(KNSI) – Resort owners on Lake Mille Lacs say they are worried new walleye fishing restrictions imposed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are harming their business.
The DNR has implemented special regulations on Mille Lacs Lake for several years that include; limiting the walleye an angler can keep, having catch and release only seasons, and closing walleye fishing altogether for certain periods.
DNR Big Lake Specialist Eric Jensen defends the move saying as the water temperatures increase, restrictions become necessary to keep large numbers of walleye from dying. He says when walleye swallow an angler’s hook, it can damage organs.
“It tends to just be more lethal for them as
the temperatures go up, just because of the stress level of the fish are higher, and it’s just tougher for them to recover. You can do the same damage sometimes and not kill them if it’s cooler.”
The DNR says in June of last year, 7% of walleye caught died from hook mortality. That number jumped to 16% in July as water temperatures increased.
Jensen says the walleye population on Mille Lacs has been declining since the late 90s when phosphorus levels in the lake started to get cleaned up.
He says that led to a chain reaction because with fewer nutrients pouring into the lake, there were fewer algae for small fish to eat, leading to a decline in game fish like walleye.
“We’ve had phenomenal catch rates out here, particularly the last several years. And that’s
usually not an indication of how large the population is out here. A lot of anglers think that’s the case; unfortunately, it’s actually an indication of how hungry the fish frequently are.”
If the walleye are struggling on the lake, why allow them to be caught at all?
Owner of Twin Pines Restaurant and Resort on Mille Lacs, Linda Eno, says closing the walleye season would crush businesses.
“This is a premier walleye fishing lake. I can promote bass, but you know what? There are not enough bass fishermen to cover the walleye gap. Simple as that.” She worries if the DNR completely shut down walleye fishing for multiple years, it would be the “nail in the coffin” for multiple businesses.
Eno has operated Twin Pines for 27 years and says they’ve tried to do dinner cruises, fun cruises, and rent jet skis but people come to Mille Lacs to fish for walleye.
She claims dozens of businesses have closed since the DNR started special restrictions on Mille Lacs in the last few years, but KNSI hasn’t been able to independently verify an exact number.
The DNR tracks Mille Lacs walleye population with fall netting, talking to anglers as they come off the lake, and counting fishing boats on the lake.
Eno doesn’t believe the DNR’s walleye population numbers on Mille Lacs and questions the methods they use to come up with their figures.
“I would contend, you put bull**** into a computer, it spits bull**** out. Okay, they’ve (DNR) got all their computer models. The numbers are baloney. We’ve lived it. We’ve survived. We will continue to survive. But I’ll tell you what; there’s not one ounce of any of my customers that believe any of it.”
Eno says nearly 6,000 people take boat launches from her place to walleye fish on the lake and some launches catch more than 100 fish.
Walleye anglers need to release all fish and can’t target walleye between July 1st and July 15th.
Catch and release fishing for walleye will resume from July 16th to September 16th Anglers will again be allowed to keep one walleye between 21 and 23 inches or one walleye over 28 inches.
For fishing regulations on Lake Mille Lacs, click here.
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