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Daily bag and total daily bag limits

Fishing Wisconsin

Daily bag limit

The daily bag limit is the maximum number of fish that an angler may reduce to his/her possession from a specified waterbody or a portion of a waterbody in one day.

Total daily bag limit

The total daily bag limit is the maximum number of fish that an angler may reduce to his/her possession in one day from all waters or portions of waters fished for that day.

An angler may combine the catch of a particular species from multiple lakes until the total daily bag limit is reached as long as the daily bag limit for each body of water is never exceeded. Be aware that while on the water you may not possess more than the daily limit for that body of water. For example, an angler catches a daily limit of walleye from a three-bag limit lake. The angler can not then go to another lake with a two-walleye limit while still possessing the three fish from the previous lake.

Total daily bag limits for Wisconsin fish species
Species Total daily bag limit
Catfish 25 in total, of which only 1 may be flathead catfish from the Lake Winnebago system
Cisco (lake herring), whitefish, and hybrids
Inland waters
Outlying waters

10 in total
10 in total
Lake sturgeon 1 per season
Largemouth and smallmouth bass 5 in total
Muskellunge 1
Northern pike
All waters north of U.S. Hwy 10
All waters south of U.S. Hwy 10

5 in total
2 in total
Panfish (bluegill, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, white and black crappie) 25 in total
Rock, white, and yellow bass and bullheads No Limit
Ruffe, white perch, and gobies 0 but one of each may be killed and possessed for immediate delivery to a DNR Service Center or regional office.
Shovelnose sturgeon 3
Walleye, sauger, and hybrids 5 in total