Lake Michigan, Lake Michigan tributaries
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Lake Michigan, Lake Michigan tributaries, as the state words them
WI County · Lake · WI
The rules for this water, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from WI's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.
- Panfish - (Bluegill, Crappie, Sunfish, Yellow Perch)Continuous, but the open season for yellow perch is June 16 to April 30 (dates as written)open season for yellow perch is June 16 to April 30
- Ruffe, White Perch and GobiesContinuous season for white perch, no open season for ruffe or gobies (dates as written)Continuous season for white perch, no open season for ruffe or gobies
- Lake SturgeonNo open season (dates as written)
- smeltGear Frame dip nets not exceeding 8 feet in diameter or 8 feet square may be used all year without hour restrictions for taking smeltThey may be used 5 miles inland from the mouth on streams which have no dam except the Fox River in Brown County from 500 feet below the dam at De Pere.
- sturgeonSee the Lake Michigan regulations .
- All fishsee Lake Michigan regulations for species open year-round.
Statewide base layerParsed
These defaults apply where the rules above do not modify them.
- Season
- General Inland Fishing May 3, 2025 - March 1, 2026Statewide
- Gear
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Bait
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Poles
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
Where the verbatim rules above name a species, season, or limit, they replace the rows below. Each row is tagged with the layer it comes from.
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
Largemouth and smallmouth bass | 5 in total | - | Statewide |
Ruffe, White Perch and Gobies | one of each may be killed and possessed for transport to a Wisconsin DNR office | - | Statewide |
Muskellunge | 1 | - | Statewide |
Northern Pike | 5 in total 2 in total | - | Statewide |
Lake Sturgeon Varies by water: 36 inches, limit One (1) lake sturgeon per licensee (All waters of the Winnebago system) | 1 per season | - | Statewide |
Shovelnose Sturgeon | 3 | - | Statewide |
Catfish | 25 in total, of which only 1 may be flathead catfish from the Lake Winnebago system | - | Statewide |
Cisco (lake herring), whitefish, and hybrids | 10 in total 10 in total | - | Statewide |
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. | - | Statewide |
Walleye, sauger, and hybrids | 5 in total | - | Statewide |
Channel catfish | Channel catfish - Five, Flathead catfish - One, Bullheads - none | min. Length limit - none | Statewide |
snapping turtles Varies by water: a shell length that is between 12 to 16 inches from front to back (Statewide - snapping turtle size limit) | 3 snapping turtles, 3 softshell turtles and 5 in total of all other species | - | Statewide |
suckers | the limit for suckers is 600 | - | Statewide |
snapping turtles and softshell turtles | The possession limit for snapping turtles and softshell turtles is three each statewide | - | Statewide |
Snapping turtle | See size | min. a 12-inch minimum and a 16-inch maximum carapace (top shell straight front to back) length | Statewide |
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide lake rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.
Where this rule applies
This water is not yet drawn on the map. Its rules are captured and receipted; the geometry ledger records exactly why it is not drawn (an ambiguous name match or a gap in the source data), and it will never ship as a guess. Each rule above describes in the state's own words where it applies, and those written descriptions are the authoritative boundaries.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in Lake Michigan, Lake Michigan tributaries's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.
Receipts
Local services near Lake Michigan, Lake Michigan tributaries
Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.
Run a shop or guide service on Lake Michigan, Lake Michigan tributaries? Get listed.