Some lakes and rivers in Wisconsin are managed with special regulations that, in many cases, provide high-quality fishing opportunities. The special regulations for musk, bass, pike perch and pike are those which differ from the general national regulations. Based on water productivity and fish growth potential, and facilitated by minimum length regulations, anglers who fish in many of these waters have a good chance of catching „quality fish“. „For this Saturday, you can harvest both species, but even in the northern part of the state, the musknuts aren`t open until late May and the little mule can`t be harvested until mid-June,“ said fisheries biologist Nate Thomas. „So make sure you follow the regulations for the waters you`re fishing in and follow the rules.“ The regulation does not include a minimum length and daily pocket limit of two pike. Northern pike, which is 25 to 35 inches tall, is illegal to keep. The Zander Order for several water bodies in the Flambeau, South Fork Flambeau and Elk River watersheds in Ashland, Iron, Price, Rusk, Sawyer and Vilas counties will be converted to the standard pikeperch regime for the ceded territory of northern Wisconsin. „These new regulations will provide anglers with opportunities for sustainable fishing by protecting fast-growing females, preserving northern pike`s natural reproduction for the future of the Big Muskego and Bass Bay ecosystems,“ said Ben Heussner, MNR fisheries biologist. In recent years, the fisheries management program has worked to improve the pike fishery. National regulations have been implemented, with the following waters referred to as quality waters: Information: Ben Heussner, DNR Fisheries BiologistBenjamin.Heussner@wisconsin.gov or 414-303-0109 MADISON, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (MNR) today announced a new regulation for catching pike in Big Muskego Lake, Bass Bay and related waters for the 2022 fishing season, effective May 7. The goal of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is to provide anglers with a variety of options. Wisconsin represents the heart of the national spread of zander; They occur naturally in our great lakes and rivers.
Excellent pikeperch fishing opportunities are available in the Mississippi River and pools; the Wisconsin River and its reservoirs; Lake Winnebago; the Wolf River and Fox River systems; and larger lakes throughout Wisconsin, especially in northern Wisconsin. Musky || Large mouth and small mule || Zander || Northern pike The former minimum length of 40 inches for pike has been in effect since 2008. The minimum length limit of 40 inches effectively provided maximum protection against the fisherman`s harvesting of northern pike. Recent data collected in 2020 showed a more balanced northern pike population, consisting of an abundance of female pike currently in the protected area of 25 to 35 inches. Moving to a protected size range and a daily pocket limit of two protects larger adult pike females from harvesting, which staff say will maintain current levels of natural reproduction. At the same time, anglers have more opportunities to catch smaller pike by focusing on slower-growing male pike. Additional fishing regulations will go into effect for other lakes, rivers and streams in northern Wisconsin. The complete list of rule changes for 2022 can be found on the MNR Fisheries Regulations website. (Note Boundaries and sizes may vary from lake to lake, so be sure to review your bylaws for 2004-2005.) Wisconsin fishing kicks off on Saturday and there are new regulations for the 2022 season that the DNR wants to communicate to anglers.
This regulation aims to protect the young pikeperch that most of these populations still produce, but at much lower rates than in the past. The new regulations will allow anglers to catch adult pikeperch while protecting young pikeperch until they are mature. Anglers can keep a daily pocket limit of three pikeperch at least 15 inches but less than 20 inches, or they can keep two 15- to 20-inch pikeperch and one over 24 inches. The change will take effect at the beginning of the fishing season on May 7, 2022. MNR requires anglers who wish to fish on Lake Escanaba to obtain a daily licence from the Lake Escanaba Monitoring Station. In addition, no lead equipment (especially split-shots and jigheads) is allowed when fishing on this lake. At the same time as the by-law is amended, other changes to the Escanaba Lake season setting will come into effect. The season begins on June 11, 2022 and ends with the general end of the wild fish season on March 5, 2023. Once fishermen have reached the annual pikeperch harvest quota, only catch-and-release pike-perch fishing is allowed for the remainder of the season. The transition to catch-and-release fishing is announced locally each year.
For some anglers, largemouth bass and black bass fishing takes a back seat to hunting pike perch or muscle lung, but Wisconsin offers plenty of opportunities to tangle with quality fish. Recent regulatory changes have improved many of the state`s bar populations. Wisconsin has about 775 lakes and streams with thriving musk populations. In order to bring back the trophy muscular lung that the state can clearly produce, specific fishing regulations apply to the following waters: „This regulatory amendment is intended to allow us to specifically assess the impacts of pikeperch harvesting under pikeperch regulations from the ceded territory, including the effects of overexploitation of production – harvesting more pike-perch than is produced each year,“ said Greg Sass. Leader of the MNR Fisheries Research Team. „The participation of tribal members and anglers will be a key part of the experience.“ For a complete list of new regulations, click here. More information on the 2022 fishing regulations can be found on the MNR website. Some of the new boundary and length regulations apply to the Flambeau River, which flows through Ashland, Sawyer and Iron counties. There will be a minimum limit of 15 inches for pikeperch, and those of 20-24″ cannot be maintained. A single 24-inch pikeperch can be stored, with a daily pocket limit of three. „The current rule that allows anglers to keep three sandperches of any length, but only one over 14 inches, is no longer the right choice for populations with declining recruitment,“ Scheirer said.
„If the population recovers and the new regulations help more pikeperch become adults, we can reassess whether this new regulation is still necessary in the future.“ This list is not exhaustive of regulations for these lakes. Familiarize yourself with fishing regulations for these lakes, including seasons, catch restrictions, and minimum length restrictions. „Over the past 15 years, we`ve seen a decline in pikeperch populations in these waters,“ said Jeff Scheirer, MNR fisheries biologist. The standard pikeperch rule for ceded territory also applies to Lake Escanaba, a research lake in Vilas County that is part of the Northern Highlands Fisheries Research Area. The transition of a minimum length of 28 inches and a daily pocket limit of one year to the surrendered settlement will allow MNR scientists to test the effects of the settlement on the surrendered territory on this local pikeperch population, while providing anglers with additional opportunities to catch pikeperch. However, MNR will establish an annual pound quota for Lake Escanaba to limit harvests for fishermen. Ashland || || Bayfield Chippewa || Columbia || Dane || Ausweichen || Wald || Eisen || Kenosha || Langlade || Oneida || Preis || Portage || Racine || Zwieback || Sawyer || Vernon || Vilas || Walworth || Washington || Waukesha.
