NR 20.40(10)(g)9.a.a. Require a reduced daily bag limit of 3 walleye for catch-hold-release tournaments on all waters with a daily bag limit of 3 walleye or greater from the second Saturday in June to the first Sunday in September, unless the department determines that the temperature of the primary waterbody to be fished is expected to be less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

NR 20.40(10)(g)9.b.b. Require a reduced daily bag limit of 3 bass for catch-hold-release tournaments on all waters with a daily bag limit of 3 bass or greater from the first Saturday in July to the second Sunday in August unless the department determines that the temperature of the primary waterbody to be fished is expected to be less than 75 degrees Fahrenheit for smallmouth bass or less than 80 degrees Fahrenheit for largemouth bass. Notwithstanding these bag limit requirements, the department may allow one catch-hold-release bass tournament per year per waterbody with a 5 fish bag limit from the first Saturday in July to the second Sunday in August provided the tournament will promote national public awareness of fishing and is planned to have 60 or more boats and the primary waterbody fished will be 2000 or more acres. Tournaments promoting national public awareness include, but are not limited to, events that are part of a national tour and statewide or regional championships that qualify participants for a national event.

NR 20.40(10)(g)10.10. Subject to the requirements in this section, the department may issue a permit for a catch-hold-release bass tournament when the season is open for harvesting bass that allows each participant in the tournament to take a daily bag limit of up to five bass of a minimum of 14 inches in length. All live bass shall be returned to the water from which they were taken as specified in the permit and no later than the day of the conclusion of the tournament.

NR 20.40(10)(gm)1.1. Participants shall use boats equipped with a functioning live well or other container large enough to hold muskellunge and equipped with a pump for aerating and exchanging freshwater that is operated continuously once a fish is placed in the live well or other container.

NR 20.40(10)(gm)2.2. Participants shall immediately transport muskellunge placed in a live well or other container to the designated weigh-in site. All transported fish must meet legal length limits for the water body being fished.

NR 20.40(10)(gm)4.4. Tournament officials or judges shall immediately register muskellunge brought to the weigh-in site. No pens, tanks, or other means of confinement may be used to hold the fish at the weigh-in site.

NR 20.40(10)(gm)7.7. Participants may not leave the weigh-in site until the fish they transported to the weigh-in site has been successfully released. If the fish cannot be released alive, final disposition of the fish is the responsibility of that participant and shall not violate s. 23.095 (1g), Stats.

NR 20.40(10)(gm)8.8. A participant shall count muskellunge transported to a weigh-in site towards the participant’s daily bag limit and that person may not fish for muskellunge during the remainder of that day.

NR 20.40 NoteNote: Section 23.095 (1g), Stats., states that no person may damage or attempt to damage any natural resource within the state. “Damage” means to commit a physical act that unreasonably destroys, molests, defaces, removes, or wastes.

NR 20.40(10)(h)1.a.a. To protect critical habitat, including areas designated by local ordinance for aquatic vegetation preservation or areas where habitat enhancement activity is underway.

NR 20.40(10)(h)1.b.b. To protect public rights, interests or safety, including designated swimming areas, mooring areas, access areas, navigational channels, staging areas, beaches or other special use areas.

NR 20.40(10)(h)2.a.a. To enhance collection of data for management purposes as part of a scientific study.

NR 20.40(10)(h)2.b.b. The tagged fish are legally obtained from a licensed private fish hatchery and are planted under a stocking or introduction permit issued by the department under s. 29.736, Stats., and s. NR 19.05.

NR 20.40(10)(h)2.c.c. Specific authorization is granted by the department to capture, tag and immediately release fish from the wild using lawful methods for purposes of a fishing contest.

NR 20.40(10)(j)(j) The time limitations upon the length of a fishing tournament under this section do not include fishing activities by tournament participants carried out prior to the time when the tournament begins.

NR 20.40(10)(k)(k) Except for tournaments on the Great Lakes and tournaments exempt from a permit under s. NR 20.40 (3m) (c), the fishing portion of any tournament may not run for more than 10 consecutive hours each day or more than 4 consecutive days.

NR 20.40(10)(m)(m) Upon permit approval, tournament organizers shall notify the county and city, village, or town within which the access site, weigh-in site, or headquarters for the tournament is located of the date, time, location and size of tournament.

NR 20.40(11)(b)(b) Fishing tournament organizers shall inform all tournament participants of procedures recommended by the department to clean and decontaminate boats and equipment of aquatic plants and invasive species prior to the tournament.