Mille Lacs Reg Update 2024 – Sort of

DNR will tighten Lake Mille Lacs walleye limit this year
Data presented at citizens advisory meeting shows 10% population decline in walleyes, warranting stricter limits for anglers on one of state’s most popular lakes.
By Tony Kennedy Star Tribune FEBRUARY 13, 2024 — 9:23PM
A walleye is netted, caught on the Twin Pines Resort boat at sunset Wednesday, July 29, 2015, during an evening excursion on Lake Mille Lacs.](DAVID J
DAVID JOLES, STAR TRIBUNE
The walleye population decline in Lake Mille Lacs isn’t unexpected or dire, said the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
SAVE
The Department of Natural Resources will tighten fishing regulations on Lake Mille Lacs this year in response to a downturn in the lake’s walleye population.

DNR fisheries biologists presented the data Tuesday night at a meeting of the lake’s citizens advisory committee. The population decline was not unexpected, nor is it dire, state fisheries chief Brad Parsons said. But it has translated into a 10% reduction in 2024′s allowable harvest level, recently negotiated between the DNR and Ojibwe bands with treaty rights.

The new overall allowance is set at 157,500 pounds, down from last year’s safe harvest level of 175,000 pounds. The state’s allocation of that combined walleye quota is 91,550, pounds — down 9% from last year’s allocation of 100,300 pounds of walleyes, the DNR said.

Last year, throughout the open-water fishing season, state-licensed anglers were allowed a one-fish walleye bag limit if the catch measured between 21 and 23 inches. This year’s regulation — yet to be decided — will be more stringent, the advisory committee was told.

“We’re going to pump the brakes a little bit this year so we don’t have to take more drastic action later on,” said Brian Nerbonne, DNR regional fisheries manager.

The group discussed a range of potential regulations, including a seasonlong, catch-and-release option with no keepers. Other possibilities outlined for the group were to allow a one-fish bag for a few weeks early in the year, followed by a catch-and-release period and a temporary midsummer shutdown of all walleye fishing. In that case, there could possibly be a fall harvest season.

In the past, the citizens advisory group has opted to start with a conservative walleye regulation in hopes of avoiding an unscheduled shutdown of all walleye fishing. That has happened in the past when the quota was about to be overrun. In some years, conversely, the DNR has been able to liberalize the rules on Mille Lacs if harvest is running below expectations heading into the fall.

The agency said the overall population decline of walleyes in the 207-square-mile lake was detected three different ways: By computer modeling, fall netting surveys and a once-every-five-years population estimate by an independent expert.

Advisory committee members were told that Mille Lacs walleyes are challenged by a shortage of baby perch, a key fish on which they forage. The hungry state of the fish (noticeable by a prevalent skinny body condition) ignited high catch rates in the fall, and the strong bite has continued this winter.

In fact, the agency said, walleye harvest this winter is estimated so far at nearly 8,000 pounds, almost double last year’s total kill of 4,300 pounds when anglers put in far more hours on the ice.

“The fall bite was good and January’s bite was really good,” Parsons said. “The bite matters.”

This winter’s harvest counts against the state’s 2024 quota, he added.

I haven’t noticed this

Advisory committee members were told that Mille Lacs walleyes are challenged by a shortage of baby perch, a key fish on which they forage. The hungry state of the fish (noticeable by a prevalent skinny body condition)

Early ice out will not help the situation either.

All the walleye I have caught on the lake this year were nice fat healthy fish. I thought the lake was loaded with smaller perch, I must just be really good at finding them.

That’s a surprising announcement and it contradicts what I personally think about the lakes current condition.
There’s more perch in that lake than there has been in a long time.
The walleye are fat and healthy. We’re catching a good variety of age classes of walleyes from small 10-13″ fish up to trophy 25+” fish. Resorts around the lake have been reporting in many cases ” the best bite in years ” and now we’re supposed to believe the population is once again declining? I’m not buying it. Just more political games from our DNR and the Tribes. To me it seems they’re trying hard to run the resorts out of business. After a hard winter season they’re gonna sink that knife deeper by tightening the already ridiculous regulations.

To think the Mille Lacs Advisory Committee has any input with the DNR is laughable. They are there for one reason only……the DNR can point and say “we value their input on seasons, slots, limits” but what isnt said is “we get our marching orders from GLIFWIC. Why is it their meetings are held behind closed doors with GLIFWIC? Why is it there is zero transparency?

When sports betting is legalized for the bands only (it will be) you can kiss Mille Lacs Lake goodbye.

Follow the money.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

By computer modeling, fall netting surveys and a once-every-five-years population estimate by an independent expert.

Can someone explain WTF this means. Besides the fall netting, we are relying on a computer model and some “expert” to decide what the lake needs. This is total crap, like others said the fish are healthy and there’s a ton of dink perch. Also you want me to believe with the lake hardly even having ice this winter somehow we have doubled our lbs taken from last winter??? This is by far the biggest load of bs anyone has tried to hand me.

Wow this is catching me by surprise this morning. Almost laughed out loud when I read ‘pump the breaks’ and tightened up a one fish allowance. Maybe we can keep 1/2 a fish?

I would certainly prefer not to have a shutdown, especially an unplanned one. I’d rather the season stay open all season even if its only C & R than completely shut it down in July for a couple weeks. Or worse, have to shut it down unexpected because the bite is so good in the spring.

I believe the data from their fall netting, modeling, and independent expert they use is public record. You can request it and look at it for yourself.

To date, there’s been no evidence to support this decision.

I too would love to see more timely transparency. For example, the most recent survey data available to the public is nearly 18 months old! Keep in mind, these surveys present raw data…which shouldn’t take more than a few hours to compile into a spreadsheet.

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/showreport.html?downum=48000200

A correction first but it really does not matter. The slot was 20 – 23″ last open water season..

Low perch counts – did we experience a die off of last summers perch numbers or did the large population of walleyes just eat too many?

Winter harvest – there is only a fraction of the fishing pressure this winter. With the shorten season along with the fewer numbers of people actually fishing since we had fishable ice I just call BS on their numbers.

I would still prefer to have catch and release all season versus a shut down or limited hours in the fall as in recent past.

Based on that article I think it is pretty safe to say the dnr is just making up data to support lower quotas and tighter limits to bow to the tribes.

I don’t really care if I can keep fish or not. That’s not why I fish Mille lacs. But the management plan is just a joke at this point.

After decades of DNR and GLIFWIC management… here we are. Yeah…it’s not working.

This is so laughable.
Of the 100,000 lbs that were allowed this year. Only 62 percent of that used.
Have not hit their fake harvest level in 4 years.
By my dumb math that is 162k lbs of fish that were left in the lake the last 4 years, but the population is down 10 percent. Doh k.
Skinny walleyes hardly.
No perch hardly.

big_g wrote:

After decades of DNR and GLIFWIC management… here we are. Yeah…it’s not working.

It sure seems like MNDNR and GLIFWICLMNOPQ or whatever they want to be called are puppet groups. The Bands control the resource and everything else is a feel good measure meant to appease the masses.

Off Topic Question:

I don’t fish Mille Lacs as much as many here (and less and less in recent years). Does Mille Lacs get the same pressure today on open water that it did 5, 10, 15, 20+ years ago? Are the local businesses seeing as much traffic or MORE than they did years ago? I’m just curious if I’m an outlier or if more people like me are just steering clear of recreating on Mille Lacs altogether…

Less walleye fisherman more bass fisherman.

I recently have the luxury of fishing during the week compared to weekends but based on my experience I would have to agree with Ripjiggen.

Ripjiggen wrote:

Less walleye fisherman more bass fisherman.

This…. and from states away.

Agreed with the previous posts. Definitely more people chasing smallmouth than ever before and less people after walleyes.

I’ve also seen license plates from southern states too.

I could care less if they allow fish to be harvested, that’s not why I’m out there either. I just would prefer to not see a closure. That does no one any good.

Leave it the the MNDNR to try and “pump the breaks” while going uphill.

Pumping the breaks….lol…pumping the breaks on what?

If we have an early ice out like the 4/7/2021 or earlier date, there will be another netting massacre that will in itself trigger the need for a C&R season.

-J.

That’s for sure. There will be lots of out of state plates netting for walleyes too. Last year was down and somehow the lake declined ?

But there are plenty of people who will say with a straight face that netting walleyes by the thousands when they are spawning have no ill effect on the population. Makes me sick.

Jon Jordan wrote:

If we have an early ice out like the 4/7/2021 or earlier date, there will be another netting massacre that will in itself trigger the need for a C&R season.

-J.

I wouldn’t worry about it. Netting has little to no effect on the spawn and population. I know you and I disagree on that. JMO

If anything the lake could probably use some predators taken out. The lake has too tight of regulations which causes it to get top heavy in regards to the predator prey balance. When it gets too top heavy the adult walleyes eat all of the YOY walleyes.

Hopefully the perch keep producing well. If they have some rough years like they have in the not too distant past, say goodbye to some year classes of walleye.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Netting has little to no effect on the spawn and population. I know you and I disagree on that. JMO”

I think just about everyone here would disagree. Either way one side is keeping their pounds while the other sides are being consumed by fake mortality rates.

“If anything the lake could probably use some predators taken out. The lake has too tight of regulations which causes it to get top heavy in regards to the predator prey balance. When it gets too top heavy the adult walleyes eat all of the YOY walleyes.”

I actually agree with this which makes tightening the slot that much dumber.
The lake IMO is as healthy as it has been for some years. Lots of fish of all sizes.

“Hopefully the perch keep producing well. If they have some rough years like they have in the not too distant past, say goodbye to some year classes of walleye.”

The perch population is on a huge rebound. Both big and small.

If this was started by anyone other than eelpout guy, I would say we were being trolled.

If netting has no effect, open it up to all.

MN DNR Mille Lacs Regs, let’s keep pissing on MN anglers and tell them it’s raining! Absolutely ridiculous to make such a statement publicly without announcing the actual changes. Even crazier to claim MN Angler “harvest” this winter is more than last year, when the angling hours are about 20% of last years angling hours. And it still blows my mind they allow unregulated netting during the spawn by a preferred racial group, while the rest of the states anglers, of every race, are going to be looking at another CnR season, if they are lucky.

Pretty pleased to see Brett McComas/Target Walleye and Al Lindner call out this BS full stop. If you haven’t heard Al, he’s been on a few podcasts on this issue, Tutt’s Bait in Garrison on Facebook was where I heard him. Worth a listen, but this is the most critical any of our fishing “celebrities” have been with the DNR.

Steve from Johnson Portside has a couple videos on good ol Facebook discussing the issue at hand.
Worth a listen.

Ripjiggen wrote:

Steve from Johnson Portside

Big Fan of Steve’s updates. I wish he would get his updates on his Youtube page so they can be shared with people who don’t use FB !!

-J.