Upper Red Lake walleye regulations announced for winter season

The winter season walleye limit on Minnesota’s Upper Red Lake will be a four fish possession limit, with only one walleye longer than 17 inches allowed. This is a reduction from the 2025 open water season, which had a five fish possession limit.

The winter season runs from Nov. 15, 2025 through Feb. 22, 2026.

“Our fall assessment indicated that the walleye population continues to be in excellent shape. We are dropping the bag limit to four because the winter fishery is so popular,” said Brad Parsons, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries section manager. “The state waters of Upper Red Lake had an even higher number of spawning aged female walleye than last year. We’re also seeing strong numbers of young walleye that are just reaching harvestable size, which should make for exceptional fishing over the next few years.”

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The fall gill net catch on state of Minnesota waters was 50.9 walleye per net, the highest since 2014. Netting results showed the lake is full of fish of all sizes, with half the catch between 13 and 16 inches. There were also good numbers of fish in the 17- to 20-inch range.

Walleye management on Red Lake is a collaborative effort between the Red Lake Nation and the Minnesota DNR, governed by a joint harvest plan agreed upon by the Red Lakes Fisheries Technical Committee. The Upper Red Lake Citizen Advisory Committee reviews walleye harvest totals, regulation options and provides recommendations for the state waters of Upper Red Lake.

Complete Upper Red Lake fishing regulations are available on the DNR website.