Flooding in southern Minnesota impacting angling, wildlife

New Ulm, Minn. — If you talked to Minnesota fish and wildlife managers in early May, the scuttlebutt revolved around one word: drought. What a difference a few weeks – and several inches of rain throughout the region – makes.

Lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands south of the Twin Cities are rising and flooding local communities, agricultural fields, and state and federal lands after roughly two weeks of persistent and sometimes heavy rains that dumped more than 10 inches in some parts of southern Minnesota.

As flooding continues, road closures have become the norm. Public boat accesses are underwater, and regional anglers are more likely to be filling sand bags than wetting a line.

Fish and wildlife research, as well as goose banding, has been put on hold by state officials. Flooding has washed out a portion of the Rapidan Dam on the Blue Earth River, which feeds the Minnesota River, which is over its banks in many areas and near historic highs.

On Saturday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency, authorizing the National Guard to help. On Sunday, the Guard was deployed to Waterville, where flooding from the Cannon River has caused extensive damage.

As one southern bait shop owner said, “It’s just a mess.”

“It’s hard to get your head around how conditions have changed so much in such a short period of time,” said Dave Trauba, southern region wildlife manager for the Minnesota DNR. 

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Inspecting structures, impact on ground-nesting birds

On Monday morning, Trauba directed his staff to begin assessing any potential damage to water-control structures, dams, and levees on regional state properties. He’s worried there could be extensive damage, though, he added, it will likely take a week or more to inspect all the structures.

“I took a drive on Sunday from Springfield to Windom and nearly ever square foot of wildlife management areas I saw during my drive were underwater,” Trauba said. “We’ve gone from drought to floods, which will have ramifications for fish and wildlife.” 

During the past three years, Trauba said most of southern Minnesota’s shallow lakes and wetlands have reset as drought lowered water levels. Invasive carp were killed, and new vegetation began attracting ducks and other migratory birds to waters that had been stagnant for years because of high water.

“Prairie systems require drought, and we made a lot of habitat gains over the past three years,” Trauba said. “Now, in roughly a month or so, it’s been pretty much all wiped away. Carp will again have access to these basins, and new vegetation is under several feet of water. Sediment is moving off farm fields. Pesticides, too. There’s really nothing good about it.”

Trauba said he’s worried about ground-nesting bird production for pheasants and ducks.

“It’s too early to tell right now, but I’m very concerned about ground-nesting birds with all this rain and flooding,” he said, especially on state lands.

Anglers proceed with caution

State and federal officials are urging caution to anglers and boaters as the states’ major rivers – the Minnesota, Mississippi, and St. Croix – continue to rise and won’t crest until later in the week or beyond.

Officials from the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge in Winona say excessive current, turbid waters, and submerged and floating hazards should be expected in the river over the coming days.

“Boaters should be vigilant as flood waters will have significantly changed conditions at traditional access, camping, and day-use sites,” according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press release. “Boaters should also be prepared to locate alternative boat ramps to access the Mississippi River between Wabasha and Trempealeau, Wis., as ramps may be closed.”

Jeremiah Luhmann is the owner of Luhmann’s Guide Service in Lake City. Luhmann, who guides primarily for walleyes on Lake Pepin, said it’s been a challenging spring and early summer. Frequent storms have kept him off the water more than he’d like.

“I’ve lost quite a few guide trips, but the fishing overall has been really good when the weather has cooperated,” Luhmann said. “With the high water, I’m often fishing tighter to the shoreline. In general, I like fishing in high water. But you do have to be careful and constantly watching for floating debris.”

Currently, Goodhue County, which includes Red Wing, has instituted a no-wake zone on the Mississippi River. Luhmann said he’s worried the Lake City area could be next. “I suspect it will happen later this week and I’ll be pretty much shut down until water levels recede,” he said.

Weeks before water recedes

Darren Troseth, of Jordan, is a longtime catfish and sturgeon guide who regularly fishes the Minnesota River. He said the river is so high right now that it likely will take three weeks before water recedes enough to take out clients.

“That assumes we don’t get any more rain over that period,” Troseth said Monday evening. “The Minnesota is raging right now and is over its banks in a lot of areas, flooding roads and making travel tough.”

Indeed, between Jordan and Bloomington, the river could crest during the weekend above the 1965 high of 35.07 feet, as measured by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “It’s going to be close,” Troseth said.

Several lakes near flood stage

Rivers aren’t the only bodies of water in and around the south metro area, and throughout southern Minnesota, with high water. Several lakes are experiencing flooding or are near flood stage. Public boat accesses are flooded and/or closed in some areas, displacing anglers.

High water on Lake Minnetonka – one of the state’s busiest bodies of water – could spur no-wake restrictions.

“We’re probably inches away from that happening,” longtime Lake Minnetonka bass guide Kurt Erickson said Monday.

The so-called High Water Declaration is designed to prevent shoreline erosion and prevent damage to docks and other lake structures. Erickson said he fished during such restrictions a few years ago and caught a lot of largemouth bass. He said reduced boat traffic and less fishing pressure likely helped a lot. 

“The only problem is that I had to commute 45 minutes one way to where I wanted to fish because you can only operate a watercraft at a speed of five miles an hour or less with the restrictions,” Erickson said. “I’ll do it this year again if I have to. It’s kind of nice and peaceful, to be honest. And, for this fishery, high water is better than low water.”