Cast Nets are alive in MN (again)

It was just confirmed that they WILL be rolling cast nets out this year. Law will go into effect 7/1. Things to keep in mind:

You will still need to take the online AIS course

You will need to get your nets tagged.

Minnesota River was added legal bodies of water (from Granite Falls to confluence of Mississippi).

Size of net changed to 5ft max radius (mono material with 3/8” mesh size max) Up to 2 nets per person

Reporting of catch will change from Monthly to Annually. This is mandatory and if you do not submit a catch/bycatch report you will not be issued another permit for the following year.

What can you do now? Buy a net. Take the online AIS course. Then wait about a week or 2 and tagging/reporting information will be rolled out. If you already have been permitted in the past, an email will probably be coming your way.

Also, cast nets are not legal to use on the Wisconsin side of the river.

Awesome, glad I saw this. Thanks Brian!

Awesome, thanks for the update. It was really tough last year not throwing net.

saweet thank you BK

Did my on-line AIS course and just printed my certificate. Ordered two 5 foot radius cast nets on Amazon and they are scheduled to arrive 1 July. I’m just waiting for the permit request form and then getting my net tagged. Been a long ride getting the cast net to final approval phase but it is worth it.

You put a lot of sweat into this working with the DNR Steve.

Brian or Steve,
Which online AIS course do we need to take? Here’s where I am looking. Feel free to direct me to the correct URL.

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/training_permits.html

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/commercial/mdeinvasivetraining.html

Try that link.

Thanks Steve. I was given a cast net and haven’t used it yet. I don’t fish down that way much, but it doesn’t hurt to get the permit if I decide to head that way and catch some bait.

So you can’t use a cast net or even possess one on the WI side of the river, which is a pain but does anyone know if a WI resident can get a cast net permit to use on the MN side of the river? With a MN license? Or on say pool 2?

Does anyone know if umbrella nets fall into the category of cast nets???

The question: So you can’t use a cast net or even possess one on the WI side of the river, which is a pain but does anyone know if a WI resident can get a cast net permit to use on the MN side of the river? With a MN license? Or on say pool 2?

My response based on experience and my understanding of the border water regulations and MN Fishing regulations:

First: You need to understand how the border water regulations work. A WI residents license is good in all the border waters of both states but you must specifically follow the regulations of the state in which you are fishing. So a WI resident could use a cast net on the St Croix and other MN/WI border waters provided he has a Cast Net Permit from the State of MN. When using the cast net he has to follow the requirements of the Cast Net Permit and it can only be used in MN waters.

Secondly: Now regarding a WI resident using a cast net on Minnesota waters that are not border waters. We are now talking about MN inland waters of the Mississippi and the Minnesota River. He would have to have a MN non-resident license to legally fish those waters and you would have to obtain a MN Cast Net Permit and follow all of the provisions of that Cast Net Permit.

Lastly: Before investing in a cast net be sure you understand all the specific requirements of the Cast Net Permit you obtain. There are a lot of restrictive Do’s and Don’ts in the permit. They might make you change your mind about getting a permit.

The question:Does anyone know if umbrella nets fall into the category of cast nets???

Based on my understanding of the approval process for cast nets here is how I would answer your question: You need to understand that the waters that have gizzard shad present in them are classified as Infested Waters and as such it is not legal to harvest bait from infested waters. Our efforts to be able to harvest gizzard shad using a cast net were a by exception approval provided we follow the terms of the Cast Net Permit. An umbrella net as I know it does not follow the conditions set forth concerning the size and make up of a cast net.

To add to Steve posts: The St Croix is included in using a cast net.

I spoke with the WI CO 3-4 years ago because I heard that we couldn’t POSSESS a cast net on WI waters. This is not true for the Mississippi and St Croix according to the guy that wrote the tickets.

Justin Schneider (Woods & Water Insurance) wrote:

Does anyone know if umbrella nets fall into the category of cast nets???

They are not cast nets and are not allowed.

Thanks you guys for your continuous pursuit of castnets!

Much appreciated!

I see links to the training. Where can I get details on how to obtain a permit? Form? Location?

Thanks!!!

Andy – the Cast Net Permit Program is handled by Sean Sisler, Commercial Aquatic Program and Fish Health Consultant for the MN DNR. He sent an e-mail out that said the plan is to get updated forms on the website by mid-July and have the permit program back in place by August 1st. Hopefully we will get our permits about the same time as the shad pods start showing up all over the river.

If you had a permit in the past, you’ll receive an email directly from Sean. One of us will post it here when it becomes available.

Am I reading this correctly. Do I need to buy 2 nets? One for infested waters and one for non infested waters? If I only plan to net in infested waters can i just buy one?
Thanks guys, and thank you to Steve and others who worked to get this going.

Jeff – You do not need two nets. You can get two nets tagged when you pick up your permit. Most of us tag two nets so that we have a back up net available. They are mono nets and can get hung up on debris when you cast them and can get torn up. I’m not sure you understand the permit process right now but after you do the online AIS training you will understand why you need a permit and why you have to have your net tagged.

The only waters these nets are allowed is in the Croix, Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. All deemed infested. Hence the AIS training.

I found this video by Darren Troseth very helpful for understanding the new cast nets laws, and he adds links to the MN Dnr for the AIS training and application.

Thanks Jeff!

I had a question, but found the answer I needed.

Picked up my permit and had my net tagged this morning. The whole process was easy and snag-free. The Darren Troseth video mentioned above was very helpful. Sean Sisler at the DNR was very easy to work with and provided good answers to my questions. If only the Mississippi near La Crosse would cooperate by getting back to a normal Summer level! Looking forward to cast netting for the first time.

I think we are all looking forward to the rivers getting back to “normal”.

Glad it went well for you Dave…now get lucky!

Won’t be long now. I’ve been marking shad pods and watched some gulls dive bombing down near Sunnyside Marina. The pods aren’t up shallow quite yet. Hard to net in 30+ feet of water. Sturgeon are really jumping too.