Mille Lacs walleye fishing will be catch-and-release during the spring and early summer of 2024, with the potential to harvest a walleye 21-23 inches in length or greater than 28 inches starting on Friday, August 16.
“Despite poor ice conditions, anglers caught a lot of walleye this past fall and winter because those fish weren’t finding enough to eat,” said Brad Parsons, DNR Fisheries Section Manager. “We need to adjust the open water season regulations to account for the active bite and for the likelihood of higher water temperatures this summer. Even with catch-and-release regulations, many fish die when water temperatures get too warm.”
Good to excellent walleye fishing is expected to continue on Mille Lacs throughout the open water season, which begins on Saturday, May 11, and concludes on Saturday, Nov. 30. Catch rates should remain high with fish eager to bite.
While the DNR’s 2023 Mille Lacs assessment found slightly lower walleye numbers in 2022, overall the population remains healthy due to the continued abundance of walleye born in 2013 and 2017. Assessment results also indicate decent numbers of walleye born in 2021 and 2022 that should contribute to the walleye population in the future.
Those same population estimates, netting surveys and population models also indicate there are fewer yellow perch and tullibee, the primary food sources for Mille Lacs Lake walleye. With less natural forage, walleye searching for a meal are more likely to bite on anglers’ baits.
“It seems logical that high catch rates mean there are more walleye in the lake,” Parsons said. “The data we’ve collected and analyzed suggest the hot bite is because walleye aren’t finding as many tullibee and perch to eat. Our management decisions take those data into account.”
Mille Lacs continues to be a lake experiencing changes. Increasing water clarity and the introduction of invasive species such as zebra mussels and spiny water fleas mean there is less microscopic aquatic food, resulting in decreased production of forage species and fewer walleye maturing past their first year.
“Mille Lacs is a great place to fish and recreate, and anglers will continue to enjoy quality opportunities for walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and muskellunge,” said Parsons. “Our management approach is aligned with the Mille Lacs management plan and reflects our commitment to navigating the lake’s unique dynamics and preserving its angling tradition.”
The DNR decided to allow catch-and-release only walleye angling from May through August 15. This decision aims to enable the harvest of one walleye measuring 21-23 inches in length or greater than 28 inches starting on Friday, August 16, assuming conditions permit.
State-licensed anglers share the harvest on Mille Lacs with Ojibwe tribes that retain fishing rights by treaty. To conserve the fishery, an annual safe harvest level is set through discussion and agreement between the state and the tribes, with each party setting regulations to stay within their share of the harvest. This year’s agreement took the lake’s overall walleye population decline into account and lowered the walleye safe harvest level by 10% from 2023, setting it at 91,500 lbs. for state-licensed anglers and 65,500 lbs. for tribal fishing.
Anglers are reminded to protect Mille Lacs Lake and all Minnesota waters from aquatic invasive species by cleaning and draining watercraft and equipment and disposing of unwanted bait in the trash. A decontamination station is available 24/7 at the Shaw-Bosh-Kung Bay public access on the west side of Mille Lacs Lake about 8 miles south of Garrison.
Complete Mille Lacs Lake fishing regulations and regularly updated surveys that show ongoing state-licensed angler catches of walleye, northern pike and yellow perch are available on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/millelacslake/index.html).
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