Wisconsin Administrative Code › Department of Natural Resources › NR 1-99 - Fish, Game and Enforcement, Forestry and Recreation › Chapter NR 20 - Fishing: Inland Waters; Outlying Waters › Subchapter IV - Department Authority › Section NR 20.40 - Fishing tournaments

Current through June 24, 2024
(1) APPLICABILITY. This section applies to
				  fishing tournaments on lakes, rivers, the Great Lakes, Wisconsin-Minnesota
				  boundary waters as defined in s.  NR 21.02 (39), Wisconsin-Iowa boundary waters
				  as defined in s.  NR 22.02 (34), and Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters as
				  defined in s.  NR 23.02 (10).
(2)
				  DEFINITIONS. In this section:
(a) "Aquatic
				  invasive species" has the meaning in s.  NR 193.03 (3).
(b) "Aquatic plant" has the meaning in s.
				  30.07 (1) (b), Stats.
(c) "Catch
				  and kill tournament" means a fishing tournament where fish are caught by
				  participants, reduced to their possession, and retained as part of the
				  participant's daily bag limit.
(d)
				  "Catch-hold-release tournament" means a fishing tournament where fish caught by
				  participants are reduced to possession and transported, usually for purposes of
				  recording, and live fish are then released to the water from which they came.
				  This format was previously referred to as a "live-release"
				  tournament.
(dm) "Cull" or
				  "culling" means the practice of releasing a live fish that was held in an
				  angler's possession and replacing it with another fish. Live fish that are
				  released and capable of swimming away under their own power are not considered
				  part of the angler's daily bag limit provided the total number of fish
				  possessed at any one time does not exceed the angler's daily bag limit.
Note: Section 29.403 (1m), Stats., allows culling
					 only during largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing tournaments authorized by
					 the department. An angler must release the fish to be culled without
					 unnecessary delay when keeping a new fish that would otherwise put them over
					 their daily bag limit, and may not resume fishing or other activities until the
					 fish to be culled is first released.
(e) "Fishing tournament" means any organized
				  fishing activity, on any water of the state where competition is the primary
				  purpose, and where incentives, such as money, prizes or points, are
				  awarded.
(f) "Immediate-release
				  tournament" means a fishing tournament where fish caught by participants are
				  not reduced to possession and transported, but are held only long enough for
				  identification and to document length or weight or both, and released to the
				  water from which they came.
(g)
				  "Live well" means a container designed to hold live fish on a boat.
(h) "Off-site weigh-in" means a weigh-in of
				  fish caught in a catch-hold-release tournament at a location that is not on the
				  shoreline or adjacent to the waters listed on the fishing tournament
				  permit.
(i) "Open water fishing"
				  means all fishing that occurs except when ice is used as a platform from which
				  to fish.
(j) "Opening weekend"
				  means the first Saturday and consecutive Sunday in May.
(k) "Organize" means to advance, conduct,
				  direct, establish, promote or otherwise be responsible for the operation of a
				  fishing tournament.
(l) "Organizer"
				  means a person who advances, conducts, directs, establishes, organizes,
				  promotes or otherwise is responsible for the operation of a fishing tournament,
				  but does not include a person who only assists in advertising or publicizing
				  another person's fishing tournament.
(m) "Permitted fishing tournament" means a
				  fishing tournament that requires a permit from the department.
(n) "Permitted fishing tournament boat days"
				  is a measure of tournament fishing pressure for open water permitted fishing
				  tournaments. It is calculated by multiplying the number of boats participating
				  in an open water permitted fishing tournament by the number of days the
				  permitted fishing tournament is held. Any part of a day shall count as one
				  day.
(o) "Person" means any
				  individual, partnership, association, organization or body politic or
				  corporate.
(p) "Possess" for the
				  purposes of this section means to own, control, restrain, transport or keep.
				  Once a fish is possessed, it shall be counted towards the angler's daily bag
				  limit pursuant to s.  NR 20.05 (7). Any of the following conditions constitute
				  possession:
1. Holding a fish out of the water
				  longer than necessary to remove hooks and measure the fish for length, weight
				  or both.
2. Placing a fish into a
				  live well except to revive a fish or to avoid imminent boating
				  danger.
3. Holding a fish at the
				  side of a stationary boat for longer than necessary to register and revive the
				  fish.
4. Resuming fishing by any
				  angler in the boat prior to the release of the fish.
(q) "Prizes" means money or items that are
				  provided to a tournament participant based on their performance in a
				  competitive fishing event. This does not include "raffle" type prizes which are
				  given to tournament participants independent of their performance in the
				  competitive fishing event.
(r)
				  "Traditional fishing tournament" means a fishing tournament that was issued
				  permits 4 out of 5 years from 2004 to 2008, for the same water or waters and
				  time period. Beginning January 1, 2009, traditional fishing tournaments shall
				  continue to be conducted at least 4 out of 5 years for the same waterbody and
				  time period to remain a traditional fishing tournament.
(s) "Weigh-in" means a registration process
				  for catch-hold-release tournaments by which fish are measured and released.
Note: Weigh-ins on certain department-managed
					 properties may require special event authorization from the department,
					 pursuant to ch. NR 45.