The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is inviting preliminary public input on several proposals that would update fishing regulations in upcoming seasons.

“These proposed changes are intended to bring clarity to complex rules and strengthen fish conservation efforts, which, in the long run, would improve fishing in these waters,” said John Dunn, DNR fisheries rules and regulations coordinator. 

Regulation proposals include:

St. Croix River: Add consistency between Minnesota and Wisconsin for bass catch‑and‑release seasons and adjust angling limits for multiple species.

• Bass catch-and-release: A new catch-and-release bass season was implemented for inland waters. The addition of this season effectively allows for year-round bass fishing – harvest is allowed for part of the year and catch-and-release fishing is allowed during the rest of the year. The current bass regulations for the St. Croix River above the dam at Taylors Falls include a catch-and-release season that runs from the second Monday in September through March 1. The proposed change would extend the catch-and-release season from the second Monday in September through the Friday preceding Memorial Day. This would allow for year-round bass fishing on these waters. The remainder of the bass regulations for this section of the St. Croix River would not change.
• Northern pike limits: The rule change would eliminate the northern pike daily and possession limit of 5 for the St. Croix River upstream of the dam at Taylors Falls and extend the northern pike daily and possession limit of 3, with only 1 over 30″ allowed in possession to the entire boundary waters portion of the St. Croix River. This change is being proposed for the St. Croix River because of changing habitat conditions, increased use of technology to locate fish, and inconsistencies between Minnesota and Wisconsin fishing regulations. The proposed change would facilitate simplification of northern pike daily and possession limits across the St. Croix River.
• Crappie limits: This proposed rule change would eliminate the crappie daily and possession limit of 25 for the St. Croix River upstream of the dam at Taylors Falls and extend the crappie daily and possession limit of 15 to the entire boundary waters portion of the St. Croix River. Anglers have become more effective at targeting panfish populations and there is a desire to make regulations more consistent between states and with other boundary water sections. Therefore, this change is being proposed for the St. Croix River. The proposed change would facilitate simplification of bag limits across the St. Croix River.
• Sunfish limits: The rule change would eliminate the sunfish daily and possession limit of 25 for the St. Croix River upstream of the dam at Taylors Falls and extend the sunfish daily and possession limit of 15 to the entire boundary waters portion of the St. Croix River. Anglers have become more effective at targeting panfish populations and there is a desire to make regulations more consistent between states and with other boundary water sections. Therefore, this change is being proposed for the St. Croix River. The change would facilitate simplification of bag limits across the St. Croix River.
• Yellow perch limits: This proposed rule change would eliminate the yellow perch daily and possession limit of 25 for the St. Croix River upstream of the dam at Taylors Falls and extend the yellow perch daily and possession limit of 15 to the entire boundary waters portion of the St. Croix River. Anglers have become more effective at targeting panfish populations and there is a desire to make regulations more consistent between states and with other boundary water sections. Therefore, this change is being proposed for the St. Croix River. The proposed change would facilitate simplification of bag limits across the St. Croix River.
• White and yellow bass limits: The rule change would eliminate the white and yellow bass daily and possession limit of 25 for the St. Croix River upstream of the dam at Taylors Falls and extend the white and yellow bass daily and possession limit of 10 to the entire boundary waters portion of the St. Croix River. Anglers have become more effective at targeting white bass and there is a desire to make regulations more consistent between states and with other boundary water sections. Therefore, this change is being proposed for the St. Croix River. The change would facilitate simplification of bag limits across the St. Croix River.
• Walleye and sauger limits: This rule change would eliminate the walleye and sauger daily and possession limit of 6 for the St. Croix River upstream of the dam at Taylors Falls and extend the walleye and sauger daily and possession limit of 4 to the entire boundary waters portion of the St. Croix River. This change is being proposed for the St. Croix River because of changing habitat conditions, increased use of technology to locate fish, and inconsistences between Minnesota and Wisconsin fishing regulations. The proposed change would facilitate simplification of walleye and sauger bag limits across the St. Croix River.
• Catfish limits: This rule change would eliminate the catfish daily and possession limit of 10 in aggregate for the St. Croix River upstream of the dam at Taylors Falls and extend the channel catfish daily and possession limit of 5 with only one over 24 inches and the flathead catfish daily and possession limit of 2 with no more than one over 24 inches to the entire boundary waters portion of the St. Croix River. This change is being proposed for the St. Croix River because of increased use of technology to locate fish and a desire to have more consistent regulations on the MN-WI boundary waters. The change would facilitate simplification of catfish bag limits across the St. Croix River.

People can submit their input on the proposals until 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, by using a questionnaire online (engage.dnr.state.mn.us/embeds/projects/7944/survey-tools/30183).

The specific rulemaking changes that are being proposed are available on the Minnesota DNR fisheries rulemaking webpage (mndnr.gov/input/rules/fisheries/index.html).