Early season conditions allow for increased late season fishing opportunity
Effective Friday, Aug. 16, Mille Lacs walleye anglers can harvest up to two walleye through Saturday, Nov. 30. Both fish can be 18-20 inches in length or one can be 18-20 inches and the other must be longer than 28 inches.
“With high angler catch rates last fall, we opted for setting conservative fishing regulations this season because we expected high catch rates to continue,” said Brad Parsons, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries section manager. “Indeed, fishing was great for the first two months of the season. But with the catch and release regulation and windy and rainy weather, far fewer people than expected fished Mille Lacs so far this season, creating room for more harvest.”
As of July 15, state-licensed anglers had harvested about 26% of their allowed walleye take.
Based on meteorologists’ projections for a hot and dry summer, along with data on the fishery and past angler effort, the originally planned regulation starting Aug. 16 would have allowed anglers to keep one fish 21 to 23 inches or longer than 28 inches.
Population surveys suggest that Mille Lacs currently has relatively high numbers of walleye 18-20 inches in length. Expanding the possession limit to two fish and moving the size of harvestable fish to that size range allows anglers to catch and keep the “eaters” many prefer.
“We hope that anglers come out and take advantage of this opportunity to fish walleye on Mille Lacs,” Parsons said. “Anglers have advocated for relaxing walleye regulations to increase harvest opportunity when conditions allow, and this is one of those times.”
State-licensed anglers share the harvest on Mille Lacs with Ojibwe tribes that retain fishing rights by treaty. To conserve the fishery, an annual safe harvest level is set through discussion and agreement between the state and the tribes, with each party setting regulations to stay within their share of the harvest.
As of July 15, state-licensed anglers had harvested around 24,000 pounds of out of a potential harvest of 91,550 pounds. Tribal fishing harvest has been 53,671 pounds of the allowed 65,950 pounds.
Complete Mille Lacs Lake fishing regulations and regularly updated angler surveys that show ongoing state-licensed angler catches of walleye, northern pike and yellow perch are available on the Minnesota DNR website.