Wisconsin fishing season opens Saturday

By RALPH ANSAMI

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Unlike other recent fishing openers where large snowflakes greeted fishermen, Saturday's weather looks good in northern Wisconsin.

It won't be quite as warm as today's 80-degree predicted temperature, with readings in the low 60s, but snowsuits won't be required, either.

Fishermen will head to their favorite streams and lakes and they have hundreds of choices in northern Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has been conducting spring survey work on lakes and rivers and is turning up some interesting information on walleyes, bass, northern pike, panfish, trout, muskies and catfish.

"Opening weekend action for bass should be good if water temperatures rise another couple degrees. For panfish, perch have their completed spring spawning period and their ribbons of eggs can be seen along shore in two to five feet of water," said Skip Sommerfeldt, DNR senior fisheries biologist at Park Falls.

"Crappies are about a week or two away from starting their spawning activity, while bluegills and pumpkinseeds are about three to four weeks away. Some nice crappies and bluegills have been showing up in the shallow, warmer bays and action should be fair to good on opening weekend," Sommerfeldt said. He added that mayfly nymphs have been seen on many waters, "so that may be a clue as to the type of lure to use small spinners, as well as the usual worms and nightcrawlers."

Justine Hasz, DNR fisheries director, said an estimated 1.2 million anglers in the state will produce a $2.3 billion economic impact, according to the American Sportfishing Association. Wisconsin offers 15,000 lakes, rivers and 13,000 miles of trout streams.

Walleyes continue to be an important target for anglers and since 2013, the Wisconsin Walleye Initiative has worked to rebuild and enhance populations.

In 2015, Wisconsin stocked 760,000 extended growth walleyes, eclipsing the 2014 record of 720,000. For 2016, DNR intends to stock around 827,000 of the six- to eight-inch fingerlings, including 229,000 fish from private and tribal fish farms and 598,000 from DNR hatcheries.

In the Gile Flowage, near Hurley, walleyes can be caught from shore in the spring, as they enter shallower water for spawning. Walleyes don't need to be stocked in the flowage, as natural reproduction sustains a healthy population that also provides ice fishing action.

This year, the ice has been out at the Gile Flowage for about two weeks.

New regulations

Smallmouth bass fishing will be catch-and-release only through the third Saturday in June.

On the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage near Mercer, five bass may be kept this year, either all under 14 inches or four under 14 and one over 18. Previously, the limit was two bass over 15 inches.

Look for the new regulations there to be posted at the boat landings.

Trout opportunities

This year Wisconsin trout anglers will find 14 streams with upgraded classifications, as well as 27 that for the first time have been documented as sustaining trout populations. Six of the newly classified streams have earned the coveted Class 1 designation.

New to anglers will be simplified trout regulations designed to create more uniformity for anglers who fish on different trout streams and within small geographic areas. Under the new system, maps online and in the regulation pamphlet will indicate one of three regulations:

-Green means go fish, with no length limit, a bag limit of five fish and no bait restrictions.

-Yellow means caution, with an eight-inch length limit, a bag limit of three fish and no bait restrictions.

-Red means special regulations are in place. Anglers are advised to stop and understand the regulations before fishing.

Anglers targeting panfish also will find new, experimental bag limits on high potential lakes capable of producing large fish.

New license system

A new Go Wild licensing system is in effect, with mixed reviews. It allows several new ways to display proof of the license purchase including use of a personal conservation card, driver's license and pdf display on mobile devices. Anglers fishing in boundary waters must use the paper print-outs, however, as law enforcement officials in surrounding states do not have access to the Wisconsin database.

Fishermen are advised to keep the thin paper print-outs covered because if they become wet, the print will smudge.

Wisconsin residents and non-residents 16 or older need a fishing license. Residents born before Jan. 1, 1927, do not need a license and resident members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty are entitled to obtain a free fishing license when on furlough or leave.

A one-day license is $8 for residents and $10 for non-residents.