Photo By Scott Sturkol | Pine View Campground guests fish and relax on docks at Suukjak Sep Lake on June 11,...... read more read more
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The 2021 Fort McCoy fishing season opens May 1, concurrent with the Wisconsin general inland fishing season opener.
Fishing on installation lakes and flowages is allowed May 1 through March 6, 2022, said Fisheries Biologist John Noble with the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch. The general inland trout season on post and in Wisconsin is from May 1 to Oct. 15.
Fort McCoy has 10 installation lakes and impoundments and approximately 71.2 miles of Coldwater streams and tributaries, Noble said. The majority of the streams are class I trout waters maintaining naturally reproducing brook and brown trout. The impoundments on Fort McCoy cold-water streams provide a variety of uses for recreation, military training, and habitat for fish and wildlife.
Anglers must have the appropriate Wisconsin licenses to fish on post, as well. This includes a general Wisconsin fishing license, a trout stamp if fishing for trout, and the Fort McCoy fishing permit.
The cost of a Fort McCoy annual fishing permit is $13 for people age 16 and older. Permits for youth under 16, seniors, and disabled anglers and four-day fishing permits are $8. Again, all are available for purchase through the iSportsman website, https://ftmccoy.isportsman.net.
“All permits for hunting, fishing, and firewood cutting at Fort McCoy must be purchased through iSportsman and an iSportsman account is required to purchase any of these permits,” Noble said. “Anglers are also asked to please remember to display a card or sheet of paper with your iSportsman account number on the dashboard of your vehicle.”
Anglers have plenty of options for fishing too, Noble said. North Flowage and Lost Lake on Fort McCoy’s North Post are open year-round for panfish, such as bluegill, and are available for the Wisconsin bass catch-and-release season held April 1 through May 1.
For trout fishing, with the exception of Silver Creek, there is a bag limit of five trout with no size restrictions. “There is a special regulation for trout caught at Silver Creek from the western installation boundary to the bridge at the West Silver wetland (bag limit is three trout, no minimum length, artificial lures only)”, Noble said.
The Fort McCoy fishing map, also available on the Fort McCoy iSportsman website, is highlighted in orange along Silver Creek to distinguish the special regulation area.
There also will be a Free Fishing Weekend on June 5-6 in Wisconsin and at Fort McCoy. No licenses or permits are needed, but all bag limits and other rules apply. Fort McCoy rules and regulations can be found online using the Fort McCoy iSportsman web site, https://ftmccoy.isportsman.net, and selecting the “Regulations” tab from the menu. Rules and regulations and maps are also available at the Hunter Information Point (HIP) located along State Highway 21 at the intersection of South J Street and State Highway 21 and will be open year round.
“The Free Fishing Weekend is an excellent time for people to come out and see all the fantastic fishing areas we have here,” Noble said. Anglers are required to call the iSportsman Game Line at 866-277-1597 or visit the iSportsman website for updated fishing area closures before going out.
People interested in renting fishing equipment at Fort McCoy can do so through Recreational Equipment Checkout with the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation at Pine View Campground. Available equipment includes fishing poles, kayaks, canoes, and boats. Varying rates apply.
To find out more, visit https://mccoy.armymwr.com/us/mccoy/programs/recreational-equipment-checkout-outdoor-recreation or call the Pine View Campground office at 608-388-3517/2619.
Other additional items for anglers to remember as the fishing season begins include:
Fish Consumption Advisory: The latest information on fish consumption advisories can be found at https://widnr.widen.net/s/mjmvtwrp2j/choose-wisely-2021-april-15.
• Access to Fort McCoy waters: If a lake is listed as open on the game line, 866-277-1597, but is within a closed training area and military training is not taking place at the lake, anglers can use the marginal area around the lake (i.e., mowed area or 50 feet from shore if the lake perimeter is not mowed) if it will not conflict with military training, as well as access the lake by the main access roads.
If a stream runs through a training area, or is used as a boundary of the training area, and the training area(s) are closed for the day, anglers can still access and fish those streams, but must stay within the stream corridor/floodplain, avoid military training, and access those streams at main road crossings. Exceptions to this rule, as shown on the fishing map in appendix E and includes training areas M-3, G-3, M-4, M-5S, which are restricted for entry when closed on the Game Line for safety issues related to weapons firing on adjacent ranges.
An angler is not allowed to walk or drive through a closed training area to access streams. Parking of vehicles to access those streams should occur at main road/stream crossings. Silver Creek has a designated parking area along the main road in Training Area B-2. Anglers should refer to the fishing map in appendix E, available on the iSportsman website. Anglers are responsible for knowing if the lakes are closed due to training, and this can be checked on the iSportsman Game Line posting.
• Activity Information Card: All anglers within a vehicle are required to display a Fort McCoy Activity Information Card. The card must show the iSportsman permit number for each permit holder associated with the vehicle for that given day’s activity. The card must be placed on the vehicle dashboard and be easily readable through the windshield from the outside of the vehicle.
The card should not be obstructed by any other papers, materials, or items on the dash or windshield. Hand-printed information must be legible and large enough to easily read thought the windshield.
• No motorized transportation/equipment (defined as any motorized cart, carrier, or wheeled machine aiding a permit holder to maneuver more easily) may be utilized while fishing on Fort McCoy.
These include all-terrain vehicles, utility-terrain vehicles, side-by-sides, golf carts, lawn tractors, motorized carriers, and related vehicles.
To see the latest Wisconsin fishing regulations, go to https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/documents/regulations/FishRegs1819Web.pdf. And for more about Fort McCoy fishing rules, review the fishing regulation at https://ftmccoy.isportsman.net.
(The Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch contributed to this article.)
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.21.2021 14:53 |
| Story ID: | 394370 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 369 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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