I ran into an old friend yesterday who now lives in Port Washington, WI on the big lake. He has a boat on the lake, we talked about going fishing this fall. Question is, can two MN res 7yr olds fish without a WI license? Does Dad need one to cover the boys even if I don’t plan to fish (the boys keep me busy)? Thanks, almost 5 oclock!
i think im right but im not sure… you all 3 need to have 1. when i was 12 and lived in kenosha i had to get a lisence to get a trout stamp so i could keep fish… someone chime in if im wrong. i cant remember
I believe kids under 12 dont need one resident or not. Any adult handling rods will definitely want one. Dan
Czech,
Your kids won’t need a license. You don’t either if your not fishing. I don’t think your suppose to help them with anything if you don’t have a license though.
Quote:
Nonresidents who are 16 years old or older need a nonresident fishing license to fish in Wisconsin waters with hook and line. Nonresidents need a fishing license to take rough fish by hand, hook and line, or to spear fish where allowed. Nonresidents also need a fishing license to take smelt, spear fish, or to take rough fish and minnows using nets, traps, and seines of legal size. Nonresidents may not sell minnows or smelt. (Obtain the 2009–2010 Guide to Wisconsin Spearing, Netting, and Bait Harvest Regulations for additional regulations).
Sorry if your under 16 you don’t need one. If you have any concerns check out the WisDNR website or give them a call. Dan
huh maybe my dad just made me get one when we lived there so i could keep fish. thats the only thing i can think of now
Thanks gang. That brings up another question! If we do take some home, do we need a license to transport? Man is the clock going slow today….
If I remember right, although they can fish without a lisense, they need a lisense if they want to keep any fish.
Quote:
If I remember right, although they can fish without a lisense, they need a lisense if they want to keep any fish.
I don’t think this is correct, but this gets to be a very sticky topic.. Call or online chat with the DNR before you make any final decisions. Being that its the great lakes, I’m not sure where the trout/salmon stamp comes into play. I would chat with them, and then save/print your chat in case there are and problems with the warden. Wouldn’t hurt to call and talk personally to the CO in that area just to avoid confusion.
I believe that kids under 16 don’t need a license… However, if you help them reel one in, fight one, whatever, then you better have a license. I think that minors without a license may keep a limit, but you can’t really help at all in catching that limit. I asked the same question to my local CO… Sort of a judgement call, especially with young kids… whose fish it is depends on who reeled it in, and that can get fuzzy when adults help young kids. Wouldn’t hurt to get your own license, then you can fish, too. Fishing is often phenominal on Lake Michigan… you might want to reel in a few of those big salmon!!
go to this site and chat with your questions. very helpuful, very fast usually. they can give you the CO’s phone number if you want to contact them.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/chat/
Mike
Quote:
If I remember right, although they can fish without a lisense, they need a lisense if they want to keep any fish.
I think this is incorrect. You don’t need a license to keep a fish in Wisconsin. I skimmed through the Wi regulations and didn’t see anything stating this. Your statement above would mean any kids younger than 16 wouldn’t be able to keep a fish unless they bought a license. I’ve never heard of a kid younger than 16 buying a license. But I’ve seen them keep fish.
I’ll pipe in here because I have had a couple experiences with this…
Warden checks you…kids are fishing/catching…trust me on this one…unless you are laying on a lounge chair getting a tan you are going to get a serious “third degree”. I warn all non fishing clients that if they even pick up and move a rod or touch a net they can be ticketed for “participation w/o a license”.
It is very hard to have two kids having fun fishing in a boat and not try to help or be part of it…
I think it stinks but some wardens are going to ticket you and say “tell it to the judge”. Depends on the wardens or coast guard in the area. 
My advice stay away from the action with your camera and a cold drink and let your friend do ALL the guiding! 
Lake Michigan and Superior are their own animals.
Regs state you must obtain a license and purchase a ‘great lakes stamp’ to fish the great lakes.
DNR obviously is the place to check, my gut says the kids need a license and a stamp.
And as stated by others. You CANNOT even touch anything fishing related without a license.
Quote:
Quote:
——————————————————————————–If I remember right, although they can fish without a lisense, they need a lisense if they want to keep any fish.
——————————————————————————–
I think this is incorrect.
It looks like you are right. Other states I have fished require nonresidents 16+ to have a lisense if they want to keep fish, but I didn’t see that language in the current Wisconsin regs.
Darn. And here I thought that I might just sit back and have a few beers (3…cases that is) and get sun burned while the capt did the work. Seems like the best gig would be to get a 3 day if we go, not too much money to avoid the hassle. Thanks all, I really appreciate the input, what a great site here. Boat is still in the drive way tonight, Sat maybe pool two?
Bob
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
