Wisconsin inland fishing opener set for May 4 (2024)

SOUTH RANGE — An early ice-out on lakes and walleyes that have already spawned and should be ready to bite should mean a pretty good Wisconsin general fishing opener May 4.

Fishing and keeping walleyes, largemouth bass and pike begins at 12:01 a.m. that Saturday and by all accounts — depending, of course, on the weather — anglers should see decent fishing.

Water temperatures may be warmer than a few recent years when ice-out by the opener was in question. But the cool nights lately have not allowed the temperatures to rise rapidly. Moreover, while recent rains have helped, many lakes remain well below normal for water levels.

That could make some boat landings more difficult and may impact where the fish are hiding.

Jarrid Houston, the News Tribune’s fishing columnist from South Range, says this year's opener may be a bit of a “wild card.”

“Walleyes should still be doing the usual routine of lolling around the usual spring spots. I like river inlets/outlets and shallow rock shorelines,’’ Houston said. “Fishing shallow in the early morning and later evenings, and deeper in the midday, will be the way to go.”

John Myers / File / Duluth Media Group

As for how to fish, Houston says to go with the typical live bait slowly dragged over 10-foot breaks. A little wind helps break up the surface light penetration, making fishing shallower easier.

“My favorite spring colors are gold shiner, fire tiger or sunrise,’’ Houston said.

Don’t forget your new 2024-25 license. Kids 15 and under fish free every day, as well as anglers born before 1927 and active-duty military on furlough or leave who are Wisconsin residents. All Wisconsin residents and nonresidents age 16 are required to purchase a fishing license. Anglers can buy licenses through Go Wild, the DNR’s license portal, at gowild.wi.gov.

New this year is a registration requirement for small fishing tournaments, such as those held by clubs and organizations. The DNR is trying to get a handle on how many of these take place across the state. More information is available at dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/tournaments.

Wisconsin also has a new, statewide, three-walleye daily limit on all lakes and rivers, unless those waters already have a lesser limit. The three-walleye rule already has been in effect in northern Wisconsin for several years but has been expanded statewide. Lakes and rivers with special regulations, including the St. Louis River, will keep their old limit.

There are also bag and length limit changes for several fish species in the following counties: Sawyer, Iron, Price, Rusk, Brown, Chippewa, Dane, Dunn, Eau Claire, Iowa, Iron, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marquette, Oconto, Pierce, Polk, Portage, St. Croix, Taylor, Vilas, Walworth, Waukesha and Waushara. You can find the details at dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/fishing/regulations.

As anglers head out to their favorite fishing spots, the DNR reminds them to:

• Minimize the spread of aquatic invasive species by removing plants and all fish and bait from their boat before and after launching, draining all water from compartments and never moving live fish away from any waterbody. All fishing equipment, including boats, trailers, boots, waders, nets and float tubes, should be thoroughly cleaned and dried completely before being used again in a different lake or river.
• Practice responsible catch and release if they are letting their catch go. Keep the fish in the water as much as possible, release quickly and handle the fish gently, never touching it near eyes or gills.
• Wear a life jacket.

Wisconsin has more than 15,000 inland lakes, 42,000 miles of perennial streams and rivers, 1,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline and 260 miles of the Mississippi River.

Find new places to fish, boat launches and other fishing information at dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/anglereducation/wheretofish.

John Myers reports on the outdoors, natural resources and the environment for the Duluth News Tribune. You can reach him at jmyers@duluthnews.com.