Fisheries Management

WI DNR Fishing Regulations Home > Fishing Locations by County > Fishing Regulations

Fishing Regulations for Horseshoe Bayou - Waupaca County

General Waterbody Restrictions

Catch and release fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass is open year round unless otherwise noted.
Motor Trolling is allowed with up to 3 hooks, baits, or lures, per angler.
Open all year for all species except muskellunge, northern pike, flathead catfish and lake sturgeon.

Fishing Regulations

NOTE: Regulations listed below may not reflect fish species actually found in the lake. See Horseshoe Bayou's WI DNR Lake Page for more information on this lake's characteristics.

Fish	Season	Regulation
Bullheads	Open All Year	No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is unlimited.
Catfish	Open All Year	See specific species regulations in this group.
Channel Catfish	Open All Year	No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is 25 in total, but only 24 if one flathead catfish is included.
Cisco And Whitefish	Open All Year	No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is 10.
Flathead Catfish	May 3, 2025 to September 30, 2025	The minimum length is 30, but flathead catfish from 36" to 42" may not be kept.The daily bag limit is 1.
Lake Sturgeon	Closed	No fishing allowed.
Largemouth Bass And Smallmouth Bass	Open All Year	The minimum length limit is 14" and the daily bag limit is 5.
Muskellunge And Hybrids	May 3, 2025 to December 31, 2025	The minimum length limit is 50" and the daily bag limit is 1.
Northern Pike	May 3, 2025 to March 1, 2026	The minimum length limit is 26" and the daily bag limit is 2.
Paddlefish	Closed	No fishing allowed.
Panfish	Open All Year	No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is 25.
Rock, Yellow, And White Bass	Open All Year	No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is unlimited.
Rough Fish	Open All Year	No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is unlimited.
Round Goby	Open All Year	The daily bag limit is 0. One may be killed and transported to a WDNR Office.
Ruffe	Open All Year	The daily bag limit is 0. One may be killed and transported to a WDNR Office.
Sauger And Hybrids	Open All Year	The daily bag limit is 1.
Shovelnose Sturgeon	Closed	No fishing allowed.
Trout	See specific regulations	https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/fishing/trout/.
Walleye, Sauger, And Hybrids	Open All Year	No minimum length limit and the daily bag is 3, only one of which may be a sauger or hybrid.
White Perch	Open All Year	The daily bag limit is 0. One may be killed and transported to a WDNR Office.

DISCLAIMER: Information on this site is an interpretive summary of Wisconsin's fishing laws and regulations, and only applies to inland lakes. All other regulations, including those for trout and salmon, rivers, and border waters of the state (the Mississippi River or Great Lakes), can be found at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/fishing/regulations/index.html . For complete fishing laws and regulations, consult the Wisconsin State Statutes Chapter 29 and the Administrative Code of the Department of Natural Resources. The regulations listed here may not reflect the exact species found in the lake or flowage. Please check to make sure there is public access and water available for fishing. Consult the Menominee Tribal Legislature for fishing regulations within the boundaries of the Menominee Reservation.

For more information or to report a regulation inconsistency, contact

Fisheries Management