Wisconsin Best Fishing Times Today
Solunar major and minor periods, sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset and the moon phase for every Wisconsin county, today and for the next 7 days.
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Choose from 72 Wisconsin counties to see today’s solunar periods and the next seven days for that one.
Today’s solunar periods, sunrise, sunset and the moon for Dane County, Wisconsin load here.
Wisconsin times are worked out in your browser with SunCalc for each county’s internal point in the Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer, shown in that county’s local time. Check any Wisconsin day against the US Naval Observatory sun and moon tables.
What the Wisconsin fishing times mean
The idea behind these Wisconsin times goes back to John Alden Knight’s solunar tables of 1926. A major period runs about 2 hours around the moment the moon crosses overhead or passes underfoot, and a minor period about 1 hour around moonrise or moonset. Treat them as a traditional guide rather than a promise; on Wisconsin water a cold front or muddy runoff matters more.
Over Wisconsin, moon times shift about 50 minutes later each day, so a major period that falls at dawn this week lands mid-morning next week. The 7-day row shows when one lines up with sunrise or sunset, the hours many Wisconsin anglers already favour.
Solunar tables traditionally rate the days around the new and full moon highest; the phase and the share of the moon lit are on every Wisconsin day card.
All 72 counties keep Central time. On the June solstice the first Wisconsin sunrise comes in Door County at 5:02 a.m. and the last in Pierce County at 5:25 a.m., a 23 minute spread on the clock.
In Dane County, the county around Madison, the longest day of the year is 15 hours 22 minutes and the shortest 9 hours 0 minutes. From Bayfield County in the north to Kenosha County in the south the county centres are 4.0 degrees of latitude apart; on June 21 that is 15 hours 51 minutes of daylight against 15 hours 19 minutes.
Wisconsin sunrise, sunset and day lengths above are computed for the 72 Census 2023 Gazetteer county internal points with the same SunCalc formulas the widget uses.
Wisconsin fish to plan around today's times
Where to find each fish in Wisconsin, with its limits and records.
- Alewife
- American eel
- Atlantic salmon
- Bigmouth buffalo
- Black bullhead
- Black crappie
- Bluegill
- Bowfin
- Brook trout
- Brown bullhead
- Brown trout
- Burbot
- Channel catfish
- Chinook salmon
- Cisco
- Coho salmon
- Common carp
- Flathead catfish
- Freshwater drum
- Gizzard shad
- Grass pickerel
- Green sunfish
- Lake sturgeon
- Lake trout
- Lake whitefish
- Largemouth bass
- Longnose gar
- Mooneye
- Muskellunge
- Northern pike
- Orangespotted sunfish
- Paddlefish
- Pink salmon
- Pumpkinseed
- Quillback
- Rainbow smelt
- Rainbow trout
- Rock bass
- Round goby
- Ruffe
- Sauger
- Saugeye
- Shortnose gar
- Shovelnose sturgeon
- Smallmouth bass
- Smallmouth buffalo
- Splake
- Tiger muskellunge
- Walleye
- Warmouth
- White bass
- White crappie
- White perch
- White sucker
- Yellow bass
- Yellow bullhead
- Yellow perch
Lakes in Wisconsin to fish in the next period
Wisconsin lake pages carry ramps, species, records and live levels where a gauge exists; each one links back here.
- Alexander Lake, Lincoln County
- Altoona Lake
- Amber Lake
- Apple River Flowage
- Arbutus Lake*
- Balsam Lake, Polk County
- Bear Lake, Barron County
- Beaver Dam Lake, Barron County
- Beaver Dam Lake, Dodge County
- Big Arbor Vitae Lake
- Big Crooked Lake near Boulder Junction, Vilas County
- Big Eau Pleine Reservoir
- Big Fork Lake
- Big Lake near Boulder Junction, Vilas County, 780 acres
- Big Lake near Boulder Junction, Vilas County, 827 acres
- Big Lake, Oneida County
- Big Muskego Lake
- Chequamegon Waters Flowage
- Delavan Lake
- Geneva Lake
- Lake Chippewa
- Lake Winnebago
- Lake Wisconsin
- Wapogasset Lake
Questions on Wisconsin fishing times
What are the best fishing times today in Wisconsin?
In Wisconsin, the major periods: about 2 hours around the moon overhead and underfoot, then the minor periods around moonrise and moonset. Pick your county above; the list starts on Dane County.
How many Wisconsin counties does the list cover?
All 72 Wisconsin counties, each with its Census 2023 Gazetteer internal point and its own time zone.
Does Wisconsin have more than one time zone?
No. All 72 counties keep Central time. The widget still uses each county centre, so Wisconsin times shift a few minutes from east to west.
How much does sunrise differ across Wisconsin?
On June 21 the earliest sunrise is 5:02 a.m. in Door County and the latest 5:25 a.m. in Pierce County, a 23 minute spread.
How long is the longest day around Madison?
15 hours 22 minutes on the June solstice in Dane County; the December solstice gives 9 hours 0 minutes.
Is a major period better than a minor one in Wisconsin?
For Wisconsin anglers, solunar theory rates major periods (moon overhead or underfoot, about 2 hours) above minor ones (about 1 hour at moonrise and moonset). It is a traditional guide; Wisconsin weather and water conditions matter as much.
Why is there no major period on some Wisconsin days?
Over Wisconsin the moon passes overhead or underfoot about 50 minutes later each day, so roughly once a month one of the two falls just past midnight and that county day card shows a single major period.
Do solunar times change Wisconsin fishing rules?
No. Seasons, limits and hours come from the Wisconsin regulations; see the license and regulations page for Wisconsin.
Can I check the Wisconsin times against an official source?
Yes. The US Naval Observatory publishes sun and moon rise, set and transit times for any place and date; enter the county centre coordinates for a Wisconsin day.