Ask a conservation officer

[Lee Borgersen]

    Ask a conservation officer:

        Which license to fish on the St. Louis River?
 




 



Q: The St. Louis River is a border water and I know you need either a Wisconsin or Minnesota license to fish while on the water. Do I need a Minnesota license to fish from shore on the Minnesota side and vice versa from the Wisconsin shore?

 



A: Minnesota and Wisconsin have a reciprocal agreement to recognize each other’s license for anglers fishing anywhere in the border waters of the St. Louis River. Regardless of whether you are fishing from either shore or a watercraft, the license requirement is the same. Minnesota residents must have a Minnesota license, and Wisconsin residents must have a Wisconsin license. Nonresidents from any other state can purchase whichever they prefer. This differs from Lake Superior, where all anglers in the territorial waters of Minnesota (on the Minnesota side of “the line”) must have a Minnesota resident or nonresident license and trout stamp. Wisconsin sells a “Great Lakes Trout Stamp” which covers Wisconsin’s territorial waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, but is not recognized in Minnesota waters of Lake Superior.

 :fishing2: