NR 20.03(39m) (39m) “Total daily bag limit” specified in s. NR 20.18 means the maximum number of fish that may be reduced to a person’s possession in one day from all waters or portions of waters fished that day.

NR 20.03(39t) (39t) “Treble hook” means three evenly spaced hooks joined by a common shaft to form one hook with three points.

NR 20.03(40) (40) “Troll” or “trolling” means fishing by trailing any lure, bait or similar device that may be used to attract or catch fish from a boat propelled by a means other than drifting, pedaling, paddling, or rowing. Casting and immediate retrieval of a bait, lure or similar device while the motor is running or position fishing is not trolling.

NR 20.03(41) (41) “Trout stream” means those waters or portions of waters designated by the department pursuant to s. NR 1.02 (7).

NR 20.03 Note Note: Copy available for review at the Bureau of Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection, Department of Natural Resources, 101 S. Webster Street, P.O. Box 7921, Madison WI 53707.

NR 20.03(42) (42) “Unattended line” means a fishing line to which the person using the line is not actively directing his or her attention and, during open water, any line that is more than 100 yards from the person using the line.

NR 20.03(42m) (42m) “Upriver lakes” means Lakes Butte des Morts, Winneconne and Poygan.

NR 20.03(43) (43) “Yellowstone lake” means Yellowstone lake and the Yellowstone river from Yellowstone lake upstream to county highway F.

NR 20.03 History History: Cr. Register, May, 1999, No. 521, eff. 6-1-99; cr. (28m), Register, December, 1999, No. 528, eff. 4-1-00; am. (18), Register, September, 2000, No. 537, eff. 4-1-01; CR 01-012: am. (17), (19), (22) and (42), cr. (37m) and (43); CR 01-013: am. (31), Register November 2001 No. 551, eff. 4-1-02; CR 02-014: am. (42), Register September 2002 No. 561, eff. 4-1-03; CR 04-024: am. (8) and (41), r. and recr. (31), cr. (39m) Register December 2004 No. 588, eff. 1-1-05; CR 05-073: cr. (42m) Register January 2006 No. 601, eff. 3-1-06; correction in (28m) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register March 2006 No. 603; CR 06-011: cr. (37t) Register September 2006 No. 609, eff. 4-1-07; CR 07-014: cr. (37w) Register January 2008 No. 625, eff. 4-1-08; emerg. cr. (19g) and (19r), eff. 11-2-07; CR 07-074: cr. (19g) and (19r) Register May 2008 No. 629, eff. 6-1-08; CR 08-010: cr. (19m), r. (31) (c) Register November 2008 No. 635, eff. 4-1-09; CR 09-051: am. (31) (a) Register June 2010 No. 654, eff. 7-1-10; CR 11-006: cr. (6m), (31m), (39t) Register October 2011 No. 670, eff. 4-1-12; CR 13-001: cr. (31) (h) Register August 2013 No. 692, eff. 9-1-13; CR 14-129: am. (40) Register June 2015 No. 714, eff. 7-1-15; CR 15-023: am. (18), (31) (a) Register December 2015 No. 720, eff. 4-1-16; CR 17-061: r. (4), (7) Register February 2018 No. 746, eff. 3-1-18; CR 19-091: am. (18) Register March 2020 No. 771, eff. 4-1-20; CR 21-021: cr. (6g) Register November 2021 No. 791, eff. 4-1-22; CR 21-058: am. (3), (18), renum. (19m) to (19d), cr. (20m), renum. (31) (intro.) to (31) and am., r. (31) (a) to (h), am. (37m), (38) Register March 2022 No. 795, eff. 4-1-22; correction in (38) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register March 2022 No. 795; CR 23-053: cr. (10m) Register April 2024 No. 820, eff. 5-1-24; CR 23-058: am. (15), (21) Register June 2024 No. 822, eff. 7-1-24.

subch. II of ch. NR 20 Subchapter II — Prohibited Methods

NR 20.05 NR 20.05 General restrictions. No person may do any of the following:

NR 20.05(1) (1) Fish by any means other than hook and line except as specifically authorized in this chapter or chs. NR 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25.

NR 20.05(2) (2) Possess or control any firearm, gun or similar device at any time while on the waters, banks or shores that might be used for the purpose of fishing.

NR 20.05 Note Note: On December 17, 2024, the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) adopted a motion under s. 227.26 (2) (d), Stats., that suspended s. NR 20.05 (2). Pursuant to s. 227.26 (2) (f), Stats., JCRAR took executive action to introduce 2023 LRB−6262/1 and LRB−6261/1 in the Senate and Assembly, in support of the JCRAR suspension.

NR 20.05(3) (3) Fish within 200 feet of any fishway, lock, or dam by any means other than by hook and line in the inland waters, except as authorized under s. NR 20.15 (1) and (1m).

NR 20.05(4) (4) Fish for any species of fish at any time other than during the open season for that species of fish.

NR 20.05(5) (5) Fish for any variety of fish in trout streams other than during the open season for trout except that rough fish may be taken by hand.

NR 20.05(5m) (5m) Take catfish by hand with the aid of or while in possession of artificial nests or spawning boxes, ropes, gaffes, hooks, grapples or similar equipment for snagging catfish, or breathing devices including snorkeling or scuba gear.

NR 20.05(6) (6) Fish for, possess or control fish in excess of the daily bag limit authorized in s. NR 20.20 for that water while on the waters, banks or shores of waters or while fishing except as authorized on specific waters by s. NR 20.35 or 20.36 and minnows described in s. NR 19.05 (3) (e) or (f).

NR 20.05(7) (7) Except for minnows purchased from a Wisconsin bait dealer, possess or control fish unless they are included as part of the daily bag limit. Fish that are not released immediately shall be included as part of the daily bag limit.

NR 20.05(8) (8) Possess or control any fish in excess of the possession limit at any time.

NR 20.05(9) (9) Possess or control fish of any size other than that authorized by the size restriction.

NR 20.05(10) (10) Use, attach or implant a telemetry device on or into a fish.

NR 20.05(11) (11) Raise, remove or otherwise tamper with another person’s commercial fishing gear set in any water without permission from the licensed user. This restriction does not apply to agents of the department.

NR 20.05(12) (12) Use, possess, control, set or place in any water any live box, or similar device that might be used for the keeping of fish unless a tag of permanent material bearing the name and address or department customer identification number of the owner or user is securely attached and is readable and legible.

NR 20.05 Note Note: This restriction does not apply to receptacles carried by the angler to contain fish while fishing.

NR 20.05(13) (13) Sponsor a fishing tournament unless a permit has been obtained from the department pursuant to s. NR 20.40.

NR 20.05(14) (14) Capture, tag, mark or attach any object and release wild fish unless issued a permit by the department pursuant to s. NR 19.11, or by specific written authorization from the department to capture, tag and immediately release fish from the wild using lawful methods for the purposes of a fishing contest, including contests authorized under a fishing tournament permit in s. NR 20.40 (10) (h) 2. c.

NR 20.05(15) (15) Possess or control any fish in excess of the total daily bag limit each day.