Muskie opener set for Saturday St. Paul – Suffering from a poor showing up to the 2011 fishing opener, license sales in the state have rebounded in recent weeks. But as of the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, sales of all types of fishing licenses were down 19 percent compared with last year. Just prior to this year's May 14…
Minnesotans who have yet to net their fishing license catch a break June 10-12 when they can fish without a license while accompanying a child age 15 or younger. Minnesota's annual Take-A-Kid Fishing weekend aims to help keep the state's fishing tradition strong by encouraging adults and kids to share an angling experience on or along the state's thousands of…
As part of its ongoing effort to get more people outdoors, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a series of skill-building workshops that will introduce camping, fishing, paddling, climbing and archery to the next generation this summer. The DNR Division of Parks and Trails created these programs in response to recent research that points to declining participation…
St. Paul – If you were betting new Republican majorities in the state House and Senate would break the annual impasse over two-line fishing and using scopes on muzzleloaders during that season, it's time to pay up. Neither provision was in the final Game and Fish Bill the Legislature approved Monday and sent to Gov. Mark Dayton. The bill tends…
A remote lake deep in the Chippewa National Forest is benefitting from an innovative construction project that was completed last fall. Three agencies – the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Chippewa National Forest, and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe – removed a concrete dam-and-culvert from the outlet of Itasca County's Pigeon River impoundment and replaced it with a channel…
The Minnesota House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday eliminated funding for the rehabilitation of the Coon Rapids dam on the Mississippi River, which is seen as a crucial barrier to stop the spread of invasive Asian carp. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials say the dam is currently the best option for stopping the northward spread of Asian carp…
Bemidji, Minn. – The number of walleyes Minnesotans caught on opening day depended on their willingness to take serious abuse from Mother Nature. A steady 35-mile-per-hour northeast wind, finger-numbing temperatures, and rain took its toll on anglers eager to start the walleye season across the state. Some of those who battled the weather found success, others didn't fare as well,…
I've been attending Minnesota Governor's Fishing Openers since Rudy Perpich's second term in the late 80s and early 90s and I was at yet another this year on Lake Pokegama near Grand Rapids, the first for Governor Mark Dayton. Through Perpich, Carlson, Ventura, Pawlenty and now Dayton, I have always wondered if any of these politicians actually likes to fish….
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is looking for the public's help in gathering data on catfish angling and consumption as part of a project to enhance management of the fish. The project includes DNR tagging catfish to get a better idea of their population and movement. It also will draw upon catfish anglers who are willing to answer…
With 2011 open water fishing season upon us, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is urging boaters and anglers to take action to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species that harm water recreation, such as boating and fishing. "Our lakes and rivers are too important to take for granted," said Tom Landwehr, DNR commissioner. "Boaters and anglers need…
Minnesota DNR's Fisheries Chief, Dirk Peterson, sent out a release describing how money is spent from the sale of state fishing licenses. According to Peterson, the DNR's fisheries section has a yearly operating budget of about $35 million. About 50 percent of that amount – or $18 million – comes from anglers who purchase a fishing license or stamps. About…
St. Paul – Proposals to create new fishing and hunting licenses and increase the fees for existing licenses, and to boost watercraft registration fees, haven't been heard yet at the Legislature, but don't rule them out. The DNR says the money is necessary to fund an aggressive program to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, and to prevent the…
Minnesota anglers who catch a tagged fish can help support their sport by recording the tag number, fish species, length, site of catch, and the date on which it was landed. This data should be entered into the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) tagged fish reporting website. "Tagging and marking are important techniques for studying individual aquatic animals or…
‘Emergency workers,' volunteers, interns filling in some gaps St. Paul – For the past few years, the level of DNR Fisheries staff in 28 field offices around the state has continued on a downward path. More recent events – an early retirement option, for one thing – have accelerated the loss of personnel. Now, according to Dirk Peterson, DNR Fisheries…
Lake Mille Lacs anglers are reminded that walleye regulations won't change from 2010 when the season opens Saturday, May 14, but the slot limit for northern pike will be different this year, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Anglers may keep up to four walleyes shorter than 18 inches, one of which may be longer than 28…
Even tough guys have to admit that a lot of fishing lures are pretty. But only the smartest anglers can see past holographic attributes- even bright red diving lips- to understand whether any given lure would add to their collection from a fishing standpoint.Tackle boxes should be more like tool boxes than they are, for most people.Your tackle boxes should…
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that regulations allowing Upper Red Lake anglers to keep larger walleye after June 15 will be in effect again for the 2011 open water season. From Saturday, May 14, through Tuesday, June 14, anglers must release all walleyes 17 to 26 inches long. Effective Wednesday, June 15, anglers may keep walleye up…
Anglers who want to support Minnesota's walleye stocking program can do so by simply purchasing a walleye stamp wherever Minnesota fishing licenses are sold, according to the Minnesota DNR. More than 32,000 anglers bought the stamp in 2010. Stamp sale proceeds were used to purchase 200,000 walleye fingerlings from the private sector for stocking and improve an important walleye rearing…
St. Paul – A bill to prevent the spread of zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species has cleared its second committee in the House, and was set for its first hearing Tuesday in the Senate. The bill, HF 1162, carries the DNR and Gov. Mark Dayton's plan to prevent the spread of aquatic invasives. Among other actions, the bill…
Potentially unsafe water levels have delayed brown trout stocking in the Redwood River in Camden State Park and Sheldorf Creek near Windom until late April.The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the delay after a weekend storm and ensuing runoff caused the Redwood River to rise more than two feet on Sunday, April 10. Excessive precipitation and existing river…
A frank discussion on what it takes to get more kids into the sport. To Jason Mitchell, introducing kids to fishing and hooking them on the sport ideally takes place on the same day. It’s a specialty that takes a commitment from an adult that goes beyond “letting ‘em come along.”Mitchell is a veteran guide from Devils Lake, North Dakota,…
In the evening, as the sun drops near the tops of the trees, the web of life comes alive and panfish rise to actively feed on zooplankton and other food sources. During this brief period, as long as you’re in the right place, you can cash in with less-than-stellar presentations. But what about the rest of the day? What about…
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – Scientists whose genetics-based research became a lightning rod in the debate over protecting the Great Lakes from Asian carp have made their case in a newly published article that says at least some of the dreaded invaders have gotten beyond an electric barrier meant to block their path to Lake Michigan. In the paper released…
Before we get started, just a quick note to say that this is something we have not written about before. Dave didn’t want to talk about it in print until he was convinced it’s something you can take to the bank no matter where you fish. It’s a dynamic that is still a theory, but it has held true for…
It might sound obvious, but it’s a good idea to target abundant fish. Attention to detail serves us well, in many areas of our lives. When it comes to ice fishing, there is a ‘small detail’ that gets ignored more commonly than you might think, in the process handicapping your best efforts before you drill the first hole of the…
