‘People just want to go’: Game wardens urge caution ahead of Wisconsin fishing season opener
OCONTO FALLS, Wis. (WFRV) – With the 2024 fishing season opener on Saturday for inland lakes, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources game wardens are urging caution and other reminders to all boaters on the water, whether they are fishing or participating in other recreation.
“People are just itching to get out. And whether or not the fishing is good on opening day really doesn’t matter, people just want to go,” Lt. Warden Chris Bartelt said. “Keep me and the other wardens happy and get your fishing license. Everybody 16 years of age and older in the state of Wisconsin needs to have a fishing license.”
The wardens know that accidents have the potential to rise this weekend with a high volume of boat traffic.
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“Recreational boaters and anglers out there want to be on the same body of water so there’s more traffic, which obviously can lead to more accidents,” Warden Gaven Brault said. “Be courteous of each other, you both have the right to be out there. Know the rules of what you’re doing versus fishing and rec boating, there are different rules about distances and whatnot.”
In addition to giving other boaters enough space, driving sober, wearing life jackets and letting someone know where you are going and how long you will be gone for are necessary safety steps to take.
“When you look at our boating fatalities each year in the state, the number of individuals that don’t wear life jackets always rise to the top of the list. Just wearing a life jacket, you go a long way to protect yourself on the water,” Bartelt said. “Let somebody know what time you’re going to be home, so if something happens whether it’s you run out of gas, your motor breaks down or something more catastrophic, we know where to start looking.”
The wardens say that too often, boaters forget to pack their life jackets at the start of the season, as well as to check that all other safety features are operational.
“Make sure that you have all your equipment back in it from storage from the winter, such as life jackets or PFDs,” Brault said. “Your boat lights and navigation lights are working, and your boat works in itself, the motor.”
Besides protecting yourself and others on the water, there are actions that anglers can take to protect fish and aquatic plants.
“If you’re going to practice catch and release, please do so responsibly, try to get those fish back into the water as soon as you can,” Bartelt said. And to prevent the spread of invasive species, “before you put your boat in and after you take your boat out, look for any weeds on your trailer, on your prop. If you’ve got any live wells, make sure those are drained.”
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Having a license for this year and a regulations pamphlet are necessities to ensure that you are complying with the law.
“Read through it, so that when you’re on that body of water you know exactly what the rules and regulations are for what species of fish you’re allowed to catch and keep,” Brault said. “People forgetting to purchase a fishing license, those have been available for a few months now. So make sure you got your up-to-date and current fishing license before you go out and you carry it with you.”
The most significant regulation change for the 2024 season is that the bag limit for walleye has been lowered from five to three.
