A Wisconsin fishing trip that was supposed to be part of a family vacation ended with one angler facing two citations after a state game warden found the group fishing without licenses and keeping an undersized largemouth bass during the closed season.
The April 19, 2025 encounter was featured by the bodycam channel Arrest Cam, whose host explained that Wisconsin generally allows anglers to target largemouth bass outside the harvest season only for catch-and-release fishing.
The group told the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources warden that it was their first time in the state and that they had come from out of town for vacation.
That explanation earned them some understanding from the officer, but it did not erase the violations.
The Warden Asked To See Fishing Licenses
The encounter began routinely, with the warden approaching the group and asking whether they had caught anything.
One man said they had and indicated that they planned to eat the fish.
The officer then identified himself as a state game warden and asked to see fishing licenses.
That was when the first problem became clear.
The adults told him they did not have Wisconsin fishing licenses.
One man explained that they were visiting on vacation and that it was their first time fishing there.
The warden then asked what kind of fish they had kept.
A largemouth bass, they told him.
According to Arrest Cam, Wisconsin’s largemouth bass harvest season generally runs from the first Saturday in May through the first Sunday in March of the following year, although the channel stressed that rules can vary depending on the specific body of water.
Outside that harvest season, anglers can still target largemouth bass, but only for catch and release.
The Bass Was Also Too Small
The officer asked who had caught the largemouth and spent some time trying to determine which member of the group was actually responsible.
He told them he had already been watching from a distance, which made him skeptical when some of the answers became unclear.
Once he examined the fish, another violation became apparent.
The bass was under Wisconsin’s general 14-inch minimum size requirement.
“So bass have to be 14 inches to be able to keep,” the warden explained.
The group now had several problems at once: multiple adults were fishing without licenses, the bass was undersized, and the fish had been kept during a closed harvest season.
The officer also explained that other game fish, including northern pike and walleye, could not legally be harvested at that time under the rules he was enforcing there.
Some rough fish and panfish could still be kept.
“We Came Here For Vacation”
The anglers repeatedly returned to the fact that they were visiting Wisconsin for the first time.
The warden said he understood that, but told them the rules still applied.
He explained that the closed season existed in part because the fish were spawning.
Arrest Cam’s host took the same position, arguing that vacation is not an excuse for failing to check local regulations.
The narrator noted that fishing rules are easier than ever to find online and said a few minutes of research could have prevented the entire encounter.
That is a fair point, especially when moving between states, because fishing seasons, size limits and licensing requirements can change dramatically from one jurisdiction to another.
The fact that someone knows the rules in Illinois, for example, does not mean those same rules automatically carry into Wisconsin.
The Officer Decided Not To Cite Everyone
The warden could have issued several citations to multiple adults in the group.
Instead, he chose to limit the penalties.
Two members of the group received warnings for fishing without a license.
The man who had caught and possessed the bass received a citation for fishing without a license and another for possessing a game fish during a closed season.
The officer also gave him a warning for keeping an undersized bass rather than issuing a third ticket.
“He could have gotten three,” the warden told the group.
He also chose not to seize their fishing equipment, even though he said he had the authority to do so because the gear had been used during the violations.
The officer specifically told them he wanted the children to continue fishing and encouraged the adults to get the proper licenses before doing so.
That made the encounter notably less punitive than it could have been.
Rather than shutting down the trip entirely, the warden focused the enforcement on the person who had actually possessed the illegal fish.
The Angler Said He Did Not Know The Rules
The cited fisherman continued explaining that he was unfamiliar with Wisconsin regulations.
The warden responded that understanding those rules was the angler’s responsibility.
He told the group that regulation books were available and that they could also pull up the rules on their phones.
The bass itself was released back into the water.
The officer then collected updated identifying information so the citations could be mailed, because his printer was out of paper.
He also explained how the man could pay the citations or contest them in court.
Before leaving, the group appeared to understand the main lesson.
“License and rules,” one of them said when asked what they should remember next time.
The warden agreed.
Arrest Cam Says The Fines Were Never Paid
Arrest Cam later provided the court outcome.
According to the channel, the angler pleaded no contest to both charges and was adjudicated guilty.
For possessing the largemouth bass during the closed season, he was ordered to pay $287.28.
For fishing without a license, he was ordered to pay another $234.55.
That put the original total at $521.83.
The channel said both fines remained unpaid at the time of its report and were continuing to collect interest.
Arrest Cam reported that the amount owed had grown to $541.63.
That outcome made the case more costly than it needed to be, especially considering the warden had already declined to write several additional citations and chose not to seize the group’s equipment.
A Vacation Mistake Turned Into A Criminal Fishing Case
The incident is a good example of how quickly a casual fishing trip can become a legal problem when local regulations are overlooked.
The group did not appear to be running a large poaching operation or deliberately hiding a huge illegal catch.
But they were still fishing without licenses and had kept a bass that was both undersized and out of season.
The officer gave the group substantial discretion, including warnings for two anglers and only two citations for the person most directly responsible.
Arrest Cam’s host argued that the bigger lesson is simply to research the rules before dropping a line in unfamiliar water.
That may sound obvious, but this case shows why it matters.
What started as a family vacation and a plan to cook one largemouth bass ended with a criminal fishing violation, hundreds of dollars in fines and an unpaid balance that continued growing after the trip was long over.
A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa is our dedicated Second Amendment news writer and also focuses on homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Lisa aims to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.
