Wisconsin is a great state for catching largemouth and smallmouth bass, not just for number of lakes but outstanding management and conservation practices. Excellent fishing is had spring through fall. Where I fish on the inland waters of Vilas, Oneida, Iron, Price, and Forest Counties, I am blessed to have hundreds of lakes and rivers to fish where big bass are caught daily.
Opening day for Wisconsin bass fishing used to be the first Saturday in May, but new regulations allowing a strict catch and release-ONLY spring season, in addition to early ice-out potential, has created new, unique opportunities. During a normal year, the season will run through early November.
Opportunities abound, and as a part-time Wisconsin resident from May through October I’m lucky to have the luxury of patterning many statewide fisheries, and gaining the knowledge for where to go in the northern tier of the state.
SEASONAL CALENDAR
Adapt to the movements and locations of smallmouth bass as the seasons change. This calendar delivers information on a month-by-month basis with likely locations and suggested techniques that best execute results.
SMALLMOUTH STRATEGY
Traditional smallmouth lakes offer deep and cool water. However, the best lakes contain depths of everything from shallow to deep, and somewhere in between.
CATCH AND RELEASE FISHING
Catch and release fishing in Wisconsin’s northwoods has grown popular over the past 20 years. Bass anglers today realize that in order to preserve the sportfish we love, we need to free the fighter.
SMALLMOUTH CONSERVATION
Trophies and world class fisheries don’t establish themselves overnight. It takes up to 20 years, and a lot of annual catch and release, for a lake of average fertility to grow a 20 incher.
WISCONSIN BASS MANAGEMENT PLAN
A single management strategy will not meet the desires of all anglers. Therefore, Wisconsin believes it is important to provide a variety of fishing opportunities by managing groups of waters for specific fishery objectives.
WISCONSIN FISHING REGULATIONS
Fishing regulations are used as a tool to ensure good fishing exists into the future. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources uses different types of fishing regulations for bass management.
SEMINARS AND SCHOOLS
Since 2013, I have given seminars and lectures about fishing, and offered instructional courses to fishing clubs, sport shows and independent organizations throughout the Northern Illinois region, Northern Wisconsin.
