DNR Roundtable

2024 DNR Roundtable
Around 400 attendees, Fishing, Hunting, Eco Services, Lakeshore Associations, DNR staff and invited professionals. Once again up and coming students pursing natural resources studies were welcomed. Climate Change was the focus. It’s safe to expect cold water species to gradually decline. Trout, Tullibees, Cisco , Lake trout, and eventually even Walleyes.
Two of the focus sessions that I found most interesting were ; emerging fishing technologies and a really well thought out Lake Stewart Program developed for lakeshore property owners.
The technology conversation culled out the possible harm to fish populations and – how it can better help us understand fish behavior, movement and habitat. Some would like to see it banned or restricted to certain lakes. The DNR repeatedly stated that while they are discussing it and there is no, no plan being formulated to ban or restrict it. As we all know the technology will get better and better.
Much of the evening fisheries discussion focused on the year round bass season. Jimmy Bell member of the DNR citizen Bass Workshop stated that they have recommended to the DNR Technical Committee, that it be included in the 2024 Legislative Game and Fish bill. If by some miracle it passes we might see this in 25 or 26. Our current season for Bass is from May until February. So all this would do is create catch and release from February until May. Another big topic was raised about Ice fishing guides facilitating catches of large fish and full limits. Many guides are taking out groups day after day, sometimes morning and afternoon trips. The concern is their knowledge and efficiency is creating a major harvest of thousands of fish.
Questions arose about needing to license guides? Should they be allowed to commercialize our native fisheries? Should they be paying into a fund for stocking fish? Lots of issues and opinions. The problem of small pike continuing to multiply came up. I suggested that an organization like MN Fish could help by encouraging its members and the public to harvest more small pike.
Other Roundtable tidbits: the folks leading the anti wake boat topic found ways to work the issue in to most conversations. The Keep it Clean folks (looking to find ways to get ice anglers to do their part) are looking to get the stronger rules made.

You can learn more about the Lake Stewart Project by going to the MN Lakes and Rivers Advocates website

The DNR has their hands full.

Guide licensing is interesting. Right now, anyone receiving compensation for a fishing trip on navigable waters is required to have a U.S. Coast Guard License. If the state requires licensing it would definitely weed out the hobby guides that have been nibbling away at the full time professional guides business. All it would take to identify a licensed guide is a sticker on a boat. No sticker and you’re running trips, a quick call to a TIP line is all it would take. All revenues from licensing fees and fines should go back to the resource.

I’d be fine with a continuous bass season. I’m not really sure why the C & R portion would be from February to May though. They spawn after that in May and June. So if you want to protect them while they spawn, the C & R season should be during that time frame, not 2 months before it.

AK Guy wrote:

Guide licensing is interesting. Right now, anyone receiving compensation for a fishing trip on navigable waters is required to have a U.S. Coast Guard License. If the state requires licensing it would definitely weed out the hobby guides that have been nibbling away at the full time professional guides business. All it would take to identify a licensed guide is a sticker on a boat. No sticker and you’re running trips, a quick call to a TIP line is all it would take. All revenues from licensing fees and fines should go back to the resource.

I agree and disagree.

Right now the state charges resident guides on Lake Superior and the St. Louis River $125 a year. It’s not peanuts, but it’s not a deal breaker either.

Those same guides take THOUSANDS of fisherman out a year (in aggregate), for many of those customers it may be their only trip of the year.

If it weren’t for the guides there’s a lot of people that wouldn’t have bought a license to begin with.

I also don’t know any charter captains that sleep in beds made up with stacks of hundred dollar bills (and I know a lot of Captains). It’s a lot of work and overhead as it is. They’re busting their ass when they can, the vast majority have “real” jobs.

They’re working on the docks as longshoremen, in hospitals as nurses, in prisons as guards. There’s not a lot of money in fishing for a living.

If the state charged a significant fee to be a guide, I think that overall it would hurt the industry and state as a whole.

Any talk of expanding 2 lines to more areas of MN? Would love to see it jump to all rivers in MN next.

Mike not in any topic, only in a few side comments. My sense is that the recent changes need to play out for a couple years. Just my opinion.

Just to clarify, currently a guide in MN (other than Great Lakes or Federal Water or chartering a boat with more than 6 passengers) needs no licensing whatsoever.

I would favor a statewide guide license and maybe even a public database listing them, but would be an unfair system requiring fees for guides that rarely if ever harvest a fish (trophy/sport trips such as musky).

3R, this topic has come up every year. I don’t see the DNR or Legislature having any interest in licensing guides. But it is an attention getter. It’s most impossible to get anglers to focus on actual problems and solutions. They usually only bite on the sound bites

3Rivers wrote:

Just to clarify, currently a guide in MN (other than Great Lakes or Federal Water or chartering a boat with more than 6 passengers) needs no licensing whatsoever.

Really?!? I thought to be a guide you had to take like a $1000 USCG class, and then be licensed with the state? I’m generally for less regulation, but that seems pretty ridiculous. A guide should be required to be licensed and insured imo. And enforcement would be easy, since nearly every guide is advertising online now, in one way or another.

BigWerm wrote:

Really?!? I thought to be a guide you had to take like a $1000 USCG class, and then be licensed with the state? I’m generally for less regulation, but that seems pretty ridiculous. A guide should be required to be licensed and insured imo. And enforcement would be easy, since nearly every guide is advertising online now, in one way or another.

You only need the USCG license on Federal Navigable waters, on Lake Superior/St Louis River, or if you have more than 6 in your boat.
Here’s the list in MN: https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Portals/57/docs/regulatory/RegulatoryDocs/mn_nav_waters.pdf

And then when it comes to ice fishing, it’s basically anywhere since there is no vessel involved. Essentially anyone can legally be an ice fishing guide. No license, insurance, or endorsement is needed.