Input Needed On Many Proposed New Minnesota Fishing Regulations

Each year, Minnesota anglers get excited about the fishing opener. However, sometimes necessary regulation changes need to be made on lakes that are not always popular.

For example, this year walleye limit regulations were impacting Mille Lac Lake and Upper Red Lake as the open water season began. The DNR has since relaxed the regulation on Mille Lacs Lake.

However, angers often have input on fishing regulations throughout Minnesota before a season begins, and now is the time to offer input ahead of the 2025 fishing season.

DNR Asking For Input On Several Special Fishing Regulation Proposals

Every year, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reviews existing fishing regulations and proposes new special regulations if applicable that apply to individual waters, and asks the public for input about the proposals. All new special regulations are reviewed regularly to evaluate effectiveness.

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In response to growing angler concern about crappie and the increased pressure on these fish populations from winter fishing, the DNR is considering a set of proposed regulations.

This involves the DNR reducing the crappie daily limit to five on seven lakes in Otter Tail County and one in Lac qui Parle County.

Jon Hansen, Minnesota DNR fisheries program consultant., says if limit reductions are implemented, they will be carefully evaluated as part of a separate fisheries research project "to try to figure out which lakes and kinds of crappie populations benefit from reduced limits because not all do”

RELATED: Walleye Limits Will Soon Change On Mille Lacs Lake

He adds that in lakes where crappies have a short life span, reducing the limit would just mean fish are lost to natural causes instead of being available for anglers to catch.

The Minnesota DNR is also proposing either new regulations or changes to existing experimental and special fishing regulations for the 2025 fishing season that address the following lakes and topics:

Saganaga and Sea Gull Lakes (Cook County): Walleye
Sauk River Chain of Lakes (Stearns County): Catfish
Basswood Lake (Lake County): Northern Pike
Garden Reservoir Chain and Birch Lake (Lake County): Northern Pike
Basswood Lake (Lake County) Sunfish
Little Sauk Lake (Todd County): Regulation simplification of multiple species
Rochester area lakes (Olmstead County): Multiple species

The DNR is currently taking input on these proposals via an online survey available through Friday, October 7.

Minnesota DNR Fishing Regulations Survey

You can click the button above to take the survey and see the schedule of public meetings the DNR will host related to proposed changes for each lake.

The DNR adds that for additional details or to comment directly by email, U.S. mail, or phone about individual proposals, you can contact the area fisheries office for the proposal(s) on which you wish to comment.

General input may also be submitted to Jon Hansen at jon.hansen@state.mn.us or 651-259-5239, or via U.S. mail to Fishing Regulations/Jon Hansen, Box 20, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155.

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