Wisconsin Administrative Code › Department of Natural Resources › NR 1-99 - Fish, Game and Enforcement, Forestry and Recreation › Chapter NR 21 - Wisconsin-Minnesota Boundary Waters › Subchapter I - Sport Fishing › Section NR 21.04 - Sport fishing; seasons and limits

Current through June 24, 2024
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.