NR 20.08 History History: Cr. Register, May, 1999, No. 521, eff. 6-1-99; CR 01-012: am. (2), Register November 2001 No. 551, eff. 4-1-02; emerg. cr. (6) and (7), eff. 11-2-07; CR 07-074: cr. (6) and (7) Register May 2008 No. 629, eff. 6-1-08; CR 10-053: am. (6) (b) Register December 2010 No. 660, eff. 1-1-11; CR 19-091: am. (7) (a), (b) Register March 2020 No. 771, eff. 4-1-20.

NR 20.09 NR 20.09 Spearing restrictions. No person may do any of the following:

NR 20.09(1) (1) Possess or control any bow, crossbow, spear, or similar device while on any water or on the banks or shores of any water that might be used for the purpose of fishing except as specifically authorized in ss. NR 20.10, 20.15 (1m) or 20.20, or ch. NR 21, 22, or 23.

NR 20.09 Note Note: Bows, crossbows, spears, and similar devices may not be possessed or used on some department-managed lands and associated waters regulated under chs. NR 11 and 45.

NR 20.09(2) (2) Use, possess, or control any bow, crossbow, spear, or similar device from sunset to sunrise while on the waters or on the banks or shores of any waters except as authorized in s. NR 20.20, and that a bow and arrow or crossbow may be possessed and used for spearing rough fish, bullheads and catfish from sunset to sunrise during the open season for spearing rough fish.

NR 20.09(3) (3) Spear any game fish except that:

NR 20.09(3)(a) (a) White bass, yellow bass, rock bass, panfish and bullheads may be speared while skin diving or scuba diving during the open season for rough fish spearing on waters specified in s. NR 20.20, provided that the season for white bass, yellow bass, rock bass, panfish and bullheads is also open on the same water. Daily bag limits and size restrictions specified in s. NR 20.20 for white bass, yellow bass, rock bass, panfish and bullheads also apply.

NR 20.09(3)(b) (b) Flathead and channel catfish may be taken with a bow and arrow or crossbow during the open season for taking catfish with a bow and arrow or crossbow on waters specified in s. NR 20.20.

NR 20.09(3)(c) (c) Bullheads may be taken with a bow and arrow or crossbow during the open season for taking bullheads with a bow and arrow or crossbow on waters specified in s. NR 20.20.

NR 20.09(4) (4) Fail to remove any speared fish from the water and dispose of the fish in compliance with s. 287.81 (2), Stats.

NR 20.09 History History: Cr. Register, May, 1999, No. 521, eff. 6-1-99; am. (2), Register, February, 2000, No. 530, eff. 4-1-00; CR 01-012: am. (3), Register November 2001 No. 551, eff. 4-1-02; CR 02-073: am. (2), Register January 2003 No. 565, eff. 2-1-03; CR 04-024: am. (3) Register December 2004 No. 588, eff. 1-1-05; CR 09-051: am. (2) Register June 2010 No. 654, eff. 7-1-10; CR 13-001: am. (1), (2) Register August 2013 No. 692, eff. 9-1-13; CR 13-019: am. (1), (2) Register December 2013 No. 696, eff. 4-1-14; CR 19-009: am. (2), renum. (3) to (3) (intro.) and am., cr. (3) (b), (c) Register February 2020 No. 770, eff. 3-1-20; CR 21-021: am. (1) Register November 2021 No. 791, eff. 4-1-22; correction in (1) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register November 2021 No. 791; CR 21-058: am. (1), (2), cr. (4) Register March 2022 No. 795, eff. 4-1-22; error in transcription corrected in (1) Register March 2022 No. 795.

NR 20.10 NR 20.10 Special lake sturgeon spearing restrictions. No person may do any of the following:

NR 20.10(1) (1) Fish for sturgeon on Lake Winnebago system waters by any means other than spearing with a spear thrown by hand from inside a fishing shelter placed on the ice during the open season specified in s. NR 20.20 (73) (e).

NR 20.10(2) (2) Fish with or possess a fishing pole, hook and line or other similar devices that might be used for the purpose of catching fish within any fishing shelter containing an ice hole larger than 12 inches in diameter or square during the open season for spearing lake sturgeon on waters specified in s. NR 20.20 (73) (e).

NR 20.10(3) (3) Cover holes cut in the ice which are used or maintained for sturgeon spearing pursuant to s. NR 20.11 (2) with a fishing shelter except during the period from 48 hours before and continuing through the open season for lake sturgeon spearing.

NR 20.10(4) (4) Use or possess any artificial light while sturgeon spearing in order to illuminate any waters open to sturgeon spearing during the period beginning 48 hours before and continuing through the open season for lake sturgeon spearing.

NR 20.10(5) (5) Cut, use or maintain holes in the ice larger than 48 square feet for sturgeon spearing pursuant to s. NR 20.11 (2).

NR 20.10(6) (6) Fish for sturgeon during the open season by the method of spearing or possess or control a spear or similar device within a fishing shelter on Lake Winnebago system waters from 12 a.m. until 7 a.m. on opening day, and from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. on opening day and subsequent days.

NR 20.10(7) (7) Fish for lake sturgeon with a spear having a spearhead width greater than 18 inches as measured from the outside edge of one outermost tine to the outside edge of the other outermost tine, excluding barbs, or with tines arranged in any formation other than a single straight line, or both, or possess such a spear during the open season for lake sturgeon.

NR 20.10 Note Note: Barbs are not considered to be part of the tine and may extend beyond 18 inches.

NR 20.10(8) (8) Possess, maintain or control a spear in a sturgeon fishing shelter unless in possession of a valid sturgeon spearing license and unused carcass tag for the waterbody on which that shelter is located.

NR 20.10(9) (9) Spear any fish other than a lake sturgeon, except that during the open sturgeon spearing season when the season for spearing rough fish is closed, a licensed sturgeon spearer may retain or dispose of in compliance with s. 287.81 (2), Stats., any carp taken incidentally while sturgeon spearing under subs. (1) to (8) in the portion of the state open to sturgeon spearing, subject to all of the following requirements:

NR 20.10(9)(a) (a) The person spearing the carp shall be in possession of an unused sturgeon carcass tag for the water and season during which the carp is incidentally harvested.

NR 20.10(9)(b) (b) The person spearing the carp shall be in possession of a valid fishing license, in addition to the sturgeon spearing license, unless exempt from the requirement to possess a fishing license under s. 29.219, Stats.

NR 20.10(9)(c) (c) Any carp speared shall be removed from the water, bank or shore.

NR 20.10 History History: Cr. Register, May, 1999, No. 521, eff. 6-1-99; CR 01-012: am. (4) to (6), (10) and (11), Register November 2001 No. 551, eff. 4-1-02; CR 01-013: cr. (3m) and (3s), Register November 2001 No. 551, eff. 12-1-01; CR 02-014: am. (10), cr. (10m), Register September 2002 No. 561, eff. 10-1-02; CR 03-014: cr. (1m) and (1r) Register November 2003 No. 575, eff. 4-1-04; CR 05-073: am. (1r) and (8) Register January 2006 No. 601, eff. 3-1-06; CR 13-019: am. (10), (10m) Register December 2013 No. 696, eff. 1-1-14; CR 15-014: am. (8), (9) Register December 2015 No. 720, eff. 1-1-16; EmR1613: emerg. am. (4), cr. (4m), am. (5) to (7), cr. (7m), am. (8), (10), (11), cr. (12), eff. 3-12-16; EmR1712: emerg. cr. (7m), eff. 6-17-17; CR 17-061: r. and recr. Register February 2018 No. 746, eff. 3-1-18; CR 17-051: am. (3), am. (3s) [recreated as (5) by CR 17-061], Register March 2018 No. 747 eff. 4-1-18; CR 19-016: cr. (7) Register March 2020 No. 771, eff. 4-1-20; CR 19-016: cr. (7) Register March 2020 No. 771, eff. 4-1-20; CR 19-091: am. (4), (6), cr. (7) Register March 2020 No. 771, eff. 4-1-20; (7), as cr. by CR 19-091, renum. to (8) under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1. Register March 2020 No. 771; CR 21-021: cr. (9) Register November 2021 No. 791, eff. 4-1-22; CR 23-058: am. (7) Register June 2024 No. 822, eff. 7-1-24.

NR 20.105 NR 20.105 Sturgeon spearing licenses.

NR 20.105(1) (1) Upriver lakes license application procedures. Persons applying to spear sturgeon on the upriver lakes shall apply for an upriver lakes sturgeon spearing license as follows:

NR 20.105(1)(a) (a) Application deadlines. All upriver lakes sturgeon spearing license applications shall be received by the date established by the department to be considered for selection.  The annual application deadline date may be no earlier than July 1.