Minnesota Fishing – December 2016

[h2ofwlr]

Upper Red, Mille Lacs winter regulations begin

Upper Red Lake and Mille Lacs Lake have winter walleye fishing regulations that went into effect on Dec. 1.

On Upper Red: Anglers this winter can keep three walleye of which only one may be longer than 17 inches (same regulations as last winter).

On Mille Lacs: Anglers this winter can keep one walleye between 19 and 21 inches or one longer than 28 inches.

Be safe: If you’re gearing up for open water fishing remember that a life jacket is the one piece of equipment that can increase your odds of not drowning from cold water shock, hypothermia or exhaustion should you fall in.

Grant aims to get more people hunting and fishing

Anglers still cast lines and hunters head to deer camp each year, but the percentage of Minnesotans who hunt or fish is shrinking.

A DNR grant program aims to grow the number of hunters and anglers, and groups that will help move people through the process of becoming hunters and anglers, or of continuing to hunt or fish, are encouraged to apply by Jan. 5, 2017. Priority will be given to programs for underserved audiences, new immigrant populations and those with an ongoing impact rather than one-time events.

The grant program began this year and this is the third round of grants. In this round, awards will range from $5,000 to $50,000. The DNR anticipates a total of $100,000 will be available. Third-round projects must be completed in Minnesota and be finished by June 30, 2018.

Learn more about grant application requirements and the DNR’s work in recruitment, retention and reactivation on the DNR website.

DNR to close energy-inefficient French River hatchery

The DNR is closing a 1970s-era fish hatchery because of failing infrastructure and excessive energy consumption.

The French River Hatchery, located on Lake Superior north of Duluth, needs $8 million in capital investment to address failing equipment. It also consumes 10 percent of the energy used by the entire agency statewide.

The DNR’s four hatcheries produce trout that are stocked in a variety of lakes throughout the state, with an inland water summer season that closed on Halloween and a winter season that opens in mid-January. A list of trout lakes can be found on the DNR website.

Buy a walleye stamp, support walleye fishing

Want to buy yourself and walleye anglers a present this year? By voluntarily purchasing a walleye stamp, you can support a walleye stocking program that broadens the distribution of lakes where anglers can pursue Minnesota’s state fish. Walleye stamps can be purchased wherever Minnesota fishing licenses are sold.

The DNR uses walleye stamp proceeds to buy walleye from private producers, which are stocked in lakes that don’t have naturally reproducing walleye populations. In all, anglers bought 17,388 stamps in 2015. Stamp sale proceeds were used to last year purchase 4,200 pounds of fingerlings, or 84,000 fish, from the private sector for stocking, which make up a portion of the 150,000 pounds, or 3 million fingerlings, that the DNR stocks on average each year.

Stocking lets anglers catch walleye in a more geographically wide range of the state. However, most walleye are caught in large rivers or about 260 large walleye lakes where they naturally reproduce. Because of stocking, walleye can be found in around 1,300 Minnesota lakes spread throughout the state.

A walleye stamp validation costs $5. For 75 cents more, the DNR will mail the stamp as a collector’s item. A walleye stamp is not required to fish for or keep walleye.
Get Wild hockey discounts with hunting or fishing license

Hunting or fishing license holders can order discounted tickets to the Sunday, Dec. 11, Minnesota Wild hockey game vs. the St. Louis Blues, as the Wild and the DNR team up for this special ticket offer.

A limited number of tickets are available and will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Ticket prices vary and the offer is available only through advance online purchase to hunting or fishing license holders for 2016 or 2017. The discount is not available at the Xcel Energy Center box office.

Buy fishing and hunting licenses at DNR license agents, online with a mobile or desktop device or by phone at 888-665-4236. Mobile buyers receive a text or email that serves as proof of a valid fish or game license to state conservation officers.

Did you know? Trout have diverse winter diets

Research done over the last year shows trout continue to feed heavily in winter. Different teams of researchers found trout with anywhere from 30 to more than 100 prey items in their stomachs, depending on the study.

Catch-and-release trout fishing on streams in the southeastern Minnesota counties of Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha and Winona reopens for a winter catch-and-release season that runs Sunday, Jan. 1, to Friday, April 14.

For even more fishing, anglers who want to trout fish all year long can do so in streams in Beaver Creek Valley, Forestville and Whitewater state parks, whether through a catch-and-release or harvest season depending on the time of year.

[h2ofwlr]

So if they close French River hatchery which is a cold water hatchery - what are they going to replace it with?

[maplelakeduckslayer]

Probably build a brand new 100 million one that is energy efficient