SECTIONS 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 to 16, 18 to 23, 29, 32, 33, 35, 36, 40, 42, 44, 50, 54, 55, 56, and 57 apply a new standard daily bag limit of 3 in total for walleye, sauger and hybrids for waters with a current daily bag limit of 5 in total to various inland waters of the state.
SECTION 3 creates a new urban fishing pond in the village of Suamico to provide community fishing opportunities.
SECTION 6, 12, and 43 change the walleye regulation for Lake Wissota and associated waters of the lower Chippewa River to a 13-inch minimum length limit and protected slot of 16-24 inches with only one over 24 inches allowed for harvest, and a daily bag limit of 3. The current 14-18-inch protected slot limit is not fulfilling the desired management goals of maintaining a quality size structure of walleyes in these waters.
SECTION 8 reduces the daily bag limit for panfish on Lake Mendota to 10 in total to reduce angling pressure and allow more panfish to survive to larger sizes.
SECTION 11, 37, and 48 modify the trout regulation for Pine, North Pine and Cady creeks in Dunn, Pierce, and St. Croix counties to a daily bag limit of 5 in total for brown and rainbow trout with immediate release of brook trout, and no size limit for brown and rainbow trout, to facilitate greater angler harvest of brown and rainbow trout while preventing further decline of native brook trout in the stream.
SECTION 16 changes the panfish regulation on Blackhawk Lake in Iowa County to a daily bag limit of 10 in total.
SECTIONS 17 and 51 increase the size limit for musky on the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage in Iron and Vilas counties and associated waters to a 50-inch minimum length limit to provide trophy musky fishing opportunities.
SECTIONS 24, 28, and 40 apply a 50-inch minimum length limit for musky to provide trophy musky fishing opportunities to a section of the Wisconsin River that currently is set at the statewide 40-inch length limit.
SECTION 25 establishes a minimum length limit of 18 inches and daily bag limit of one for bass in Wilke Lake, Manitowoc County, to improve the numbers of predatory fish in the lake. This will help maintain a quality bass fishery while increasing predation on overabundant bluegills to provide a balanced panfish fishery with good size structure.
SECTION 26 establishes a 25-35-inch protected slot limit and daily bag limit of 2 for northern pike in Wilke Lake to provide a quality pike fishery with opportunities to harvest both small and large pike while reducing densities of smaller pike.
SECTION 27 utilizes the 18-inch minimum length limit and daily bag limit of 3 regulation for walleye, sauger and hybrids on Wilke Lake to increase the number of walleyes in the lake, which will increase predation pressure on overabundant panfish to help improve the panfish fishery and potentially improve walleye size structure.
SECTION 30 establishes a daily bag limit of 5 with no size limit for northern pike on the White River system in Marquette County to increase harvest opportunities for anglers and provide a consumptive fishery.
SECTION 31 establishes a northern pike regulation of a 25-35-inch protected slot and daily bag limit of 2 for Wood Lake in Marquette County to provide both consumptive and trophy harvest opportunities for pike.
SECTION 34 adds Rost and Westcott lakes in Oconto County to the no minimum length limit and daily bag limit of 5 in total bass regulation to provide harvest opportunity and potentially reduce overabundant bass to improve growth rates.
SECTIONS 38 and 39 change the northern pike regulation for Largon Lake in Polk County to a minimum length limit of 26 inches and a daily bag limit of 2 to maintain a quality size structure while allowing for more angler harvest than the current regulation of a minimum length limit of 32 inches and daily bag limit of 1.
SECTIONS 41 and 49 change the walleye regulation for the Jump River and its tributaries (part of the Lake Wissota regulation change) to a 13-inch minimum length limit and protected slot of 16-24 inches, with only one over 24 inches allowed for harvest, and a daily bag limit of 3. The current 14-18-inch protected slot limit is not fulfilling the desired management goals of maintaining a quality size structure of walleyes in these waters.
SECTION 44 revises the trout regulation on Beaver Creek and a portion of Dell Creek to a daily bag limit of 5 brown and rainbow trout in total with all brook trout being immediately released, and no size limit for brown and rainbow trout, while maintaining the artificial lure-only designation for these waters. This trout regulation would allow harvest of multiple sizes of brown and rainbow trout while protecting native brook trout. This section also corrects the season end date for these waters, which should align with the current statewide Oct. 15 trout harvest season end date for streams.
SECTION 45 establishes a special experimental regulation for northern pike on the Tiger Cat chain of lakes, Spider chain of lakes, the Chippewa Flowage and Lake Chippewa, and the Lac Courte Oreilles chain of lakes, consisting of a daily bag limit of 10 and no size limit. Pike are not native to these waters, and overabundant pike may be excessively competing with muskies in these waters. This regulation is accompanied by a 10-year sunset to compel evaluation of the regulation's efficacy.
SECTION 46 removes Moose Lake in Sawyer County from its current panfish regulation category and switches Island Lake and Osprey Lake in Sawyer County to an alternate year-round (rather than seasonal) experimental regulation of 15 but no more than 5 of each species for panfish, which has greater social support than the seasonal regulation.
SECTION 47 establishes a new experimental panfish regulation for Moose Lake in Sawyer County, consisting of no minimum length limit but only one panfish over 12 inches allowed for harvest, and a daily bag limit of 5 in total. This regulation is being implemented following years of Spring Hearing citizen resolutions in support of a more restrictive panfish regulation that will reduce harvest pressure and maintain a quality size structure for crappies in particular. This regulation is accompanied by a 10-year sunset to compel evaluation of the regulation's efficacy at achieving the management goal.
SECTION 51 sets a minimum length limit of 50 inches and daily bag limit of 1 for musky in Plum Lake in Vilas County and the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage and associated waters in Iron and Vilas counties to provide trophy musky fishing opportunities.
SECTION 52 establishes a daily bag limit of 10 in total for panfish on Turtle Lake in Walworth County to help mitigate periodic pulses of high angler use of the fishery and maintain good panfish fishing opportunities.
SECTION 53 establishes a 50-inch minimum length limit and daily bag limit of one for muskies on Pewaukee, Okauchee, Oconomowoc, and Fowler lakes, Lac LaBelle, and connecting waters between Lac LaBelle and the North Lake inlet, all in Waukesha County. This regulation will improve the trophy musky potential of these waters.
SECTION 54 adds Pearl Lake and the White River system in Waushara County to the pike regulation of a daily bag limit of 5 and no size limit, which will expand consumptive opportunities for pike, and adds Silver Lake in Waushara County to the pike regulation of a daily bag limit of 2 and a 25-35-inch protected slot, which will increase consumptive opportunities for pike and may improve size structure.
SECTION 58 requires small fishing tournaments that are exempt from the tournament permit requirement under s. NR 20.40 to self-register their event with the department. No new permitting requirements will be established for these tournaments at this time. Requiring unpermitted tournaments to register will provide data on the frequency, distribution and general impacts of unpermitted fishing tournaments across the state. SECTION 59 specifies that the walleye, sauger and hybrids regulation of a daily bag limit of 6 in total and 15-inch minimum length limit for walleye, none for sauger will apply only on the upper St. Croix River upstream of the St. Croix Falls Dam (Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters) rather than the river downstream of the dam as well, for which the regulation is being changed in this rule.
SECTION 60 modifies the walleye, sauger and hybrid regulation for the lower St. Croix River from the St. Croix Falls Dam downstream to Prescott (Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters) to a daily bag limit of 4 in total with a minimum length limit of 15 inches for walleye and none for sauger except only one walleye or sauger over 20 inches may be harvested. The aim of this regulation is to reduce overall harvest and distribute harvest over a broader group of anglers, while allowing for increased protection of larger fish. This regulation change is being pursued in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
SECTION 61 specifies that the northern pike regulation of a daily bag limit of 5 and no size limit will apply only to the upper St. Croix River above the St. Croix Falls dam (Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters) rather than the entire St. Croix River.
SECTION 62 reduces the daily bag limit for pike on the St. Croix River from the St. Croix Falls Dam downstream to Prescott (Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters) to three with only one over 30 inches allowed for harvest. This regulation is expected to reduce angler harvest pressure on large pike, and may prevent stock depletion at times of year when pike are under thermal stress. This change is being pursued in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
SECTION 63 specifies that the panfish regulation of a daily bag limit of 25 in total for sunfish and bluegills combined and 25 each for crappies and yellow perch will apply only to the upper St. Croix River upstream of the St. Croix Falls Dam (Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters) rather than the river downstream of the dam as well. This section also reduces the daily bag limit for panfish on the St. Croix River from the St. Croix Falls Dam downstream to Prescott (Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters) to 15 in total for sunfish and bluegills combined and 15 of each for crappies and yellow perch. This new regulation is anticipated to provide a sustainable fishery with high catch rates of quality panfish and may distribute seasonal harvest among a broader group of anglers. This section also lowers the bag limit for white and yellow bass combined on the St. Croix River from the St. Croix Falls Dam downstream to Prescott (Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters) to 10 in total while maintaining the daily bag limit of 25 for rock bass. White bass are an important component of the St. Croix River fish community, and are highly targeted seasonally by anglers that want to harvest fish and anglers that want to catch more quality-sized fish. This regulation is being pursued in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and is consistent with the Mississippi River regulation. This section also limits the white and yellow bass regulation of 25 in total to the upper St. Croix River upstream of the St. Croix Falls Dam (Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters) rather than the regulation applying to the river downstream of the dam as well.
SECTION 64 limits the catfish regulation of a daily bag limit of 10 in total to the upper St. Croix River and St. Louis River (Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters) rather than applying the regulation to the entire St. Croix River boundary waters. The lower St. Croix River catfish regulation will change in SECTION 65.
SECTION 65 changes the catfish regulation on waters of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters) from the St. Croix Falls dam downstream to Prescott to a daily bag limit of 5 for channel catfish and 2 for flathead catfish, and no minimum length limit except only one channel and one flathead catfish over 24 inches may be kept. This regulation may improve the number of trophy-sized fish in the population and would be implemented in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
SECTION 66 establishes a fish refuge on the St. Croix River from the state highway 8 bridge upstream to the St. Croix Falls Dam (Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters) from March 1 to June 15 to protect spawning fish on this segment of the river. This fish refuge is being pursued in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This section also establishes a fish refuge on the Illinois-Fox River from Madison Street in Waukesha upstream to the Barstow Dam from March 1 to May 1, which has been requested by stakeholders to protect spawning game fish and will also simplify law enforcement efforts to protect fish on this section of the river.
6. Summary of, and Comparison with, Existing or Proposed Federal Statutes and Regulations:
No federal regulations apply. States retain management authority over the fish and wildlife resources within state boundaries provided that state regulations do not conflict with regulations established in the Federal Register. None of these rule changes violate or conflict with the provisions established in the Federal Code of Regulations.
7. If Held, Summary of Comments Received During Preliminary Comment Period
and at Public Hearing on the Statement of Scope:
The department was not required to hold a preliminary public hearing on this rule.
8. Comparison with Similar Rules in Adjacent States:
Individual state agencies are responsible for managing fisheries within their state boundaries and each jurisdiction has its own decision-making process. Wisconsin’s approach to fisheries management and regulations are comparable to that of surrounding states. Additionally, Wisconsin works with the natural resources agencies of neighboring states when proposing rules relating to fishing in shared boundary waters. The St. Croix River regulation changes described in this rule are also proposed for the Minnesota side of the river, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will be pursuing their rule change on a similar timeline as Wisconsin.
9. Summary of Factual Data and Analytical Methodologies Used and How Any Related Findings Support the Regulatory Approach Chosen:
With this rule, the department will make changes to certain fish size limits, bag limits, seasons, and other regulations related to fishing in inland, outlying, and boundary waters. Fishing regulations are in place to help meet management goals and objectives for the diverse fish populations in waters of the state. Examples include providing a trophy walleye fishery or a bass fishery that maximizes predation on smaller fishes. New regulations are proposed when management goals have changed or the department must address a critical need, such as a fish population decline.
The regulation proposals included in this rule are based on biological surveys and analyses conducted by fisheries biologists and input from local stakeholders and the Wisconsin Conservation Congress. Department staff specialists in Fisheries Management, Law Enforcement, and Legal Services review all proposals for justification, enforceability, and completeness.
Based on the management goals for individual waters and species, the department strives to provide:
— consumptive opportunities where anglers can fish for a meal from a self-sustained, slow-growing fish population;
