Process underway for year-round bass season in Minnesota; public invited to comment

St. Paul — Following 2025 legislative action, the Minnesota DNR plans to expedite creating a year-round bass season. As part of the rule-making process, the agency will accept public comment on the continuous season until 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23.

The proposed change would create a catch-and-release smallmouth and largemouth bass season to cover any part of the year that is not already deemed as catch-and-release or harvest. Essentially, the catch-and-release season would expand, and the typical harvest season will remain the same and not be extended.

Citizens can submit any feedback or questions related to the change to Shannon Fisher, the fisheries populations monitoring and regulations manager for the DNR. His address is 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155, phone is 651-259-5206, and email shannon.fisher@state.mn.us.

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In addition to input on the change, if 50 or more respondents request a formal hearing on the change, the DNR would have to oblige. Input sent to Fisher seeking a public hearing must include the name and address of the sender, and the sender must state whether he opposes the change altogether or a portion of the change.

If there isn’t enough support for a hearing, the DNR has the authority to adopt the new rules once the comment period ends in late October, pending legal review.

See the complete notice of intent here; and proposed rules here. More information can be found online at the DNR website.