Pleasant Lake Sunfish Limit Could Be Dropped Under DNR Proposal

(KNSI) – Anglers who fish Pleasant Lake in Stearns County or Cedar Lake near Annandale have a matter of weeks left to tell the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources what they think about proposed sunfish rule changes.

The DNR is reviewing special and experimental fishing regulations for the 2027 season and is taking public input on 10 sets of waters across the state. Three of them are in the KNSI listening area.

At Pleasant Lake, the agency is proposing to scrap the current sunfish rule entirely. The lake now carries a daily limit of five sunfish. Under the proposal, that would go away and Pleasant Lake would revert to the statewide limit. The DNR says the special regulation did not meet its intended goal of improving the size structure of the lake’s sunfish population.

Cedar Lake near Annandale would go the other direction. The Wright County lake currently follows statewide inland limits. The proposal would cap anglers at 20 sunfish combined, with only five of those measuring more than eight inches. The DNR says the goal is to protect larger sunfish while still allowing harvest of smaller fish.

Mink and Somers lakes, also in Wright County, would see the biggest overhaul. The DNR wants to repeal the existing sunfish, walleye and minnow regulations on both lakes, saying they are no longer needed. Those lakes currently limit anglers to five sunfish per day, cap walleye possession at three fish with a 17 inch minimum and only one over 20 inches, and prohibit the possession or use of live minnows. In their place, the agency would apply the same sunfish rule proposed for Cedar Lake: 20 combined, with only five over eight inches.

Experimental regulations carry a defined evaluation period, after which the DNR decides whether to make them permanent. Special regulations have no end date, though the agency reviews how they are performing as part of each lake’s management planning cycle.

Notices about the proposals have been posted at public access points on each of the affected lakes.

Anglers can comment through an online questionnaire on the DNR website through Wednesday, September 30th. A general online meeting covering all 10 proposals is set for Tuesday, September 15th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The link to join will be posted on the DNR website before the meeting.

Comments can also go directly to the appropriate area fisheries office by email, mail or phone. Contact information is listed on the DNR’s area fisheries office webpage. Questions about the proposals themselves can be directed to Fisheries Rules and Regulations Coordinator John Dunn at john.dunn@state.mn.us or 651-259-5235.

Full details on every proposal, including meeting information, by clicking here.

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