Wisconsin Mixed Bag: 2026 fishing season opens Saturday, May 2

Madison – The 2026-27 general inland fishing season will open statewide Saturday, May 2, with several new regulations and season structures now in effect. These changes include:

• The statewide inland trout season opened April 4 and runs through Oct. 15;

•  The muskie season opens Saturday, May 2, on all inland waters. There is no longer a separate season for the Northern Zone. The muskie season structures for the Great Lakes, Green Bay and Michigan/Minnesota boundary waters are unchanged and will open the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

• A catch-and-release season for lake sturgeon will occur on select waters from June 6 through March 7, 2027.

• New lake and species-specific bag and length limits are in place on specific waters across the state (please see regulations).

With more than 15,000 inland lakes, 42,000 miles of perennial streams and rivers, 1,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline and 260 miles of the Mississippi River, anglers will find plenty of places to wet a line over opening weekend and all season long.

All Wisconsin residents and nonresidents age 16 or older must buy a fishing license. Annual resident licenses cost $20 each; a husband/wife license is $31. All licenses and stamps may be purchased online via Go Wild, at a registered sales location or at select DNR offices.

MORE COVERAGE FROM WISCONSIN OUTDOOR NEWS:

Northern Wisconsin muskie season to coincide with May 2 opener

Wisconsin’s Lac du Flambeau tribe bans all walleye, muskie fishing by non-tribal members

USDA to open new Forest Service office in Madison

NRB to meet April 15 in Madison

Madison — The Natural Resources Board (NRB) will meet in-person at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 15, in room G09, State Natural Resources Building (GEF 2), 101 South Webster Street, Madison, to consider emergency rules and action items. Citizens may attend or view the meeting on the DNR’s YouTube channel. In-person public appearances are also allowed.

The board will be considering:

• Request to adopt an emergency rule related to the elk hunting season license drawing;

• Request to adopt an emergency rule related to establishing the 2026-30 migratory bird season framework and regulations;

• Request to approve a scope statement for proposed rules affecting chs. NR 20 and 40, related to changes to the bag and possession limit for round goby on Lake Winnebago system and possession and bag limit for other detrimental species on other waters;

• Request to approve North-Central Forest Regional master plan;

• Request to approve Fish Lake Wildlife Area land acquisition , Burnett County.

The board also will present the Laboratory of the Year and Rebecca Wallace awards, receive a presentation on forest management on DNR lands and an overview of the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) 2026 assessment report.

DNR, CDACs Seek Public Deer Management Feedback Before ’26 Season Framework Set

Madison — The DNR and Citizen Deer Advisory Councils (CDACs) are seeking public feedback on Wisconsin’s deer management, including harvest quotas, season structure and more ahead of the 2026 deer season.

CDACs in northern and central forest zones will make recommendations on their new habitat-based deer units. Unit boundaries in the Northern Forest Zone were changed last year from county lines to create habitat-based deer units. Changes have also occurred to metro subunits in southeastern counties. A map of the 2026 deer units is on the DNR’s deer management web page.

The DNR will bring its recommendations for the 2026 season to the Natural Resources Board for review in June.

Hunters may submit comments online via the CDAC web page on the DNR website. The input period is open through April 12.

Hunters also may attend local CDAC meetings to provide input on deer season details. Meetings include a review of unit data on harvest trends, herd health, deer hunter experience and deer/human conflict issues like crop and property damage. CDAC meetings will take place across the state from April 20-30.

Details, including meeting locations, are available online. Questions about CDACs may be submitted to DNRCDACWebMail@wisconsin.gov.

TU’s Kiap-TU-Wish Free STREAM Girls Event to Visit Rush River in Ellsworth May 16

Ellsworth, Wis. — Join the Kiap-TU-Wish Chapter of Trout Unlimited for a day of fun through the chapter’s STREAM Girls event on the Rush River in Ellsworth. Attendees will learn about cold water ecology while learning to cast a fly rod, tie a fly, scoop up and identify stream insects, calculate the river’s velocity, and more. End the day fly fishing with a volunteer fly fishing guide. No experience is necessary.

Attendees will earn a STREAM Girls patch, learn to tie a fly, make a keychain, and more. STREAM Girls, for girls in grade six through eight, will take place Saturday, May 16, from 8:30 a.m. to
5 p.m., rain or shine, at the Ellsworth Rod & Gun Club, W3930 Hwy. 72, Ellsworth. It’s a free event, with waders, fly materials and fly rods, lunch and snacks provided by the Kiap-TU-Wish TU Chapter.

Email lindaradimecky@kiaptuwish.org or michelebevis@kiaptuwish.org for more information.

WWA State Meeting is April 18 in Brookfield

Wales, Wis. — The Wisconsin Waterfowl Association (WWA) annual state meeting is Saturday, April 18, at the new MeatEater Store in Brookfield. Space is limited. RSVP to WWA Executive Director Brad Heidel at bheidel@wisducks.org for a fun afternoon of conversation, updates, and giveaways.