10 opens May 5, but the season does not open north of Highway 10 until May 26. And while southern Wisconsin is open for bass fishing starting opening weekend, anglers need to remember to practice catch and release bass fishing in northern Wisconsin until June 16. The season for trout and salmon is open all year on Lake Michigan, and the season for Lake Anglers can fish for panfish such as bluegill, pumpkinseed, crappie and yellow perch seasons all year. Anglers should enjoy good fishing prospects for all of those species, fisheries biologist say. We are confident that our naturally reproducing walleye waters will provide good fishing and quality size.
Stocked waters provide lesser numbers but often quality-size fish.
Trout anglers should also enjoy good opportunities as a result of improvements in water quality and in habitat along some streams. Water quality and fish population surveys conducted during the past several years have revealed scores of streams and stream stretches across the state that support trout that previously were not known as home to trout. The improvement is particularly apparent in southwestern Wisconsin, which is starting to reap the benefits of a combination of changing land use, longtime erosion controls, habitat improvement projects, and stocking efforts, said fisheries biologists Dave Vetrano. We have 250 miles of streams we're reclassifying this year and probably another 18 streams that will be reclassified in coming years. Fishing for trout and salmon also will be good in the Great Lakes.