What is the possession limit? How does it vary from the bag limit?

Answer: The possession limit is the maximum number of a species that you can control, transport, etc., at any time. It is twice the daily bag limit.

The daily bag limit is the maximum number that you can keep in one day (i.e., 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM) of fishing. Fish not immediately released (i.e., prior to transport) are part of an angler's daily bag limit. An angler may not possess in excess of the daily bag limit for the water while on the waters, banks or shores of that water.

For example, if the daily bag limit for a species is 5, the most you could possess or control (i.e., in your freezer, cooler, vehicle, etc.) would be 10, no matter how many days you fished. Therefore, you could only bring home your possession limit of 10.

Once you reach your limit for a species, you must stop fishing for that species. This includes catch and release.

Exceptions:

• On the Wisconsin/Michigan Boundary waters only one daily bag limit can be possessed.
• The possession limit for the Great Lakes and its tributaries having anadromous trout is twice the daily bag limit.
• On inland waters, the possession limit for trout is 10 of which no more than 5 may be a combined total of brown and rainbow trout.
• On the Lake Winnebago system, the possession limit for flathead catfish from the Lake Winnebago system is 10 until March 31, 2012, when it reverts back to twice the daily bag limit.
• In the ceded territory, no person may exceed a total daily bag limit of 5 walleyes and no person may possess more than the possession limit of 10 walleyes. This enables anglers to fish multiple lakes with reduced bag limits. For example, if you fish a lake in the ceded territory with a bag limit of 3 walleye, you may then go on to a lake with a reduced bag limit and catch and harvest 2 more walleye. Thus, you would remain within the daily bag limit of 5 walleye. The possession limit remains 10 walleye.
• Also in the ceded territory, no person may possess fish on any water in excess of the daily bag limit or under the size limit for that water while fishing. Basically, this allows anglers to transport fish across waters with reduced daily bag lmits as long as they do not stop and fish.

Some waters have bag limits for some species that are less than the bag limits for general inland waters. In these cases, you must follow the bag limits for the specific water. For example, on the Chippewa Flowage, the daily bag limit for panfish from December 1 to March 1 is 15 fish, with the harvest of crappie specifically prohibited. Therefore, from December 1 to March 1, the possession limit for panfish (except for crappie) is two times the daily bag limit or 30 panfish.

Traveling

If you travel through Wisconsin with fish from another state, those fish are not considered part of your Wisconsin possession limit, even if you stop to fish in Wisconsin. However, you must be able to show the fish were from out of state with:

• a valid fishing license from another state, and
• labeled packages of fish with number of fish, angler's name, date and where caught.

Frequently Asked Questions

For additional information on Wisconsin fishing, (e.g., maps, fish consumption advisories), please see our list of Frequently Asked Questions.