Game and fish bill would allow trophy walleye to be taken on Mille Lacs Lake
By Jonathan Mohr, House Session Daily on Apr 9, 2016 at 10:00 a.m.
ST. PAUL — Early birds on Mille Lacs Lake may get to keep a walleye this year after all if a provision in the Department of Natural Resources’ annual game and fish bill becomes law.
A short section near the end of the bill, awaiting House Ways and Means debate after being the House Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee approved it, would allow anglers to keep one walleye over 28 inches until the state’s portion of the walleye quota for the year is reached.
That provision would alter a Department of Natural Resources policy put in place earlier this year that calls for catch-and-release walleye fishing on the lake during the 2016 season.
Sponsored by Rep. Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar, the bill includes several policy provisions that some members of the committee oppose and worked during the meeting to remove. But those attempts were unsuccessful and the bill was approved.
A similar bill by Sen. Matt Schmit, D-Red Wing, awaits action by the Senate Finance Committee.
Among the controversial provisions is the Mille Lacs walleye language. An amendment offered by Rep. Rick Hansen. D-South St. Paul, would have eliminated that section of the bill.
“I think it’s important that the DNR be allowed to work, rather than have the Legislature put this in,” Hansen said.
Hackbarth opposed the amendment, saying the DNR was already “working in the direction of doing what is in the bill.”
During testimony on the provision at a committee meeting, supporters said it would help the communities around Mille Lacs Lake during the May fishing opener, and potentially for a few weeks afterward, until the quota is met. They have been struggling economically due to the decline in walleye fishing.
The state halted walleye fishing on the lake last year when the overall catch passed the limit for what was allowed. State officials are looking into ways to restore walleye numbers, as well as to help businesses that have been hurt by the walleye fishing moratorium.
The DNR earlier said it would only allow walleye fishing if they were released after being caught. The state also said it would prohibit live bait for anglers seeking walleyes, but on Thursday reversed that and said live bait would be allowed.
Eleven amendments to the overall game and fish bill were considered by the House committee, but the only one adopted was offered by Rep. Rob Ecklund, D-International Falls, that would require a driver’s license or identification card issued by the state to include a designation for those people who had also purchased a lifetime hunting/fishing license.
DNR assistant commissioner Bob Meier said that while the bill originated from his department, legislators made additions the DNR could not support.
“We are working with the (bill) author to try and address our concerns, but I just wanted to get that on the record that we do have some concerns with different sections of the bill,” Meier said.
One of those sections would prohibit the DNR from adopting rules that further restrict the use of lead shot. The agency had proposed banning lead shot on wildlife management areas in certain parts of the state, but the bill would put an end to that effort.
Opponents of the ban say there is no scientific evidence that lead shot harms wildlife populations as a whole, and are concerned a ban would make hunting more expensive. Supporters believe the accumulation of lead on the public WMA’s will have harmful long-term consequences.
Rep. Alice Hausman, D-St. Paul, offered an amendment to remove the shot ban prohibition, saying the state needed to act before the problem got worse, but it was defeated on a voice vote.
The nonpartisan Minnesota House Public Information Office online publication Session Daily is available at http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/SessionDaily.
Take a look at Pool 2. It is the best walleye fishery in the metro. I enjoy fishing it and releasing everything. No skillet required. 
