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DNR announces regulation changes for Upper Red Lake (January 8, 2008)
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced special regulations to address the cleaning and eating of walleye and northern pike on Upper Red Lake.
On special regulation waters, species with protective size limits are required to be kept intact so that they are measurable. On Upper Red Lake, size limits are in effect for walleye (17- to 26-inch protected) and northern pike (26- to 40-inch protected). New legislation includes an exception, allowing fish with protected size limits to be cleaned for a meal on the ice. Specifically, all fish for which special size limits apply must be undressed and measurable when in possession, except when on the ice and a person is in the act of preparing and using the fish for a meal.
These new rules allowing fish consumption on ice will provide more opportunity to harvest walleye on Upper Red Lake where the current daily bag limit for walleye is two fish. Anglers staying on Red Lake for multiple days will be able to catch and prepare a meal of fish one day and harvest additional fish the next, as long as they take no more than two walleye per day and have no more than two in possession at any time.
Rules for Upper Red Lake require anglers to retain carcasses with head, spinal column and tail intact when cleaning a fish for a meal. Carcasses must be kept in a manner in which they can be separated, counted and measured for the remainder of the day in which the fish were consumed. However, anglers will be required to properly dispose of those carcasses before harvesting any additional fish the following day.
TIPS FOR POSSESSING WALLEYE OR NORTHERN PIKE ON RED LAKE:
– do not allow whole fish or carcasses to freeze together in buckets or bags, since both need to be measurable
– pack whole fish or carcasses in snow or ice shavings in a bucket or cooler inside the
fish house to prevent freezing– carcasses count toward a person’s possession limit
– carcasses of fish consumed one day must be taken to shore and properly disposed of
in the trash or fish cleaning facility if anglers intend to harvest additional fish the
following day– it is illegal to dispose of fish carcasses on or under the ice.
For a complete copy of the most current fishing regulations, visit http://www.mndnr.gov or call (651) 296-6157 or toll free 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367).