Inland lakes sport fishing season arrives across Wisconsin

SHAWANO COUNTY (WLUK) -- After much anticipation and excitement, the inland lakes sport fishing season is underway.

It's part of "How WI Live" in Wisconsin.

On a quiet Saturday morning, anglers test their luck on Berry Lake. Experts say the 209-acre waterbody located in Menominee and Oconto Counties is known for panfish, largemouth bass and northern pike. Not far away in the Village of Cecil, pickup trucks and trailers fill the parking lot on the east end of Shawano Lake. And on the northern shoreline, at Shawano Lake County Park, Tom Bloomer and his wife Mary Bloomer are heading for the landing there.

"I'm a little bit chilly this morning with the wind. Other than that, it was a nice morning. Slow bite though. Water temperature was a little cold," said Tom Bloomer, Shawano.

Bloomer says he waits for the calendar to make it to the beginning of May.

"We ice fish a lot. And then there was quite a break in between now and then. So excited to get out and try it. Panfish mostly this morning," he said.

Anglers say the 6,200-acre Shawano Lake contains northern pike, panfish, largemouth bass and walleye. Friends Jacob Rasch and Eric Hartig say they had some success on opening day.

"It was kind of slow this morning. It was a little chilly, but we managed a few walleyes," said Eric Hartig, Pewaukee.

"It's tradition. It's always something we do every year," he said.

"Pretty good. I think we got a total of 10 fish. It's just the start of the season, and it's kind of tradition to come out here and fish, now that everything's open up," said Jacob Rasch, Pewaukee.

The inland lakes sport fishing season runs through March 31, 2026.

According to the Department of Natural Resources, over the course of the year, an estimated 1.3 million licensed anglers are expected to participate.