See every public fishing venue in Wisconsin on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Alto Creek is a public river in Dodge County and Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, managed by State of Wisconsin (public / navigable water). You can fish it on a Wisconsin fishing licence. Bank access is at WI DNR boat landings, state parks and forests, county forest land and road crossings; the public-trust doctrine gives the right to wade and travel below the ordinary high-water mark on any navigable stream even where the bank is private. Public access confirmed via public-trust river.
A warmwater Wisconsin river (the Rock, Sugar, Pecatonica, Crawfish, Bark, Milwaukee, Root, La Crosse, Baraboo, Eau Claire) — smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, rock bass and bluegill, channel catfish, and carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR landings, county parks and bridges.
It runs roughly 7 miles through the Fox Valley & Lakeshore region. Anglers here mostly fish for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye; channel catfish, flathead catfish, rock bass, bluegill are also on record. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are South Branch Rock River and Fox Lake.
Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, WI DNR trout designations and hand research.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Wisconsin, though many trout streams close outside the open season and a handful of musky and walleye waters have special night-fishing rules. Spearing for northern pike, sturgeon and rough fish, and the famous winter Lake Winnebago sturgeon spearing season, each have their own dates and licences.
Boats: Most Wisconsin rivers are canoe, kayak and jon-boat water; the Mississippi, Wisconsin, Fox, Wolf and lower Chippewa take bigger boats, and Lake Wisconsin, Lake Superior and Green Bay are full big-water fisheries. The Bois Brule, Namekagon and the northern trout streams are wade water.
Bank & bivvy camping: Bank access is at WI DNR boat landings, state parks and forests, the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, county forests (some of the largest public forest holdings in the Midwest) and road/bridge crossings. Wisconsin's public-trust doctrine gives the public a right to wade and travel any navigable stream below the ordinary high-water mark, even where the bank itself is private.
Tackle: Statewide walleye/sauger daily bag is 3 (with a 15-inch minimum on many waters, higher on others); muskellunge 1 (40-50 inch minimum depending on the lake); largemouth/smallmouth bass 5 (14-inch minimum, with an early catch-and-release season on many waters before the first Saturday in May); panfish and northern pike limits vary widely by water. Trout regulations depend on the stream classification (Early, General, Catch-and-Release). Check the current WI DNR fishing regulations for this water.
Anyone 16+ needs a Wisconsin DNR fishing licence — the resident annual is about $20, the non-resident annual about $65, and non-resident 1-day/4-day/15-day licences are sold. The resident and non-resident licences cover both inland trout streams and the Great Lakes; a separate Great Lakes salmon/trout stamp is NOT required (folded into the base licence for residents; a Great Lakes trout/salmon stamp applies only in a few specific circumstances non-residents should check). Wisconsin residents 65 and older can buy a low-cost licence; anyone under 16 fishes free. Buy from the DNR at GoWild.wi.gov. A Wisconsin fishing licence covers navigable rivers; Wisconsin's public-trust doctrine gives the right to wade and travel below the ordinary high-water mark on any navigable stream. The Mississippi is fished on a Wisconsin, Minnesota or Iowa licence in the border reaches.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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