Wis. Admin. Code Department of Natural Resources NR 21.04

Current through October 28, 2024
Section NR 21.04 - Sport fishing; seasons and limits

All regulations applicable to sport fishing are as follows unless expressly provided elsewhere in this chapter or the law. (23.11, 29.041)

Kind of fish and locality

Open season (both dates inclusive)

Daily bag limit

Minimum length (inches)

(1) LARGEMOUTH AND SMALLMOUTH BASS

(a) St. Louis river

Saturday preceding Memorial Day to March 1

5 in aggregate

14

(b) St. Croix river upstream from the dam at St. Croix Falls

Saturday preceding Memorial Day to, but not including, the second Monday in September

5 in aggregate

14

Second Monday in September to March 1

0

--

(c) St. Croix river downstream from the dam at St. Croix Falls to the highway #10 bridge at Prescott

Saturday preceding Memorial Day to March 1

5 in aggregate

14

(d) Mississippi river

Continuous

5 in aggregate

14

(2) WALLEYE AND SAUGER

(a) St. Croix river downstream to Prescott

Saturday nearest May 1 to March 1

6 in aggregate

No size limit for sauger, 15 for walleye

(b) St. Croix river from the St. Croix Falls dam downstream to Prescott

Saturday nearest May 1 to March 1

4 in aggregate

No size limit for sauger, 15 for walleye and only one walleye or sauger may be longer than 20

(c) Mississippi river

1. Pools 3 to 8

Continuous

4 in aggregate

No size limit for sauger, 15 for walleye and only one walleye or sauger may be longer than 20

2. Pool 9

Continuous

6 in aggregate

No size limit for sauger, 15 for walleye except that possession of walleye from 20 to 27 is prohibited and only one walleye may be longer than 27

(d) St. Louis river

Saturday 2 weeks prior to the Saturday nearest Memorial Day to March 1

2 in aggregate

No size limit for sauger, 15 for walleye

(3) NORTHERN PIKE

(a) St. Croix river downstream to Prescott

Saturday nearest May 1 to March 1

5

No size limit

(am) St. Croix river from the St. Croix Falls dam down- stream to Prescott

Saturday nearest May 1 to March 1

3

No size limit except only one may be longer than 30

(b) Mississippi river from Prescott downstream

1. Pools 3 to 9

Continuous

3

No size limit, but only one may be longer than 30

(c) St. Louis river

Saturday 2 weeks prior to the Saturday nearest Memorial Day to March 1

2

No size limit

(4) SUNFISH AND BLUEGILLS COMBINED

(a) Mississippi river Pools 3 to 9, St. Croix river from the St. Croix Falls dam downstream to Prescott including Lake St. Croix

Continuous

15 in total

No size limit

(b) St. Croix river upstream of the St. Croix Falls dam, St. Louis river

Continuous

25 in total

No size limit

(4g) WHITE AND YELLOW BASS COMBINED

(a) Mississippi river Pools 3 to 9, St. Croix river from the St. Croix Falls dam downstream to Prescott including Lake St. Croix

Continuous

10 in total

No size limit

(b) St. Croix river upstream of the St. Croix Falls dam, St. Louis river

Continuous

25 in total

No size limit

(4m) CRAPPIES, YELLOW PERCH

(a)Mississippi river Pools 3 to 9, St. Croix river from the St. Croix Falls dam downstream to Prescott including Lake St. Croix

Continuous

15 of each

No size limit

(b) St. Croix river upstream of the St. Croix Falls dam, St. Louis river

Continuous

25 of each

No size limit

(4r) ROCK BASS

(a) All boundary waters

Continuous

25 of each

No size limit

(5) CATFISH

(a) St. Louis River and St. Croix river upstream of the St. Croix Falls dam

3. Hook and line

Continuous

10 in aggregate

No size limit

4. Bow and arrow, crossbow

Saturday nearest April 21 to March 1

5 channel, 1 flathead

No size limit

5. By hand

June 1 to August 31

5 channel, 1 flathead

No size limit

(am) St. Croix river from the St. Croix Falls dam down- stream to Prescott

1. Hook and line

Continuous

5 channel, 2 flathead

None except only one channel catfish longer than 24 may be kept and only one flathead catfish longer than 24 may be kept

2. Bow and crossbow

Saturday nearest April 21 to March 1

5 channel, 1 flathead

None except only one channel catfish longer than 24 may be kept and only one flathead catfish longer than 24 may be kept

3. By hand

June 1 to August 31

5 channel, 1 flathead

None except only one channel catfish longer than 24 may be kept and only one flathead catfish longer than 24 may be kept

(b) Mississippi river from Prescott downstream

1. Hook and line

a. Pools 3 to 9

Continuous

10 in aggregate

No size limit, except that only one may be longer than 30

2. Bow and arrow, crossbow

Saturday nearest April 21 to March 1

5 channel, 1 flathead

No size limit

3. By hand

June 1 to August 31

5 channel, 1 flathead

No size limit

(6) BULLHEADS

Continuous

No bag limit

No size limit

(7) LAKE STURGEON

(a) St. Croix river downstream from the dam at St. Croix Falls

First Saturday in September to September 30

1 per season

60 inches

June 16 to Friday preceding the first Saturday in September and October 1 to March 1

0, Catch-and-release only

--

(b) Mississippi river downstream from the Red Wing dam, St. Louis river

June 16 to April 14

0, Catch-and-release only

--

(c) Mississippi river from the Red Wing dam upstream, St. Croix river upstream from the dam at St. Croix Falls (to the dam at Gordon flowage in Douglas county)

June 16 to March 1

0, Catch-and-release only

--

(8) SHOVELNOSE STURGEON

(a) Mississippi river from the Red Wing dam upstream and the St. Croix and St. Louis rivers

June 16 to March 1

0, Catch-and-release only

--

(b) Mississippi river from the Red Wing dam downstream

Continuous

3

No size limit

(9) PADDLEFISH (SPOONBILL CATFISH)

No open season

--

--

(10) ROUGH FISH

Continuous

No bag limit

No size limit

(11) MUSKELLUNGE

(a) St. Croix river, St. Louis river, Mississippi river

Saturday nearest Memorial Day to November 30

1

50 inches

(12) CRAYFISH (29.415-new)

May 1 to March 1

No bag limit

No size limit

(13) TROUT AND SALMON

(a) St. Louis river - see NR 20.20 (16) (g) 1.

(14) OTHER SPECIES

Inland regulations of adjoining counties as contained in ch. NR 20 apply

(15) No person may have in possession or under control more than the daily bag limit of fish or turtles while on the ice, waters, bank or shore of the Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters.
(16) A person may not possess or have under control more than 2 times the daily bag limit of fish, or more than the possession limit of turtles when not on the waters or ice during the open season for each species.

Wis. Admin. Code Department of Natural Resources NR 21.04

Cr. Register, February, 1979, No. 278, eff. 3-1-79; am. (7) (a) and cr. (7) (b), Register, December, 1987, No. 384, eff. 1-1-88; am. (1) (a), renum. (1) (b) to be (1) (c), cr. (1) (b), Register, November, 1988, No. 395, eff. 12-1-88; emerg. am. (2), (3) and (11), eff. 4-25-89; am. (1) (c), (2) to (4) and (11), renum, (13) to (15) to be (14) to (16), cr. (13), Register, December, 1989, No. 408, eff. 1-1-90; am. (7) and (11) (a), Register, February, 1991, No. 421, eff. 3-1-91; am. (2) (d), (3) (c), (7) (b), (8) (a), (11) (a) and (13), Register, December, 1993, No. 456, eff. 1-1-94; am. (11), Register, December, 1996, No. 492, eff. 4-1-97; r. and recr. (15), Register, October, 1998, No. 514, eff. 10-1-98; r. (2) (b), am. (2) (c), Register, January, 1999, No. 517, eff. 4-1-99; am. (1), Register, December, 1999, No. 528, eff. 4-1-00; CR 01-012: am. (2) (a) and (3) (a), Register November 2001 No. 551, eff. 4-1-02; correction in (13) was made under s. 13.93(2m) (b) 7, Stats., Register November 2001 No. 551; CR 04-024: am. (16) Register December 2004 No. 588, eff. 1-1-05; CR 06-011: am. (2) (a) and (d) and (3) (a) Register September 2006 No. 609, eff. 4-1-07; CR 07-014: am. (11) (b) Register January 2008 No. 625, eff. 4-1-08; CR 08-012: am. (7) (a) Register August 2008 No. 632, eff. 1-1-09; CR 10-025: am. (7) (a) Register October 2010 No. 658, eff. 11-1-10.
Amended by, CR 15-023: am. (7) (a), (b), cr. (7) (c), am. (8) (a), (11) (a), r. (11) (b), renum. (13) to (13) (a) and am. Register December 2015 No. 720, eff.4/1/2016
Amended by, CR 19-009: am. (5) (a), cr. (5) (a) 2., 3., am. (5) (b), cr. (5) (b) 2., 3. Register February 2020 No. 770, eff. 3/1/2020
Amended by, CR 19-016: r. and recr. (2) (c), (3), (4), cr. (4g), (4r), am. (5) (b) 1., (8) (b) Register March 2020 No. 771, eff. 4-1-20; CR 19-091: am. (4g) (title), (4r) (title) Register March 2020 No. 771, eff. 4/1/2020
Amended by, CR 21-058: am. (2) (c) 2., r. (3) (b) 2., am. (4), (4g), cr. (4m), r. (5) (b) 1. b. Register March 2022 No. 795, eff. 4/1/2022
Amended by, CR 23-009: am. (2) (a), cr. (2) (b), am. (3) (a), cr. (3) (am), am. (4), (4g), (4m), (5) (a) (intro.), cr. (5) (am) Register February 2024 No. 818, eff. 3/1/2024