With the opening of the 2026-27 fishing season less than a month away, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is reminding anglers of the many changes being introduced.
Statewide, the new fishing season will open on Saturday, May 2nd, and along with it will be a large number of new regulations being implemented both locally and statewide.
These statewide changes include the early opening of the inland trout season, muskie season opening on all inland waters on May 2nd, and a catch-and-release season for lake sturgeon on select waters, beginning on June 6th.
However, where the most changes came locally are new lake and species-specific bag and length limits, which must be abided by.
In Manitowoc County, anglers will be subject to 12 newly implemented regulations relating to water body-specific bag and size limits for trout, northern pike, and panfish.
In Sheboygan County, five new rules have been introduced involving trout and panfish; however, Sheboygan is also subject to a countywide rule change.
During the 2026-27 season, motor trolling will now be permitted on all water bodies in Sheboygan County, allowing for three hooks, baits, or lures per person in a boat.
With the new fishing season just three weeks away, the DNR urges all anglers to get up-to-date on all new fishing-related regulation changes, which can be found online by visiting dnr.wisconsin.gov.
