Keeping/Eating Fish on the Ice

Well, even with COVID we have our 15th annual family ice fishing trip booked, returning to LOW after a couple of years on Red. But with COVID, we are staying in a sleeper house and have not plans to go on shore during the trip unless for an emergency. Typically we frequent the local establishments for the bring your own fish meal deals, but I am going to assume they will be closed anyways.

I fully understand the possession and daily limits, and we rarely if ever keep our limits anyways, only enough to have a couple of meals. And I believe I understand the rules on eating fish on the ice, make sure the oil is hot on the stove, then clean them, prepare them and eat them, keeping the entire fish carcasses in a bag so they can be counted/measured by DNR.

My question comes in on the keeping of fish to come home. I understand, NO FILLETS on the ice rule. So have to keep the whole fish, which will likely be frozen in a cooler outside. But can the fish be gutted? Not a fan of keeping a fish for that long ungutted, even if frozen, but if that is the rule? We are not staying with one of the resorts that offer licensed cleaning/packing/storage, so that option is out.

I understand rules, keeping the honest honest, and all that, but this gets pretty unmanageable with all the rules. So just trying to clarify.

Thanks

If I bring frozen fish home from Red, they are filleted, but I leave the skin on (ribs out), paired up and lay flat, for I.D. and measuring if needed. (This is the method that is required coming back from Canada also) If I have fish to clean the day we come, they are completely filleted and just dumped in a bag, since they won’t be froze and I could take them and lay them flat if needed to be counted, measured or I.D.’d. I would think the same should be good for on the ice?

Check page 34 of the fishing regs.

I did read the regulations, but they still are not clear about the fish I keep on the ice, with the intent of bringing them home.

When I’m on waters with size restrictions different from statewide regulations, can I eat fish that I caught and kept?You may do so if:
• You are on the ice, docked or moored to shore, and you are in the act of preparing and using the fish for a meal, you can fillet the fish but must retain the intact carcass, which must contain the head, dorsal fin and tail.
• You also may prepare a meal of fish using fillets packaged by a licensed fish packer.
• Any fish caught and eaten on the same day count toward your daily bag limit.

And the “Transportation” rules are clear –

How do I prepare fish I’ve caught for transport?
• You must package and transport fish in such a way that they can be readily unwrapped, separated, identified and counted.
• A fish may not be cut into more than two fillets.
• If you are transporting muskellunge, catfish, splake or brook, brown and rainbow trout, you must transport them with the head and tail intact so the fish can be measured.
• Bullhead, sunfish and crappie may be filleted without leaving a patch of skin.
• Fillets from all other species must have a 1-inch square patch of skin with scales intact from a portion of the body other than the belly.
• Sauger without head and tail intact will be counted as walleye unless they are packaged by a licensed fish packer.

But what about fish the are kept, on the lake, not for consumption, but to take home? I know a filleted fish in a boat is illegal. So I am assuming a filleted fish on the ice is illegal, unless you are actively eating them, and transportation rules start when you are off the lake. Or am I wrong?

I have asked DNR this in the past, gotten different answers from different people, so not sure even DNS is clear on their rule.

How do I prepare fish I’ve caught for transport?
• You must package and transport fish in such a way that they can be readily unwrapped, separated, identified and counted.
• A fish may not be cut into more than two fillets.
• Fillets from all other species must have a 1-inch square patch of skin with scales intact from a portion of the body other than the belly.
• Sauger without head and tail intact will be counted as walleye unless they are packaged by a licensed fish packer.

Those four bullets you posted sum it up for walleyes. Fillet your fish but leave at least 1″ of skin other than from the belly (we typically trim most the skin free from the fillet except about an inch-this makes life easy when finishing to remove the skin). Package them in a way that the skin is showing easily should they open your bag (meaning keep the skin towards the outside) and to make life easy, package just one fish per bag. We always write the fish length on the bags of our walleyes. This makes life easy when dealing with “one over” rules. We had the DNR come to our cabin once and he said this made his life and ours very easy. He only opened on package to see if we were truthful.

I agree ClownColor, but that is in transportation, not while I am still on the lake, that is what I am trying to clarify.

I called the DNR once again, and was transferred to a conservation officer. It is not clearly defined in the regulation book, but it is clearly defined. For anyone else interested, here is the detail –

No Filleted Fish on the Water

Anglers: When traveling on or fishing waters with size restrictions different than statewide regulations, all fish for which a size restriction applies must have the head, tail, fins, and skin intact and be measurable. So they cannot be filleted on the lake at any time, if you want to transport them, must wait until you are on shore. So in a sleeper house, you need to keep the whole fish intact until off the lake.

Subp. 5. Possession of fish while on state waters.

While on or fishing in state waters with size restrictions that differ from statewide regulations (which includes Lake of the Woods), including experimental waters, special management waters, boundary waters, or any other waters with size restrictions, all fish for which the different size restrictions apply must be undressed and measurable when in a person’s possession, regardless of where taken, except under the following conditions:

(1) when a watercraft is docked or moored to shore or when on the ice and a person is in the act of preparing and using the fish for a meal

When fish are consumed under subitem (1), the angler must maintain the carcass of a fish with size limits in such a way that the carcass may be readily unpacked, unwrapped, and separated so that the carcass may be examined, measured, and counted to ensure compliance with size restrictions for that day, as defined under Minnesota Statutes, section 645.45.

A lot to answer my own question, but worth sharing. In short, any fish you want to keep on the ice for transportation home, has to be kept completely intact, no fillets, no gutting.

You have to keep the fish somewhat intact from lakes that have saugers or you could be in trouble. What I always do is fillet the sides, but leave the skin attached near the tail, cut out all guts and rib bones, then I will nearly remove the skin from the fillet, but its still intact. This way you can identify sauger vs walleye for counting and length restrictions.
Ive seen resorts’ professional packers do this for years and Ive done it this way ever since. I havent been checked, but I dont anticipate any issues if I were.

CaptainMusky, per the conversation I had with DNR, if you were stopped on the ice with your fish packaged like that, it is ILLEGAL. To me, what you state is a more practical solution, but not the letter of the law. The fish, while on the lake, must be completely intact, unless in the act of preparing to eat. Licensed packers can clean and pack your fish, mark the package, and are legal on the ice with no carcass or skin, but have to be marked appropriately. In person, no go.

toddrun wrote:

CaptainMusky, per the conversation I had with DNR, if you were stopped on the ice with your fish packaged like that, it is ILLEGAL. To me, what you state is a more practical solution, but not the letter of the law. The fish, while on the lake, must be completely intact, unless in the act of preparing to eat. Licensed packers can clean and pack your fish, mark the package, and are legal on the ice with no carcass or skin, but have to be marked appropriately. In person, no go.

True, I should have clarified that, I do NOT do this while on the water, its while back onshore and prepping for the trip home.

toddrun, it looks like you got the answer whether it’s what you wanted to hear or not…it’s the legal parameters.

FWIW, I believe ultimately your question was strictly regarding preparing fish for transport because whether you prepare some fish for a meal on the ice, that doesn’t change anything regarding fish you plan on taking home…daily bag and possession limits notwithstanding.

So clearly, your question applies to nearly everyone whose been out there catching and keeping and always will be.

One more comment regarding fish fillets out there from a licensed fish packer.

I know for many, this is unthinkable particularly LOTW or Red but on some waters where keeping fish is rare…some folks still enjoy a fish dinner on the ice.

I’ve always enjoyed the tradition of frying up at least one walleye dinner in a fish house on Mille Lacs and too bad but you can never count on one you might catch and be able to legally keep.

So I, and I know I’m not the only one will just bring store bought walleye in the packaging. The packaging essentially is the proof you need. I think that is part of how/why that part of the regulation was written in.

Seems almost sacrilegious I know…

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

Seems almost sacrilegious I know…

It does! I dont believe I have ever bought walleye, but have bought other fish. We dont eat a ton of fish however.