Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations

05/10/2026

05/07/2026

05/07/2026

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04/25/2026

04/25/2026

New for 2026!!!!!!!!!!

Youth division - Youth division participants cannot be older than 17 years old by July 11th, 2026 at 12:00 AM CST. (This changes from 15 years of age).

Youth division- 2026 Salmon-A-Rama will have a seperate Perch division for those participating in the youth divisions.

Big 5- For Boat Division registrants, eligible fish must be caught and registered from the boat that has the Big 5 registration only.

Charter boats registering for the BIG 5, Fish must be registered by the client that caught the fish to be eligible for the BIG 5.

Random side cutting will be taking place at all weigh in ports.

Affidavits will be randomly given to all participants throughout the event.

Special Boat Tickets. The Special Boat ticket includes Captain of registered boat, and 8 additional tickets. All anglers aboard that vessel must be issued a ticket prior to leaving launch. The ticket once activated is good for entire event by angler appointed to that ticket regardless of which boat they may fish from.

04/25/2026

04/25/2026

Fish calls that go "thump" (Secret #6)

This one sounds a bit weird, but given the source, and the fact that I have seen homemade “thumpers” used on the water with good success, I no longer doubt it, at least in some scenarios. Buck Perry also wrote of “thumping” the boat or making noise so the fish knew you were around and started looking. The tip comes from Paul Johnson who was Berkley’s director of research and development for nineteen years. It was featured in his 1984 book, “The Scientific Angler.”

✅ This secret is one I discovered quite by accident, while my son and I were out recovering lost lures for fishermen on a popular reef. Huge boulders in the reef area made it a perfect holding area for a variety of species, but it was also difficult to fish without getting hung up.

✅ On one particular day the lake was calm. As we swam around a boulder we spotted a yellow object that we then saw was a cut-off mushroom anchor. At first it looked much bigger than it really was, but then everything looks one-third larger underwater. The anchor must have weighed a full ten pounds, and the dive boat seemed a hundred miles away.

✅ We started back with our treasure, which grew heavier as we moved along. Finally, all I could do was pick it up, swim a few kicks, then drop it back to the bottom. After about the fourth thump we noticed that we were being surrounded by fish, whereas up until then we had seen nothing.

✅ Bass, walleyes, and even a muskie came flashing across to see who was making all the commotion. Whenever the fish left I thumped again, and again they returned.

✅ Remembering this tidbit, I tried the same tactic the next time my son and I were out fishing. The action was slow, so I reached over and grabbed the anchor line, then thumped the mushroom anchor on the bottom, fifteen feet below the boat. Within minutes we had our first fish.

✅ About every fifteen minutes thereafter I repeated the thumping. This trick seems to work best when you give just a few thumps, spaced a half minute apart rather than in a steady tom-tom beat.

“The Scientific Angler.” Paul Johnson, 1984
Illustrator, SCOTT ZOELLICK

04/25/2026

Wednesday Wisdom — Finding warm shallow sun baked water usually results in a bent rod. So many fish species seek out warm shallows during the early spring. If you see minnows, you’re also usually on the money. Birds, too. This dandy pike was one of many that I hooked up with yesterday. 👌

04/24/2026

You may see more walleyes with a green, yellow or red floy tag (like the one pictured) if you are fishing in the Bay of Green Bay and its tributaries this spring.

Together with Walleyes for Tomorrow, the Wisconsin DNR will continue the walleye reward tag study in the Bay of Green Bay and its major tributaries. This tagging study, which started in 2024, encourages anglers to report their catches of tagged walleye and gives fish biologists a better understanding of current angler harvest and walleye movement patterns in Green Bay.

When you report a tagged walleye, you’ll learn the history of DNR encounters with that fish, including the date, location, size, s*x and possibly age at the time of tagging. Plus, if you report catching a walleye with a red tag that is currently valid and can provide proper verification of the tag, you can collect a $100 reward!

So, how do you verify that you caught a walleye with a reward tag?

Either present the physical tag to the DNR if the walleye is harvested, or take a close-up picture of the tag, including the three-digit tag number and a picture of the angler holding the walleye with the reward tag attached to the walleye if the walleye is released. Please leave the tag attached if the walleye is released.

All tagged fish can be reported by emailing [email protected], calling 920-662-5411 or mailing the tag to :
ATTN: Fish Biologist
2984 Shawano Ave.
Green Bay, WI 54313

Please include the tag number, tag color, species, length, location caught, date caught and if the fish harvested or released.

Keep in mind that all fishing regulations and bag limits must still be met in order to harvest a walleye.

Learn more about this program on our website: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/newsroom/release/122016