New Walleye Regulations Begin Soon On Popular Minnesota Lake

Every year, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources analyzes data throughout the state to help determine policies for outdoor activities throughout the state.

Sometimes, policy changes aren't popular with outdoor enthusiasts, such as when the DNR recently announced new daily and possession limits on several species of fish, including the American eel, yellow bass, whitefish, cisco, and burbot.

However, there are times when policies are changed that benefit Minnesota anglers, and the DNR has announced that one such change will soon be in effect on one of Minnesota's most popular lakes.

Minnesota DNR Announces Open Water Fishing Regulations For Upper Red Lake

According to the DNR, anglers fishing on Upper Red Lake during the upcoming 2025 open-water season that starts Saturday, May 10, will now have a five-walleye possession limit, with only one walleye over 17 inches allowed.

Those new limits are good news for anglers because it's two more than were allowed during the 2024 open-water season.

“Upper Red Lake female spawning walleye have been managed at a level that has resulted in a number of strong year classes recently,” said Edie Evarts, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources area fisheries supervisor for Bemidji.

Evarts added that this regulation allows anglers to keep a good number of young walleye while maintaining the breeding fish at a level that will continue to produce successful year classes.

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The DNR says that to continue producing the most successful year classes, enough female spawning walleye need to be present to produce lots of newly hatched walleye (known as fry). However, if there are too many spawning walleye present, too many fry are produced, and the young fish don’t survive well because they are competing for a limited amount of food.

Therefore, the goal of the May 10 regulation is to keep the lake’s stock of female spawning walleye in an ideal range by focusing angler harvest on the abundant immature fish under 17 inches, while future numbers of spawning walleye are not higher than desired. The regulation also aims to make sure overall harvest does not exceed the agreed upon levels

Edie Evarts says that 20 years of data from managing the lake since the walleye fishery reopened in 2006, along with the DNR's annual creel surveys, gives them a good idea of the impact fishing regulations have.

Red Lake Management Is A Colloborative Effort

The DNR notes that walleye management on Red Lake is a collaborative effort between the Red Lake Nation and the Minnesota DNR, governed by a joint harvest plan revised by the Red Lakes Fisheries Technical Committee in 2015. Winter harvest regulations for 2025-2026 will be determined after the summer fishing season and the completion of fall assessment netting.

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Furthermore, all anglers are reminded to protect Upper Red Lake and all Minnesota waters from aquatic invasive species by cleaning and draining watercraft and equipment and disposing of unwanted bait in the trash. A decontamination station is available at the Tamarac River Big Bog Public Water Access, referred to locally as Homestead Park.