Minnesota Fishing – September 2016
Fishing date to remember
Monday, Sept. 12: Catch-and-release only for smallmouth bass begins, except in northeast Minnesota and Mille Lacs Lake
Comment on special fishing regulations
Anglers and others can give their opinions about fishing regulations that are in place or are newly proposed on 14 lakes and three rivers. Current special or experimental regulations are found in their own section of the 2016 Minnesota Fishing Regulations handbook (pages 29 to 43).
Meeting details
Cass County: Discussion of proposal for new bag limits for sunfish and black crappie on Little Webb and Moccasin lakes, and for sunfish on Lake Thirteen, 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, Woodrow Township Hall, 1133 County Road 11 NW, Hackensack.
Fillmore County: Review of proposal for new catch-and-release trout regulations on sections of the South Branch of the Root River, Spring Valley Creek and Mill Creek, 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, Lanesboro Public Library, Lanesboro.
Itasca County: Review of existing northern pike regulations on Bowstring, Sand, Little Sand, Portage, Birds Eye, Round and Alice lakes and connected waters, 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, Sand Lake Community Center, County Road 4 near Squaw Lake.
Stearns County: Review of existing sunfish regulations for Pleasant Lake, 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, Rockville City Hall, 229 E. Broadway St., Rockville; and review of existing sunfish regulation for Carnelian Lake, 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, Kimball City Hall, 1 Main St. N., Kimball.
St. Louis County: Review of existing walleye regulation on Lake Vermilion, 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, Tower Civic Center, 402 Pine St., Tower.
Wright County: Review of existing northern pike and black crappie regulation on Sugar Lake, 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, Corinna Township Hall, 9801 Ireland Ave. NW, Annandale.
Call or write to local fisheries offices to comment about regulations proposals. Telephone numbers of area fisheries offices can be found online, or on page 88 of the fishing regulations handbook. The offices will accept written or verbal comments up to 10 days following a local meeting.
Anyone who cannot attend a local meeting can attend an open house about the regulation proposals that will be from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, at the DNR headquarters in St. Paul, 500 Lafayette Road. No formal presentations will be made at the open house. However, staff will be available to take comments on any proposal by Monday, Oct. 10. Comment by email or by calling 651-259-5239.
Mille Lacs walleye season closed; other fishing remains open
The Mille Lacs Lake catch-and-release walleye season closed on Sept. 6. The closure will remain in effect through Wednesday, Nov. 30. Learn more about the closure on the DNR website.
Fishing for other species remains open. In addition to its reputation for world-class walleye fishing, Mille Lacs has also become a premier location for northern pike, muskie and smallmouth bass fishing, and in September will host the Bassmaster Elite Series angler of the year championship.
Additional information about Mille Lacs fisheries management can be found on the DNR website, as can this year’s Mille Lacs Lake fishing regulations.
Richfield artist wins 2017 trout and salmon stamp contest
Richfield artist Timothy Turenne has won the 2017 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources trout and salmon stamp contest with a painting of a brook trout. The painting was selected by judges from among 11 submissions for the annual contest.
Revenue from stamp sales is dedicated to trout and salmon management and habitat work. For more information on trout fishing license requirements, visit the DNR website.
DNR offers a wide range of military benefits
A wide range of military benefits are available from the DNR, with details available in a new, easy-to-use webpage.
There are outdoor recreation benefits that span the entire year, and with hunting seasons around the corner, timely examples include free deer and small game licenses available to some veterans and service members.
Veterans and service members who are anglers can in some cases take fish without a license. Nonresident service members can buy resident licenses if they’re stationed in the state, and veterans with a 100 percent service-connected permanent disability can get a permanent angling license.
Twins offer discounts and free hat through partnership with DNR
Anyone with a 2016 Minnesota hunting or fishing license can receive a free camouflage and blaze orange Twins logo baseball cap and discounted tickets by being among the first 500 to buy through a special Minnesota Twins ticket offer online.
The offer is good for the Saturday, Sept. 24, game vs. Seattle Mariners.
Ticket prices vary and seat locations are either in the Field Box or Home Run Porch. All ticket holders under this partnership will pick up their cap at the game. Tickets will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. The offer is available only through the DNR Twins webpage.
Buy fishing and hunting licenses at any DNR license agent, online with a mobile or desktop device, or by phone at 888-665-4236. Mobile buyers receive a text or email that serves as proof of a valid fish or game license to state conservation officers.
One way to estimate lake sturgeon weight
Have you ever caught and released a lake sturgeon and wondered how much it weighed?
The DNR’s Baudette area fisheries office has a lake sturgeon length-girth-weight chart. One caveat, however – data that generated the chart were from the Lake of the Woods population of lake sturgeon, and other populations may be different.
