MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Friday indicated the walleye and musky season will proceed as normal on Wisconsin’s lakes, despite recent attempts from the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians to restrict fishing.

The state’s general inland fishing season opens statewide today.

The federal Western District of Wisconsin on Friday issued a temporary restraining order that prevents the enforcement of recent attempts to restrict fishing, the DNR said in a news release.

Over the past month, the Band has passed resolutions and made public statements that attempt to prohibit non-tribal members from fishing walleye and musky on 19 lakes within the external boundaries of the Band’s reservation and from using forward trolling and forward-facing sonar on all lakes within the external boundaries of the Band’s reservation.

The state filed a federal complaint in the Western District of Wisconsin to prevent enforcement of these resolutions against Wisconsin-licensed anglers.

On Friday, the federal court issued a restraining order against the tribe, which means that non-tribal anglers may cast their lines as normal in Big Crawling Stone Lake, Big Crooked Lake, Bolton Lake, Fat Lake, Fence Lake, Flambeau Lake, Ike Walton Lake, Little Crawling Stone Lake, Little Sand Lake, Long Lake, Pokegama Lake, Poupart Lake, Signal Lake, Stearns Lake, Sugarbush Chain (Upper, Middle and Lower), White Sand Lake and Whitefish Lake, the DNR said.

State officials said they remain committed to collaborating with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians on conservation work to protect the walleye and musky fisheries.

The DNR, meanwhile, reminded all anglers to follow all fishing regulations and bag limits for lakes across Wisconsin and encouraged everyone to be respectful of all Tribal harvesters and other anglers and recreators.