Mille Lacs Lake to Allow Overnight Walleye Fishing, Increase Bag Limit This Fall

(KNSI) – Fall fishing on Mille Lacs Lake will see bigger bag limits and the return of overnight walleye fishing.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has proposed increasing the number of fish taken in a daily limit from two to three. Mille Lacs Lake Fishery Supervisor Greg Berg tells KNSI News the slot limit will remain the same. “When the bag limit changes to three, you could have two between 17 and 20 [inches]. And then you would be allowed one fish over that 20-inch mark. And no fish, at this point, are allowed to be harvested below 17 inches.” The new regulations are anticipated to go into effect on September 1st, but the main DNR office in St. Paul has yet to sign off on a date.

The DNR reports that only 22% of the lake’s walleye quota has been caught this summer, leading to the change in limits. Berg explained why fewer fish are biting. “The walleye population is pretty healthy. We’re not seeing that in the anglers’ catches, but that’s primarily because we’ve had some good bait hatches; particularly last year. So the fish are just not as hungry as they can be sometimes. But when you do get them, they’re really plump. They’re in really good condition.”

Berg says the lake has seen an explosion in its perch and tullibee numbers, the main food for walleyes. He says predator fish are more likely to eat natural food when compared to what somebody is offering at the end of a fishing line.

Due to that population stabilization, starting September 1st, anglers will be able to spend the night on the lake with a line in the water.

Last month, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources met with the lake’s citizen advisory committee, which approved the change.

Harvest limits for the ice fishing season will be announced in late October or early November.

For more information on the Mille Lacs Lake, click here.

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