Fishing Regulations
There are some important fishing regulation changes for the Spread Eagle Chain. Effective April 1, 2026, the panfish daily bag limit has been reduced to 10 total for all panfish species. Panfish species include bluegill, pumpkinseed, sunfish, crappie, and perch.
Largemouth bass season opens on May 2, 2026. Five largemouth in total may be kept, and there is no minimum size limit, however all largemouth bass that are between 14-18” must be released, and only one over 18” may be kept.
Small mouth bass does not open until June 20, 2026 with the same regulations as largemouth. After June 20, the limit is 5 smallmouth or largemouth bass total.
Walleye, northern pike, and musky season opens on May 2, 2026. Walleye must be 18” with a limit of 3.
Northern Pike have no size limit and a limit of 5. Muskie have a limit of 1 and must be at least 40”.
