Section 20.11. Ice fishing and fishing shelter restrictions.

 

(1)  No person may construct, place, use, maintain or occupy a fishing shelter on the ice of any waters of this state unless:

(a) The name and residential address in the English language of the person owning or using the fishing shelter is legibly painted or otherwise affixed on the outside of the fishing shelter with block lettering a minimum of one inch square and in contrasting colors. Fishing shelters that are occupied or otherwise in use are exempt from this requirement.

(b) The door can be readily opened from the outside while the shelter is occupied.

(c) The person is actively using the fishing shelter and it is removed from the ice daily and when not in use on the Fox river downstream from the DePere dam, Brown county.

(d) The fishing shelter is removed from the ice daily and when not in use after the first Sunday following March 1, on inland waters south of highway 64.

(e) The fishing shelter is removed from the ice daily and when not in use after the first Sunday following March 12, on inland waters north of highway 64 and all other outlying waters.

(2)  No person may cut, use or maintain a hole larger than 12 inches in diameter or square for the taking of fish in any manner through the ice except for spearing fish in Lake Superior, sturgeon spearing, taking fish with dip nets, taking minnows with minnow traps or skin or scuba diving.

(3)  The department or its agents may direct that fishing shelters be removed from the ice by a date earlier than specified in subs. (1) (d) or (e) if it has reason to believe that the ice has become unsafe for travel.

History: Cr. Register, May, 1999, No. 521 , eff. 6-1-99; CR 01-012 : am. (1) (a), Register November 2001 No. 551 , eff. 4-1-02; CR 02-073 : am. (1) (a), Register January 2003 No. 565 , eff. 2-1-03; CR 04-024 : am. (1) (e) Register December 2004 No. 588 , eff. 1-1-05; CR 06-011 : am. (1) (d) and (e) Register September 2006 No. 609 , eff. 4-1-07.