Minnesota Fishing

Mille Lacs walleye and perch limits set

Mille Lacs Lake has been in the news this week, after the Minnesota DNR set limits for perch effective March 11 and walleye regulations in place for the open water season.

Open water regulations set

Anglers on Mille Lacs Lake will have the opportunity to harvest two walleye daily during the upcoming open water season, which begins on Saturday, May 10, and continues through Sunday, Nov. 30. Harvested walleye must be 17 inches or greater, and only one of them can be over 20 inches.

Following years of restrictive regulations, the Mille Lacs Lake walleye (ogaa in Ojibwe) fishery appears to be in a healthy state, a viewpoint shared by both state and Tribal fisheries biologists. Read more here.

New perch regulations in effect on Mille Lacs Lake

Starting March 11, the daily and possession limit for yellow perch on Mille Lacs Lake was reduced from 20 to five. This regulation will be in place through Nov. 30.

The Minnesota DNR implemented this adjustment to the daily and possession limit to help maintain a good perch population for the future. Yellow perch are a key species in the Mille Lacs Lake ecosystem and young yellow perch are a primary food source for predators (especially walleye). Maintaining an abundance of older perch will result in more young being produced this spring and preserve harvest opportunities for next year. Read more here.

How to share your input for fisheries management plan updates

March is the month to connect with Minnesota DNR fisheries offices across Minnesota about 151 lakes in 40 counties that will have their fisheries lake management plans updated in 2025.

The DNR encourages people with thoughts on the future management of a lake scheduled for a 2025 plan update to call or email the area fisheries office listed for that lake before March 31.

Input from people interested in the health and quality of Minnesota’s fisheries are a critical part of the DNR’s fisheries lake management planning process. These plans establish fisheries management goals and objectives for each lake and define the work fisheries biologists do each year. Observations and input from a lake’s stakeholders are essential to the planning effort.

The list of lakes scheduled for plan updates in 2025 is on the DNR website. Fisheries management plans for Minnesota’s 10 largest lakes follow a similar but separate update process. 

Photo: Lower Prior Lake, one of the 151 lakes that will have a fisheries lake management plan update in 2025 

Minnesota Fishing Regulations for 2025 available now

With the regulations book out, now is a great time to check what’s new. A list of what changed this year can be found on page 13, and read on for a summary of some of the main changes. The regulations can be found online, and printed copies are available anywhere Minnesota fishing licenses are sold. Here are some of the changes this year:

• Newly established daily and possession limits for American eel, yellow bass, whitefish, cisco, and burbot (eelpout). The Minnesota DNR added limits on whitefish, cisco and burbot to protect their populations from over-exploitation. In past years these fish had been classified as rough fish and had no limits on how many could be kept.
• For American eel, which are rare in Minnesota, there is no harvest allowed, reflecting their rare status and need for protection.
• Finally, for yellow bass, the limit for this game fish is set at 30, which is a combined limit between yellow bass and white bass, because it can be difficult to tell the difference between them. In some instances where yellow bass are proliferating, special regulations with higher bag limits may be used.

Regulations for specific waters  

Other new regulations for 2025 include those for several species in the St. Croix River downstream of the Taylors Falls dam, and those regulations can be found starting on page 74 of the regulations.

On Canada-Minnesota border waters, there are several portions of rivers now included in the border waters regulations, and those regulations can be found starting on pages 60-64 and page 67.

Additionally, there are new and modified regulations in effect for 14 other waters, located in Chippewa, Cook, Lake, Lac qui Parle, Olmsted, Otter Tail, Stearns and Todd counties.

“I am hooked” photo courtesy of Karen Kukla

Time to buy new licenses

Now is the time of year for anglers and hunters to buy new fishing and hunting licenses. Most Minnesota fishing, hunting and trapping licenses for 2024 expired Feb. 28. Licenses for 2025 are now available wherever fishing and hunting licenses are sold, online and by telephone at 888-665-4236. Online buyers can print the license or choose to receive a text or email that when displayed on a mobile device serves as proof of a valid fish or game license to state conservation officers.

“Fishing is more fun with a Buddy!” photo courtesy of Ron Plinske

Enjoy a lifetime of fishing in Minnesota

As you prepare to purchase your new fishing license for the 2025 season, remember lifetime fishing licenses are also available! Whether purchased for yourself or as a gift for someone else, lifetime fishing licenses make it easy for everyone to enjoy a lifetime of fun on the water.

The lowest rates are for children under age 4, but we also offer reduced rates for those under age 16 and over 50. Plus, if license prices increase or the license holder moves out of state, lifetime licenses remain valid.

“Learning how to fish!” photo courtesy of Hannah Vazquez

Northern deadline approaching for removing shelters from the ice

The shelter removal deadline for inland waters in the northern portion of the state is 11:59 p.m. on March 17. The deadline was March 3 for the southern two-thirds of the state.

If shelters aren’t removed by the deadline, owners may be prosecuted, and structures may be confiscated and removed or destroyed by a conservation officer. Shelters may not be left at public accesses, and no trash or other materials — including wooden blocking materials — may be left on the ice.

As they venture out, anglers always should keep in mind that ice conditions vary widely, that ice is never 100% safe, and that they should check the ice thickness for themselves.

Exceptions to the removal deadlines are Minnesota-Canada border waters (March 31), Minnesota-South Dakota and North Dakota border waters (March 5), Minnesota-Wisconsin border waters (March 1) and Minnesota-Iowa border waters (Feb. 20).

Register for upcoming fishing webinars

We have some fishing skills webinars coming up in the new spring lineup of the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship webinar series. These webinars are free to join, happen at noon and are recorded for later viewing. Here are the webinar topics and dates:

• Canoe fishing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, March 26 – hear about angling opportunities, fishing tips and tricks, and wilderness angling idiosyncrasies that can help you catch more fish. Whether you are a BWCAW rookie or super experienced, join this seminar to be prepared for your next canoe fishing trip.
• Southeast Minnesota trout fishing, April 9 – hear about stream access, water temperature logging and of course, tips on how to catch some trout.
• State fish hatcheries, May 7 – Learn about fish production and tour the DNR St. Paul fish hatchery to learn more about the important role hatcheries play in fisheries management.

Fish species profile: burbot

This ice fishing target is a fish of many names — burbot, eelpout, poor man’s lobster and more! Burbot are the only freshwater cod. They’re shaped like an eel. These fish love cold, deep waters. We have telemetry records of burbot going as deep as 900 feet in Lake Superior!

These fish spawn very early in the year compared to others, typically late February to March. They’ll group up in massive spawning balls beneath the ice. Their spawning behavior matches up well with ice fishing season. These fish are pretty active at night and glowing bait is sure to catch their attention.

The possession limit for burbot is four. Check the Minnesota fishing regulations for more details. For more tips on ice fishing for burbot, check out our recorded webinar. 

“Mosley with his dad catching some sunset burbot” photo courtesy of Mo Vang