Be Prepared: When You Need Your Paper Fishing License
The snow WILL melt, and we WILL have a great 2018 fishing season. So now is a great time to make sure everyone is following proper licensing requirements before heading out on the water.
In 2016, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources implemented the “Go Wild” program. This replaces the wallet-sized green fishing license from past years. According to Jordan Resop, Conservation Warden- Bureau of Law Enforcement Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources out of Sturgeon Bay, a Go Wild card, driver’s license, PDF on a cell phone, or paper license is required to provide proof of hunting/fishing/trapping license, safety certification, etc.
Any of those forms of proof may be used anywhere in the state except when FISHING (on ice or open water) on any BOUNDARY WATER (i.e. Mississippi, St. Croix, Menominee, Brule, and Montreal Rivers) or OUTLYING WATER (Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, Sawyer’s Harbor, and the Fox River from its mouth up to the dam at De Pere). In these areas, a paper license is required.
Reasons for this:
- If contacted by a warden from a different state, the warden will not be able to determine if the individual has a valid Wisconsin fishing license or not;
- When on outlying waters, cell and radio coverage is often sparse, rendering it impossible to check or “call in” a license status;
- It is not uncommon to contact over 100 fishermen in one day. If the warden does not have cell coverage, he/she has to record names and then spend 1-2hrs at the end of the day checking license statuses;
- Wardens do not stop boats that are trolling. Wardens will parallel the boat and check licenses from a distance while moving. Paper licenses prevent passing wallets, driver’s licenses, or cell phones across the water.
For more information and to apply for a license visit the Wisconsin DNR website here: https://gowild.wi.gov.
