Mille Lacs Lake 2026 Yellow Perch Limit Reduced Starting February 9th

(KNSI) – Yellow perch anglers on Mille Lacs Lake will see new limits starting Monday.

The daily and possession limit drops from ten fish to five, with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources saying the change helps maintain a healthy perch population and keeps the state within its share of allowed harvest. Perch are popular with anglers, but the DNR says they’re also critical to the lake’s ecosystem as a primary food source for walleye and other predators.

“Many anglers have enjoyed good perch fishing this winter on Mille Lacs Lake, even better than last winter,” said Brad Parsons, Minnesota DNR fisheries section manager. “Our perch harvest each of the last two years has been more than double what it was in earlier years going back to 2012.”

The public share the perch harvest with Ojibwe Tribes that retain fishing rights by treaty. The two groups work together each year to set safe harvest levels. This year, the state’s share is 36,500 pounds. As of January 18th, state anglers had already harvested more than 17,000 pounds.
Anglers can find current Mille Lacs regulations and harvest data by clicking here.

The change will remain in effect until November 30th.

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