Good news on Mille Lacs

[GrandpaTom]

MILLE LACS LAKE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Good news for anglers on Mille Lacs Lake this summer: The Minnesota DNR has loosened regulations for walleye fishing this summer, including leaving fishing open for the entire season.

The DNR on Thursday said licensed anglers will be allowed to harvest walleye 21-23 inches long or greater than 28 inches throughout the 2023 open water season on Mille Lacs Lake. This is after a lower walleye harvest this winter and an improving walleye population on the lake after a few years of stricter walleye regulations on the popular Minnesota lake.


"We are pleased to see improvements in both the growth of adult walleye and survival of young walleye in Mille Lacs," said Brad Parsons, fisheries section manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. "Those factors create the opportunity for anglers to have a continuous harvest season in 2023."

Walleye regulations will be in effect from the opener on Saturday, May 13, until the end of the open water season on Thursday, Nov. 30.

There will be no planned closure to walleye fishing in the summer nor a ban on using live bait during the first two weeks of July, like in previous summers.

"As always, we will monitor the factors that determine the state’s walleye take throughout the open water season," Parsons said. "If conditions warrant, we will adjust regulations, either to allow additional opportunity if harvest is especially low like it was in 2022 or tighten regulations if harvest exceeds our projections."

The DNR and eight Ojibwe bands who have treaty fishing rights agreed Mille Lacs can sustain a state harvest of up to 100,300 pounds of walleye this year, which is up from 20,000 pounds from 2022. The DNR says adult walleye grew well last year, and year classes of younger walleye in the lake have the potential to contribute to the fishery in the future.

"The lake has been in a state of change since the 1990s. As the water started to clear, we began seeing warmer water temperatures. Change continues with the introduction of invasive species such as zebra mussel and spiny water flea," Parsons said. "We will continue to monitor the lake to see how ongoing changes will influence the fishery."

Harvest levels for Mille Lacs Lake are set annually.

[Dotch]

Never mind that, how's the sheepshead population doing?  j/k

[glenn57]

Nuttin personal but that be the last lake I'd fish. Natives can have it.

Good info though GT!!

[mike89]

2nd that Glenn!!!

[Jerkbiat]

Still be fun to fish smallies.

[dutchboy]

Good news for the local economy. There are still lots of fisherman who fish Smallmouth & Muskie up there in addition to Walleyes & Pike. It's a great fishery if you choose to ignore the politics of it all, which I don't. I've likely spent my last day there.

[Pulleye16]

Great news. They'd always close it down when I made my usual July trip up there and it pizzed me off. Still a great lake to catch great walleyes!

[HD]

I'm still not happy....
I was one of those guys out picketing with Bud Grant. I fished the walleye trail on this lake. My inlaws had a house on the lake when all this crap went down. I've spent hundreds of hours on this lake, and to FINALLY get to keep one Walleye is still a slap in the face.

Nope, I'm not going back

[dutchboy]

I'm still not happy....
I was one of those guys out picketing with Bud Grant. I fished the walleye trail on this lake. My inlaws had a house on the lake when all this crap went down. I've spent hundreds of hours on this lake, and to FINALLY get to keep one Walleye is still a slap in the face.

Nope, I'm not going back

Here is my opinionated opinion..... GLIFWC allowed the state to open it up to catch again. even if it is only one fish. It certainly wasn't the ball less Minnesota DNR. Without GLIFWC's blessing it would have been release only. I believe (and hope it's true) that the Casino is suffering since COVID. I have no way of knowing this for sure as I don't go there or even drive by anymore. The band owns a lot of businesses up there and if people are staying away because of the lack of fishing then.................

We all know money trumps politics on that Lake, always has, always will.

[Steve-o]

I was thinkin the same thing, DB.  If us non-natives could figure out how to stay out of them casinos for a year, might be a different story come time to negotiate fish quotas and state gambling deals.

[glenn57]

I've never been in one and never be will!!

[Jerkbiat]

I don't go to them either. But since the beginning the Mille lacs band would never take their full quota. It was always the Wisconsin bands that took most of the fish.  If that matters. All I believe though is netting during the sawn is wrong. Take 5-6 years and do it later in the year and see what happens.

[Gunner55]

There was still a few hundred houses out on the lake that we could see when we came up 169 last Sunday & I'd guess we probably drove past close to another 100 between Elk River & Aitkin that day as well. Some of that could've been due to the poor ice conditions on the east side though as the neighbor told me he found 7-8" < ice over there because of all the snow. It even made him more than a little nervous with his rig so he unhooked his Denali from his wheelhouse that night. He was up there 5-6 weekends & never caught a fish, not even a perch.

[Jerkbiat]

It is sad. I grew up on that lake. My grand parents had a cabin on the west side by Wigwam bay. Fished that lake a ton until moving up here.

[dutchboy]

50 years from now Mille Lacs will be a elitists lake very similar to Minnetonka & Gull. The band will own a big chunk and the rich will own the rest. There will be very few resorts left that the working families will be able to afford.

[glenn57]

I don't go to them either. But since the beginning the Mille lacs band would never take their full quota. It was always the Wisconsin bands that took most of the fish.  If that matters. All I believe though is netting during the sawn is wrong. Take 5-6 years and do it later in the year and see what happens.

yep......this. its the tribes from next door that do the worst damage!!!!!!we are up by the leech lake reservation and i have no doubt some exercise there rights but they dont pillage as far as i can tell!!!!!! at least in all the years we've had the place i havent heard much.

seen some natives come off winnie once and they didnt have much, it was right after a pretty good thunderstorm!!!

[Leech~~]

"The lake has been in a state of change since the 1990s. As the water started to clear, we began seeing warmer water temperatures. Change continues with the introduction of invasive species such as zebra mussel and spiny water flea," Parsons said. "We will continue to monitor the lake to see how ongoing changes will influence the fishery."   
"Oh yeah and Gill nets are still raping all the breeding fish" Said no one!     

[dutchboy]

"The lake has been in a state of change since the 1990s. As the water started to clear, we began seeing warmer water temperatures. Change continues with the introduction of invasive species such as zebra mussel and spiny water flea," Parsons said. "We will continue to monitor the lake to see how ongoing changes will influence the fishery."   
"Oh yeah and Gill nets are still raping all the breeding fish" Said no one!   

I'm sure it's discussed in the private meetings with GLIFWC where the DNR is given their marching orders. Said everyone who has paid attention to the lack of transparency.

[glenn57]

anyone see the report on that big pike caught on Mille lacs............holy hannah that was a pig!!!!!! guess it tied the state record for catch and release!!!!!!

[mike89]

yes he was from Wis...   seen a video some where!!!  he and 2 other people to get her on the ice...

[mike89]

here it is Glenn;

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/record-tying-northern-pike-caught-on-mille-lacs-lake-minnesota/89-061047b5-b883-4ad2-9d77-bfd9bd581de6

[glenn57]

here it is Glenn;

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/record-tying-northern-pike-caught-on-mille-lacs-lake-minnesota/89-061047b5-b883-4ad2-9d77-bfd9bd581de6

yea i read that. think they needed to drill a second hole too!!!!!!!!