The 2025 Hook and Line Sturgeon Season Opens Sept. 6

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds anglers that the 2025 hook and line season for lake sturgeon will be open on certain waters from Sept. 6 through Sept. 30, 2025.

All anglers looking to harvest a lake sturgeon must have their general 2025 fishing license and a valid hook and line lake sturgeon tag. Licenses and tags may be purchased online through Go Wild or from one of our license vendors. All license requirements and regulations apply.

Anglers are reminded that only one sturgeon with a minimum length measurement of 60 inches may be harvested during the season. Anglers who have harvested a lake sturgeon must validate their tag immediately upon harvesting and before moving it.

All harvested sturgeon must be registered at a designated registration station. Please note that most registration stations are not open 24/7, so if anglers plan on harvesting a lake sturgeon outside registration station hours, they must be prepared to keep their fish on ice.

A hook and line sturgeon tag is not required if an angler plans to release the sturgeon they catch in the open season. The DNR urges anglers to practice responsible catch-and-release when releasing any fish they do not wish to keep.

Please note that it is illegal to fish by snagging, foul hooking and attempting to hook fish other than in the mouth. Sturgeon may only be targeted in waters with an open hook and line season, even if anglers intend to release their catch.

Some sturgeon may be tagged near their dorsal fin. Please leave the tag attached to the fish if you release it. Tags provide the DNR with information about movement and growth of lake sturgeon.

If a tagged sturgeon is caught, please submit the following information to the county’s fisheries biologist to help the DNR in future management practices:

• Where the fish was caught (county, waterbody and location)
• The date of the catch
• Tag number, color and material composition of the tag (i.e., metal or plastic)
• Overall fish length

Please leave the tag attached to the fish if you release it.

Anglers can find additional information on the DNR’s inland hook and line sturgeon webpage.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.