Perch, smallmouths can’t be kept in lake, rivers

Yellow perch season reopens Saturday on Green Bay waters, but is still closed on Lake Michigan and its tributaries — including the Ahnapee and Kewaunee rivers — until June 16.

Once it opens, only five perch daily can be kept on the rivers and in the lake. The maximum daily bag on the bay is 15.

Largemouth bass can be kept if legal size; however, smallmouth fishing north of Wisconsin 29 is catch-and-release-only until June 17, including the Kewaunee, Ahnapee and Mink rivers.

Panfish are starting to move into the shallows of the county’s inland lakes, while walleye action has been very good for those trolling stickbaits and crankbaits from Dyckesville to Chaudoir’s Dock.

Gary Alberts of Forestville and Mike Lardinois of Algoma spent close to an hour playing and landing what turned out to be a 52-inch muskie while trolling with 10-pound test line for walleyes off southern Door County Monday. A jumbo perch and some walleyes were also landed, with the perch and muskie returned to the water.

Lake Michigan anglers are tying into a lot of coho salmon and lake trout in the far southern parts of the state, with lakers, browns and an occasional rainbow or chinook caught here.

Alewives are starting to move in, which could spark nearshore action in the coming week.

Five free tags?

Anyone who bow, crossbow or gun hunts deer in Door County this year is likely to get five free antlerless permits with each license purchased.

Door’s County Deer Advisory Council had asked for 10 freebies per license. The group was trying to send a message that more does need to be shot after a recommendation for an antlerless-only hunt met strong opposition and was reversed.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said it cut that in half based on printing costs to vendors, the low return that such levels of multiple tags have on the final registration totals, and the possibility of overshooting the quota.

The majority of CDAC recommendations are being advanced, including a holiday gun deer hunt for antlerless whitetails in 17 counties, including Door and Kewaunee.

Kewaunee County hunters will again get three free antlerless tags with each license.

Keep in mind that all those free tags don’t necessarily mean a huge increase in deer taken; hunters still have the final say in pulling the trigger. However, that helps take away the extra cost for an individual or group trying to reduce a growing whitetail population in their hunt areas to better balance the herd with the habitat.

All the recommendations will be voted on at Wednesday’s state Natural Resources Board meeting in Madison. It’s also likely that fall turkey tags will be sold over the counter (no more need to apply) and the pheasant and fall turkey hunts will extend past the New Year’s holiday.

Check out this month’s meeting agenda and a link to the live webcast at dnr.wi.gov/about/nrb/agenda.

Short shots

This Saturday is the deadline to comment on a 10-year Lake Michigan fisheries management plan. Check it out at dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/lakemichigan and email comments to dnrlakemichiganplan@wisconsin.gov.

• National Safe Boating Week is underway, and the Green Bay Coast Guard Auxiliary is hosting an open house Saturday afternoon allowing the public to tour the station (100 Bay Beach Road) and rescue boats. Learn more at www.safeboatingcampaign.com.

• Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit wraps up a two-day tourney on Green Bay Saturday. Follow the leaders at www.masterswalleyecircuit.com.

• The 27th annual Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament ends Saturday. Get the details at www.sbobt.org.

Deer research

If interested in ongoing wildlife research, including the DNR’s deer and predator study, check out dnr.wi.gov/topic/Research/articles/index.

Kevin Naze is a freelance outdoors writer. He can be reached by emailing wildtimes@wizunwired.net or calling 920-883-9792.

This article originally appeared on Wisconsin: Perch, smallmouths can’t be kept in lake, rivers