Ceded Territory: Walleye Bag Limits for Anglers, 2008-20009

Ceded Territory Walleye Bag Limits for the 2008-2009 Season [PDF 45KB] have been revised and will be in effect through March 1, 2009. The total daily bag limit for walleyes is five. If the lake you are fishing has a bag limit less than five, you can fish other lakes to fill your daily bag limit. While fishing, you cannot possess fish in excess of that lake's daily bag limit.

Angler bag limits are adjusted according to the percent of the safe harvest that the tribes declare they will take during the spring spearing season (see Managing Fish Populations in the Ceded Territory for an explanation of safe harvest). As the tribal harvest goal (as a percent of allowable harvest) increases, angler bag limits are reduced. This is done to ensure that the walleye population is not over harvested by the combination of spearfishing and recreational angling. The Tribes do not always take as many fish as they declare. When that happens, angler bag limits on individual lakes may be readjusted based on the percentage of safe harvest actually taken.

A comparison of angler and tribal harvest from lakes surveyed shows that angler harvest accounts for the majority of walleye harvest in the Ceded Territory. Although DNR creel clerks do not typically identify the sex of walleye harvested by anglers, creel studies in Escanaba Lake (Vilas County) suggest that the sex ratio of walleye harvested by anglers is close to 50-50.