How-To Wisconsin: How to get a fishing license

In How-To Wisconsin, we do that annoying internet thing where we explain how to do something fairly simple (in this case, something Wisconsin-y) but precede it with a needlessly long personal story.

On the night of December 31, minutes before midnight, I made a New Year’s resolution. Did I resolve to get into shape? To work on my mental health? To be a better father, husband, writer, and human being? No, my resolution was much bigger than that, much more important. As the clock struck 12 and the sounds of drunken revelry floated through my open apartment window, I whispered this solemn vow:

I’m going to do a lot more fishing this year.

Like so many other outdoor activities—hunting, canoeing, just staring at some trees for eight hours—I grew up with fishing but abandoned it in my teen and young adult years. I was a hopeless nerd, you see (teen years), and a hip and urbane city-dweller who was still a hopeless nerd (young adult years). Fishing? I didn’t have time for fishing. Best to leave those idyllic memories of fishing with my family at our little riverside cabin in the past. Oh, those memories of catching bullheads off the shore with a cane pole… Those memories of my grandfather giving me my first sip of beer over a bucket of fish heads… Those memories of all of us smiling and laughing and realizing in the moment we were living our happiest lives. All those memories of muddy spring mornings and sweltering summer afternoons… All those memories of…

So yeah, around age 30 I realized I was a complete dope for abandoning fishing. I’ve been a semi-avid angler ever since. But I need to go more! Not just opening weekend and random summer weekends, but every weekend. It’s not like there’s much happening during summer in Milwaukee, right?

Okay, probably not every weekend, but a lot of weekends! And speaking of opening weekend, here’s an excerpt of a piece I wrote back in 2019, “I went fishing and I caught…something.” It should give you some insight into why I enjoy fishing these days. (You’ll have to read the full article to discover what that “something” was.)

Every spring, my brothers and a few of our friends make the pilgrimage to Rhinelander to fish the Moen Lake. Actually, Moen Lake is the Moen Lake Chain, containing First Lake (Moen Lake), Second Lake, Third Lake, Fourth Lake, Fifth Lake, and maybe a few more lakes that I’m forgetting. Also, if you’ve never been to Rhinelander, they really go all in on that hodag stuff.

Here’s a picture of us putting in the piers at the place we stayed at this year [2019]. Dude even shaved off a couple of bucks for the effort!

I’ve never been that big into fishing, but, like deer hunting, I’ve recently come around to it as a way to unplug and relax. Plus, it’s a great way to spend time with family and friends. Wait: there’s this thing I can do where I don’t have to stare at a screen all day? And I get to hang out in a cabin with five other goofballs? Sign me up.

About that last part. There’s a common misconception that when dudes get together for fishing trips they do nothing but drink beer, play cards, and act like sexist boors. Not true! In our fishing party, we do nothing but drink beer, play cards, and make up oddly specific fishing-themed parodies of classic rock songs. Here’s one that any angler who’s spent a cold morning dunking their hand in a freezing minnow bucket can relate to, set to the tune of Neil Young’s “Heart Of Gold”…

I’ve been to First Lake
I’ve been to Second Lake
I’ve been reaching for some more minnows

Keep on reaching for some more minnows
My hand’s getting cold

Look for our debut album, Hooked On A Cleaner, coming to northern Wisconsin truck stops in spring 2020. [Okay, make that spring 2026.]

And my New Year’s resolution includes urban fishing, too. Here’s another excerpt from an old article, 2019’s “Exploring the beauty (and the fishing spots) of Lakeshore State Park”:

Another great feature of Lakeshore State Park: fishing! Yes, urban fishing is alive and well in Milwaukee, and if you want the best of both worlds—i.e. engaging in some recreational fishing while still being a stone’s throw from the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage [now the T-Mobile stage]—you could do a lot worse than here.

There are two spots that regularly draw anglers: a roomy and well-maintained wooden pier on the northern end of the park, and an isolated corner on the southern end. If you’re in the mood for a relaxing afternoon spent tossing your line in the water and gazing out at Milwaukee’s ever-growing skyline, the pier is your best bet. If you’re more hardcore and don’t mind sitting in the industrial shadow of the BMO Pavilion (and occasionally catching some gunk—fast jigging is highly recommended), the southern corner is for you.

So what about the fish? The waters surrounding Lakeshore State Park are surprisingly varied, and the lake, the inner harbor, and the river channel all provide different habitats for different species. I’ve pulled up rock bass and a few perch in years past, and I’ve heard tall tales of folks landing the occasional walleye and northern pike. I haven’t caught anything this year, but oh well! Like the saying goes: it’s called “fishing,” not “catching.” And even if you don’t catch a fish at Lakeshore, the park’s beauty will ensure you won’t walk away empty-handed.

I like that: even if you don’t catch a fish, you won’t walk away empty-handed. It’s true! So here’s to more fishing in 2026! Northwoods fishing, urban fishing, and everything in between. Here’s to sitting outside and staying far, far away from anything resembling a screen. (Other than a fish finder, of course.) Here’s to fishing from shore, fishing from a canoe, and fishing from a boat. Here’s to fishing by yourself or fishing with the ones you love. Here’s to cherishing old memories and making new memories. Oh, those memories… So many memories…