Saturday is the start of the inland fishing season in Wisconsin, and the Department of Natural Resources wants you to be safe out on the water.
Warden Kyle Drake says you should make sure you’ve checked your boat, your gear and the weather before you head out this weekend. “Don’t risk your life just because it’s opening weekend. You’ve got the whole summer to fish, so if something’s not right either with your boat or with the conditions, don’t risk your life just to go fishing.”
Drake says you should keep fishing and drinking as two separate activities. “My recommendation: if you’re fishing, you’re fishing, and if you want to celebrate afterwards and imbibe some alcoholic beverages make sure you’re back someplace safe and sound before you do that.”
Many lakes in the northwoods still have ice, and Drake says you need to be careful and wear your flotation devices.
That ice on the lakes and cold temperatures in general has also delayed fish stocking in many areas. “Weather conditions haven’t allowed us to stock all the fish we planned by the inland opener but we’re working on it as fast as we can,” says Dave Giehtbrock, fish culture leader. “We are waiting for road limits and ice to go off in the north.”
You can find out more about the opening of fishing season online at the Wisconsin DNR’s fishing regulations page.