Mille Lacs Getting Ready To Ban Targeting Walleyes for Two Weeks

(KNSI) – One of Minnesota’s premier walleye lakes is restricted to catch and release only and soon will be closed to walleye fishing for a period.

Anglers will not be allowed to target walleyes on Mille Lacs Lake from July 1 to July 15.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources imposed the same restrictions on Mille Lacs last year to help the struggling walleye population rebound after years of decline.

Minnesota DNR Large Lake Specialist Eric Jensen says the key is reducing hooking mortality.

“As the water temperatures are climbing throughout that period, it tends to be associated with some of the highest hooky, mortalities that we’ll see on the lake. So, it’s kind of trying to slow things down there as far as our walleye kill goes.”

Jensen says in 2020, about 7% of the walleyes caught on Mille Lacs in June died for a loss of 19,400 pounds of fish.

He says in July, 16% of the walleyes caught died; however, because anglers weren’t allowed to target the species, the lake lost 900 pounds of walleye.

During the two-week shutdown, anglers targeting all other fish species may not use live, dead, preserved, or parts of minnows, nightcrawlers, worms, leeches, or crayfish.

There is an expectation for anglers targeting northern pike or muskellunge as they will be allowed to use sucker minnows longer than 8 inches.

When the walleye season temporarily closes next month, there is plenty of other fish to go after.

“The folks who want to fish pike and muskie and smallmouth bass can still go out there with their artificial lures and do just fine. There obviously, is going to be some walleye bycatch as people are targeting the other species.”

Jensen says he thinks the regulations seen on the lake in the last couple of years won’t be changing to match other statewide regulations anytime soon.

“As long as it remains popular, we can’t afford to have fish for every angler that wants to come here to Mille Lacs. We’re pretty close to the metro. People are making day trips here. Just to have the catch and release fishing. So, as long as that popularity stays up there that’s a pretty tough thing to due.”

From mid-May through Memorial Day, anglers were allowed to keep one walleye in a specific slot limit.

The lake will remain closed or catch and release until September 16, when the limit will return to possessing one walleye between 21-23 inches or one walleye longer than 28 inches.

He says Minnesota has an obligation with the eight Ojibwe bands in the state to share the walleye harvest according to the 1837 treaty that ceded the land to Minnesota.

For more on fishing on Lake Mille Lacs, click here.

___