# Bass season opens THIS WEEKEND!



## wasilvers (Apr 29, 2010)

In Wisconsin, the bass season opens up this weekend! I have plans at 9am so I have to be done by 8 - but should get a good couple of hours in starting at first light! 

Even though the ramps will be very busy I wish the boat was done already. Since it's in pieces and the motor is off - I'll be limited to bank fishing. But it's ok - last year I found a great little lake that is 90% bank accessible with up to 4 lb bass in it. It gets fished hard, but maybe I'll fool a few. :wink: 

Ohhhh So Excited I can hardly sleep at night!

:fishing2:


----------



## Loggerhead Mike (Apr 29, 2010)

dang didnt know any states had a bass season

tear um up!


----------



## shamoo (Apr 29, 2010)

Good luck my friend


----------



## BaitCaster (Apr 29, 2010)

I still have to wait 7 more weeks!! Pike and Walleye open soon though.


----------



## Quackrstackr (Apr 29, 2010)

Loggerhead Mike said:


> dang didnt know any states had a bass season
> 
> tear um up!



No doubt.

I'm glad that I live where I can catch whatever I want whenever I want to go after them. 
:lol:


----------



## poolie (Apr 29, 2010)

Loggerhead Mike said:


> dang didnt know any states had a bass season
> 
> tear um up!



I had no idea...


----------



## wasilvers (Apr 29, 2010)

The season is actually closed to all gamefish - bass, pike, muskie - etc... about all you can catch are panfish (and walleye during their run)

I bet there are 15-20 other guys there before 6am. It will be nice to wet a line again!


----------



## Quackrstackr (Apr 29, 2010)

So what do they do if you accidentally catch one, take away your birthday? :lol:


----------



## wasilvers (Apr 29, 2010)

Depends on how accidental it is. I talked to the DNR office and their people couldn't help, so they gave me 4 game wardens to call. From the one warden I talked with - catching it on a crappie jig is ok, using a 2 1/2" crankbait will net you one discussion with a judge and a bit less fishing equipment. He was real nice, just didn't want there to be any wiggle room. 

Of course, everytime I went by the local river, I saw guys throwing big bucktails and rapalas for northerns and muskie. I could tell them till I was blue in the face that the season was closed and they'd argue that it wasn't closed there. The wardens had EVEN POSTED SIGNS within 20 feet of them saying it was closed. Sometimes I wish I could give tickets out. :twisted: Once informed, they should have at least looked up the regs to prove their position.


----------



## zerofivenismo (Apr 29, 2010)

Since you already had the game wardens' ph#, you should have tipped them off. I don't go around playing power ranger, but I cannot stand folks who has no regard for fishing regs.


----------



## Quackrstackr (Apr 29, 2010)

Coming from somewhere with thousands of miles of water with no set seasons for catching fish (outside of hand grabbing catfish), this is baffling to me.

They would just have to throw me in jail if they wanted to give me a ticket for accidentally catching a sport fish. Heck, we use crankbaits for crappie around here.


----------



## perchin (Apr 29, 2010)

MI also has season's. Our DNR get pretty frisky round here [-X


----------



## Quackrstackr (Apr 29, 2010)

I don't get it.

Why do they care if you catch them so long as you don't keep them? I could almost see that one.


----------



## wasilvers (Apr 29, 2010)

perchin said:


> MI also has season's. Our DNR get pretty frisky round here [-X



Here too. Once the DNR gave my pastor a ticket for leaning his unloaded shotgun against the car tire while he was getting his gear off (turkey hunting). They have a rule that your gun can not be in or on the car unless it is cased. Stupid rule! So what do I do? Put my $$$ gun down in the dirt or lean it on a tree while I get the case out? What should I do while taking off the climbing treestand? Shuffle the rifle from hand to hand while shedding equipment? Seriously.

I gripe, but do follow the rules as I know them. It has cost me equipment though. I laid my bow down in the grass one day while I was getting geared up. Picked up the bow and a mouse had found it and eaten some of the feathers off my arrows. :evil: A two hour drive up - at least I had my refletching gear along :wink: Also lost a latch to my case in the dark when I stepped on it in the dark/in the snow.


----------



## wasilvers (Apr 29, 2010)

Quackrstackr said:


> I don't get it.
> 
> Why do they care if you catch them so long as you don't keep them? I could almost see that one.



Funny, the north WI regs open up with only catch and release on Saturday. Catchum but don't keepum!


----------



## perchin (Apr 29, 2010)

Quackrstackr said:


> I don't get it.
> 
> Why do they care if you catch them so long as you don't keep them? I could almost see that one.



I'm not sure. Not to sound lame, but I like that there is season's. I wish they would put more regulations and season's on perch and spec's around here, that way the idiots around here wouldn't be able to fish the lakes out of quality fish. I've watched them take 50 4-5" fish on a regular basis..... have called the DNR and they say there is no size limit to panfish, it just erks me is all.


----------



## Loggerhead Mike (Apr 29, 2010)

i feel ya on that

yall just need high mercury level warnings in every lake like we got here that'll keep most people from keeping the fish :wink:


----------



## Quackrstackr (Apr 29, 2010)

That or some size limits.

My local lake has a 15" limit on bass and 10" on crappie. 5 bass per day and 20 crappie.


----------



## wasilvers (Apr 29, 2010)

Quackrstackr said:


> That or some size limits.
> 
> My local lake has a 15" limit on bass and 10" on crappie. 5 bass per day and 20 crappie.


Nice - we have a 14" limit here and some lakes have an 18" limit (so the bass eat the crawdads) Most of the ones I catch are 15-16 inches - and I let them grow up to be bigger next year.

I've seen people take 5 gallon buckets of small panfish home. Then they were there working on their next bucket the next day. Worst was one group who was there 3 days in a row! I didn't go back on day 4 because it would have hurt to bad to see that. 

My bait is bigger than what they were keeping :evil:


----------



## wasilvers (May 1, 2010)

Update - Went out this am and between 2 of us we managed 5 bass! Very good since a front came in last night and it stormed like crazy. Supposed to be a chance of rain to day and more rain tommorrow.

8)


----------



## Quackrstackr (May 1, 2010)

Congrats.

It has been storming here literally since 2 am. I don't know that I have ever seen a thunderstorm that lasted 7 1/2 hours continuously but it looks like more of the same until at least tomorrow afternoon.

So much for any fishing for me on my 2 days off.


----------



## perchin (May 3, 2010)

wasilvers said:


> Quackrstackr said:
> 
> 
> > That or some size limits.
> ...




Yeah.... We have size limits on the bass, but not on panfish, And I strongly beleive there should be.



Quackrstackr said:


> Congrats.
> 
> It has been storming here literally since 2 am. I don't know that I have ever seen a thunderstorm that lasted 7 1/2 hours continuously but it looks like more of the same until at least tomorrow afternoon.
> 
> So much for any fishing for me on my 2 days off.



It rained the entire weekend here to


----------



## stinkynathan (May 11, 2010)

wasilvers said:


> Update - Went out this am and between 2 of us we managed 5 bass! Very good since a front came in last night and it stormed like crazy. Supposed to be a chance of rain to day and more rain tommorrow.
> 
> 8)



I thought the smallie season opens THIS weekend (May 15)?! At least that's what I've been told by a few guys at work.

I guess I may be on the border between the northern and southern zones AND the "ceded territories" (whatever that means).

I'll be headed up to my favorite piece of the Chippewa River for (what I thought was) the opener. If anyone is in the Eau Claire, WI, area, you're welcome to join me. I'll be on the road by 5AM though.

Just checked the WI DNR site.......I definitely could have been smallie fishing the past two weekends.

.......

Offer still stands if anyone wants to go out for the "opener."


----------



## wasilvers (May 12, 2010)

That's an awesome idea. I'm going to tell everyone the opener is June 1st next year. Get all the fishing to myself for a whole month! :LOL2: 

In all seriousness, if should be some decent fishing. If I wasn't going to Texas next week, I'd so be there. But unfortunately there is much to do here still :|


----------



## angry Bob (May 12, 2010)

Well I missed the opener, but I did look at a house that weekend that we ended up buying so it wasn't all bad. I did sneak out last weekend and the fishing was brutal. I only managed a 16" smallie. missed a couple of pike (gladly) and one other bite. My buddy got a couple of small bass, and pike. Air temp was 35 when I got up, and there was frost on the ground and boat cover. Still it was nice to be out on the water again. Very few boats as well. Water temps were 55-57 on Nagawicka. Gonna hit Rock lake this Sat.


----------



## wasilvers (May 12, 2010)

So you were the one boat on Nagawicka...  

I drive by there every Sunday after church. Only saw one boat there last time. I have only tried there 2x - never had anything of size on the line. Maybe this year I'll get a pass and learn the lake.


----------



## angry Bob (May 13, 2010)

It coulda been me.  There was only one other boat at the launch when we got there, and we didn't have much company the whole day. It was pretty nice. The smallie population has exploded on that lake. It used to be they were a rare catch, now they're practically all I see and catch. If you like to bow fish or fish for carp there are some giants in that lake. If I could catch them I'd probably fish for them, but like I told my buddy I think I'd rather try to make a living being a walleye fisherman than try to catch carp. They just don't like me.


----------



## bobberboy (May 13, 2010)

poolie said:


> Loggerhead Mike said:
> 
> 
> > dang didnt know any states had a bass season
> ...



You guys from the South have it made. It's warm, the bass grow all year 'round and no season on them. In MN bass season opens on May 29th.


----------



## wasilvers (May 13, 2010)

Angrybob - If there was one lure to use on smallmouth at Nag, what would it be? Now don't give all your secrets out. I wouldn't be able to try it for about 4 weeks anyway. Just looking for a finger pointing the way. I've only caught 3 smallies, and those were pure accidents - one while perch fishing and 2 in frame park - on the same day. One guy there said he caught 2 16's and an 18 last week under the dam at Frame park. Of course, I can't hook anything - though I had something of size on yesterday for about 2 seconds. It took drag straight out and spit the lure. :evil:


----------



## angry Bob (May 14, 2010)

Day in day out a 4-5" grub on a 3/16 oz. jighead is what I catch most of my smallies on anywhere. When summer kicks in a superfluke on the surface can be deadly. I had great success last fall with a wacky worm so I'll be throwing that alot more this year.


----------



## fishshtick (May 14, 2010)

bobberboy said:


> poolie said:
> 
> 
> > Loggerhead Mike said:
> ...



Maine has had some pretty complicated regulations and season on Bass. Until this year there was an "open-water" season that started May 1 and that was when you could start fish from boat or shore for bass (artificials only and one fish limit). You could catch bass earlier in the year, but you had to do it through the ice. This left a black hole period for a chunck of April when there was basically no way to fish a lake for bass. The laws have now changed on most bass lakes so you can fish them year-round via boat, ice or shore. However, there are still several different bass seasons. From May 1 - June 30 you have to use artificial lures and can only keep one fish (over 10"). From July1-Sept 30 the limit is three fish with only one keeper over 14" and live bait is permitted. From Oct.1 - April 30 its back to one fish but live bait is permitted. You can fish with artificials all you want during any of the seasons and catch-and-release all you want.

It's always been a bit complicated, but I only envy the southern guys when it comes to fishing year round. Otherwise, I have to say that its worth it to have a state that attempts to manage the fisheries conservatively. The bulk of the recreational anglers in Maine have always eaten whatever they catch, and the bass would be decimated without the regs. As it stands we have phenomenal bass fishing up here. You might not think it, given the cold temperatures, but most waters have an average size over 2 lbs (with 3-5 lb fish reasonably common) and if I don't release at least a dozen fish in an afternoon I leave with some serious self doubts. Most tournaments are won with 20 lb+ limits (5 fish total).


----------

