Prepare to fish all year

[Lee Borgersen]

     Be prepared to fish all year long.

 Mar 12, 2017

  ...
Want to be prepared for each upcoming fishing season opener and what is needed to legally enjoy a day on the water? Read on and start planning the year for all that Minnesota's waters have to offer.

Where to fish right now?

The walleye season on inland lakes has closed, but fishing opportunities are out there all year, according to a Minnesota DNR news release.

While not an exhaustive list, try heading to the border waters or rivers and streams that are ice-free. For starters, there's the mighty Mississippi River.

On the Mississippi where it's the Minnesota-Wisconsin border water, and Lake Pepin, anglers can catch and keep walleye, sauger, northern pike, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass all year. On the river in Ramsey, Washington, Hennepin and Dakota counties there is a continuous catch-and-release season for walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass in the following stretches:

• Minnesota River downstream from the Mendota Bridge,

• Minnehaha Creek downstream from Minnehaha Falls,

• Pool 2 of the Mississippi River between the Hastings and Ford dams, including all backwater lakes and connecting waters except Crosby, Pickerel, Upper, Little Pigs Eye and North Star Steel lakes.

Walleye fishing is also open all year on Minnesota-North Dakota border waters. On Minnesota-Canada border waters, walleye fishing is open until April 14.

In southeast Minnesota, catch-and-release trout fishing is open in streams in Houston, Fillmore, Mower, Dodge, Olmsted, Winona, Wabasha and Goodhue counties.

And what's more—especially if there are new anglers or kids who want to try fishing—seasons for panfish and under-utilized fish are open all year. Check the 2017 Minnesota Fishing Regulations online for details.

Fishing dates to remember

Dec. 31-March 31: Stream trout in lakes entirely within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area

Jan. 14-March 31: Stream trout in lakes outside the BWCA

Jan. 1-April 14: Catch-and-release stream trout in southeast streams (Dodge, Goodhue, Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha and Winona counties)

April 1-Nov. 30: Flathead catfish season

April 15-Oct. 1: Stream trout season in streams (except southeast Minnesota)

April 15-Sept. 14: Stream trout in southeast streams (Dodge, Goodhue, Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha and Winona counties)

May 13: Minnesota fishing opener for walleye, sauger, northern pike

May 13-26: Smallmouth and largemouth bass catch-and-release season south and west of U.S. Highway 53 from Duluth to International Falls (except Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County)

May 13-Feb. 25: Smallmouth and largemouth bass season north and east of U.S. Highway 53 from Duluth to International Falls and Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County

May 13-Oct. 1: Lake trout summer season

May 13-Oct. 31: Stream trout in lakes

May 27-Feb. 25: Largemouth bass season south and west of U.S. Highway 53 from Duluth to International Falls (except Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County)

May 27-Sept. 10: Smallmouth bass season south and west of U.S. Highway 53 from Duluth to International Falls (except Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County)

June 3-Dec. 1: Muskellunge season

Get the 2017 fishing regulations

The 2017 Minnesota Fishing Regulations are online.

As always, in addition to learning the regulations overall, make sure to check for special fishing regulations that apply to individual waters where you're fishing. For lakes, anglers may use LakeFinder or LakeFinder Mobile to search for special regulations.

Remember to buy 2017 fishing license

Fishing licenses for 2017 now are available wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold, online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense and by telephone at 888-665-4236. All 2017 fishing licenses became effective March 1 and 2016 licenses are expired.

Customers who purchase online via a smartphone won't receive a conventional paper license. Instead, they'll receive a text message or email that serves as proof of a valid fish or game license to state conservation officers. A printed copy of the text or email also can serve as proof of a valid license.

 

A rainbow trout slips through the grasp of technician James Stone of Peterson State Fish Hatchery after being freed from the shallows of Square Lake, where 2,000 of the fish were released in May Township on Thursday October 20, 2011. The Minnesota DNR is stocking metro area lakes to allow anglers to be able to catch trout nearby.