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Fishing and Business Permits

These permits and licenses (e.g., stocking permits, waterway and wetland permits, fishing licenses) are either administered directly by our DNR staff or in other cases administered by DNR Customer Service Representatives.

Bait Dealer License - required of any person who buys for resale, barters, gives or sells bait (Wisconsin residents only)

Wild Bait Harvest Permit - for licensed bait dealers who harvest live bait from state waters for sale to retail or wholesale distributors

Tournament Fishing Permit - required to hold a fishing tournament in waters of the state

Fish Farms - permits for everything fish farming

Fish Stocking Permit - required to stock or plant fish, including fish eggs, in waters of the state

Fish Transport Permit - authorizes possession and transport of live commercial and rough fish

Setline, Set and Bankpole Licenses - required to harvest fish by these three gear

Sport Trolling and Guide Licenses - only licensed fishing guides and sports trollers may guide anglers for any compensation

Fish Habitat and Waterway Permits - permits required to complete projects in or near a waterway or wetland

Bait Dealer License

A bait dealer license is required of any person who buys for resale, barters, gives or sells bait. Only residents of Wisconsin can be issued a bait dealer license.

License Types
Class A Bait Dealer License: allows a resident to buy for resale, barter, give or sell bait to the amount of $2,000 or more each year.

Class B Bait Dealer License: allows a resident to buy for resale, barter, give or sell bait to the amount of less than $2,000 each year


Wild Bait Harvest Permit

The wild bait harvest permit is for licensed bait dealers who harvest live bait from state waters for sale to retail or wholesale distributors.

If you collect minnows for your own use or crayfish for consumption, you can do this without a permit, as long as the minnows are only used on the water where they were collected and are never moved live from the harvesting water.


Tournament Fishing Permit

The DNR has established limits on the size and number of tournaments on some lakes and rivers to minimize concerns such as crowding, the spread of invasive species, and indirect fish mortality.

Additionally, an application fee is required to cover the increasing cost of implementing the tournament fishing program.


Fish Farms

Based on the way you plan to operate your aquaculture facility or fish farm ponds, you may need to apply for certain permits from the DNR.


Fish Stocking Permit

A permit is required to stock or plant fish, including fish eggs, in waters of the state


Fish Transport Permit

The Possession, Transport, and Transfer of Live Fish General Permit authorizes possession and transport of live commercial and rough fish.

This general permit is available to anyone with a current commercial fishing license, wholesale fish dealer license, or rough fish contract who possesses or transports live fish. There is no fee for the permit.


Setline, Set and Bankpole

Set or bank pole and setline licenses can be purchased from either a DNR Service Center or at selected vendors.

Set or Bank Pole
A set or bank pole license authorizes the use of up to 5 set or bank poles. Set or bank pole licenses are $3.00 and include 5 tags.

Setline
A setline is a staked line equipped with no more than 25 hooks. A setline license authorizes the use of one setline. A setline license is $11.00 for license and 25 cents for the tag.

Commercial
Commercial fishing licenses include commercial net licenses and setline but not set or bank pole licenses.

More information can be found in the setline, set and bank pole regulations [PDF 174KB]


Sport Trolling and Guide

Only licensed fishing guides and sport trollers may guide anglers for any compensation.

Guide License
Guide license fee is $40 for a resident and $100 for a nonresident.

Sport Trolling License
Sport trolling licenses are required for guiding any person in sport trolling for trout or salmon on any outlying water of lakes Superior and Michigan and Green Bay. Sport trolling license fee is $100 for a resident and $400 for a nonresident.

  • Application materials for sport trolling can be obtained by calling 1-888-936-7463 or 608-266-2621.

Fish Habitat and Waterway Permits

Step by step instructions regarding the permits required to complete projects in or near a waterway or wetland.

Last Revised: Thursday September 22 2011