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SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2024 ELY ECHO’S NORTH COUNTRY ANGLER PAGE 7 Everything you need to know for Minnesota fishing opener
New catch-and-release state record categories are open starting this year
DULUTH — If you catch a really big one during Minnesota’s fishing opener May 11 and release it, you could be eligible for one of 18 new categories of state catch-andrelease fishing records.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources added the new species this year to account for the growing popularity of catch-and-release fishing and to raise the respect level for some lesser-known species.
All you need to do is take measurements, snap a photo, have a reliable witness in your boat during the catch and fill out a catch-and-release application form available at bit.ly/3UC387Q.
Not any big fish will qualify, however. To prevent a flood of lesser entries, the DNR has set minimum limits to qualify. You’ll have to beat 32 inches to grab the new state catch-and-release walleye record, for example, and 22 inches for smallmouth bass.
Catch-and-release records were previously available only for muskie, northern pike, lake sturgeon and flathead catfish.
If you think you have a new record for the four original Minnesota catch-and-release categories, the DNR says don’t bother applying unless they are a quarter-inch or more above the current records of 52.5 inches for flathead catfish, 58.25 inches for muskie, 78 inches for lake sturgeon and 46.5 inches for northern pike.
Minimum size for each new catch-andrelease record species: Bigmouth buffalo, 32 inches Blue sucker, 28 inches Bowfin, 31 inches Brook trout,18 inches Brown trout, 24 inches Channel catfish, 38 inches Freshwater drum, 31 inches Lake trout, 40 inches Largemouth bass, 22 inches Longnose gar, 46 inches Rainbow trout, 23 inches Sauger, 22 inches Shortnose gar, 30 inches Shovelnose sturgeon, 32 inches Smallmouth bass, 22 inches Smallmouth buffalo, 31 inches Tiger muskie, 44 inches Walleye, 32 inches Get fishing license online, by phone, in person Check out various license options — individual, senior, husband-wife, hunting/ fishing combination — and buy your license at dnr.state.mn.us/licenses/onlinesales. html, by phone at 888-665-4236 and at many sporting goods stores statewide.
The basic resident adult fishing license for a year is $25 and nonresidents are $50.
Mothers fish free opening weekend, and can win prizes As usual, all mothers in Minnesota can fish for free over Mother’s Day weekend, May 11-12. Moms can also enter the DNR’s fishing challenge. Participation in the fishing challenge is free on Facebook and open to moms statewide.
Simply join the challenge Facebook group and get your bait and camera ready. Submit one photo of each fish that you catch. All species and sizes are welcome. Snap a photo and let your fish go or keep it for dinner if it’s in season.
All participants who submit a fish will be entered in a random drawing for more than 100 prizes provided by the Student Anglers Organization and its partners, including gift cards from Scheels stores and Lund boats.
Don’t forget your boat license To avoid a delay in receiving your three-year boat sticker, boaters are encouraged to renew registrations online or at a local deputy registrar’s office rather than by mail.
If they renew online, they can print out the confirmation page to use as their temporary permit. Boaters also may write down their temporary authorization number from the confirmation page. The registration card and expiration decals will then be mailed to the boat owner.
Renew at dnr.state.mn.us/licenses/ online-sales.html.
Of 162 fish species, walleye (of course) the most popular Some 162 species of fish can be found in Minnesota waters. The DNR says walleye are the most sought-after fish in Minnesota by anglers, followed by northern pike and muskie, then panfish, bass, crappie and trout.
Most walleyes aren’t stocked While stocking gets a lot of attention, protecting and restoring natural fish habitat and water quality supports most of the millions of naturally reproduced fish caught by anglers each year. For example, the DNR says roughly 85% of the walleye caught and kept by anglers are the product of natural reproduction from lakes and rivers where walleye grow naturally.
Find fishing lakes on mobile app, online Get lake-specific information, including regulations, fish species, stocking reports, boat landing locations and lake maps, at maps1.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefinder/mobile. You can search by lake name, by region on a map or find lakes near where you are.
Know the regulations
To fish in Minnesota, all anglers 16 years or older are required to buy a Minnesota fishing license.
A trout stamp is required to fish for any species in designated trout water (even if you are not targeting trout) or to harvest trout from any water.
Minnesota fishing regulations, including those new for 2024, and more information can be found in the Minnesota Fishing Regulations booklet available wherever licenses are sold and at mndnr.gov/fishing.
The DNR has translated the state’s 2024 fishing regulations into Hmong, Karen, Somali and Spanish, the four most commonly spoken languages, apart from English, in Minnesota.
Anglers, spearers and bowfishers have a new possession limit in 2024 of up to 10 gar — the toothy, prehistoric fish native to Minnesota waters. The gar regulation change is part of a larger effort to sustainably manage gar and other native fish, including buffalo, sucker, freshwater drum, bowfin, goldeye and bullhead, because these fish are critical contributors to aquatic ecosystems.
