsin. Annual resident licenses cost $20 each, or purchase a spousal license for $31 so you and your spouse can fish together. All fishing licenses and stamps can be purchased online via Go Wild, at a registered sales location or at DNR Service Centers.

You can find these general fishing regulations as well as the trout fishing regulations online and at locations where licenses are sold.

What’s New In 2024 – 2025?

Several new regulations and changes to bag limits have been implemented this year. These changes include:

• A new small tournament registration requirement. 
• Statewide daily bag limit of three walleye/sauger per day on all inland waters.
• Walleye bag limits for the Great Lakes (including Green Bay) and Wisconsin-Iowa, Wisconsin-Minnesota and Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters will remain unchanged, as will limits on any water with a bag limit currently lower than three.
  • A person may harvest walleye from two different lakes or rivers with a three-fish daily bag limit as long as they don’t exceed the five-fish total daily bag limit.
• A daily bag limit of 10 panfish in Lake Mendota in Dane County.
• Changing the musky minimum length limit to 50 inches on the Wisconsin River from the Lake DuBay Dam upstream to the first dam in Merrill.
• Creating an urban fishing pond in the Village of Suamico in Brown County.

New bag and length limits have also been enacted for specific waterbodies in 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 counties. Anglers can find a full list of the 2024 – 2025 fishing regulation changes on the DNR’s fishing regulations webpage.

Help Stop The Spread Of Aquatic Invasive Species!

As you hit the water this spring, you are reminded to disinfect your gear and follow these guidelines to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species:

• Inspect your boat, trailer and equipment.
• Remove any attached aquatic plants or animals (before launching, after loading and before transporting on a public highway).
• Drain all water from boats, motors and all equipment.
• Never move live fish away from a waterbody.
• Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash.
• Purchase any minnows from a Wisconsin bait dealer. Please note that anglers may take leftover minnows away from any state water and use them again on that same body of water.
  • Leftover minnows may be used on other waters only if no lake or river water or other fish were added to their container.