All stories published on this page are courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: www.dnr.state.mn.us 

Angler Input sought on Namakan Reservoir walleyes

Lake Namakan

(Released August 9, 2012)

Walleye regulations on lakes in the Namakan Reservoir will be discussed at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at the Kabetogama Community Hall on St. Louis County Road 122.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries staff will provide background information, answer questions and take public input on the future of experimental regulations on Kabetogama, Namakan, Sand Point, Crane and Little Vermilion lakes in northern St. Louis County.

The current experimental regulation for walleye, in place since 2007, requires the immediate release of all walleye from 17 to 28 inches. One walleye more than 28 inches is allowed in a possession limit of four walleye. The possession limit for walleye and sauger combined is six.

These regulations expire on March 1, 2013. Input at the meeting will help determine if they are modified, extended or dropped to achieve fish management objectives.

People unable to attend the public input meeting may submit comments to the DNR Area Fisheries Office, 392 Highway 11 East, International Falls, MN 56649; by phone at 218-286-5220; or via email to kevin.peterson@state.mn.us. All comments must be received by Oct. 8.

Comments will also be accepted at an open house at the DNR Central Office, 500 Lafayette Rd, St. Paul, on Wednesday, Sept. 26, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

 

Walk-In Access adds 6,000 acres for hunting this fall

(Released August 6, 2012)

Hunters heading to southwestern Minnesota will have access to an additional 6,000 acres of hunting land this fall, as the Walk-In Access (WIA) program grows to more than 15,000 acres, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

“Sign crews are out right now marking boundaries on the new Walk-In land,” according to Marybeth Block, WIA coordinator for the DNR. “Hunters will have access to 158 sites across 21 counties, beginning Sept. 1.”

WIA provides public access to private land and pays landowners by the acre to allow hunting access. This is the second year of a three-year WIA pilot program.

“We continue to get feedback that Walk-In is working for both hunters and landowners,” Block said. “We look forward to the success of our first year carrying into 2012.”

She anticipates that maps of all sites will be available for viewing online at by mid-August. Printed atlases of WIA sites will be distributed across the 21-county pilot area or will be available by calling the DNR Information Center at 651-296-6157 or toll-free 888-646-6367.

Block said the majority of WIA acres are enrolled for multiple years and are also enrolled in a federal or state conservation program designed to maintain cover on the acres. Many of these conservation programs have been opened to emergency haying and grazing in response to severe drought conditions across the country. Landowners under WIA contracts will be allowed to remove a portion of the forage from those conservation lands, but their WIA payment will be reduced 25 percent for the year. The WIA website will list the sites that have been approved for emergency haying or grazing.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded the first two years of the program. The Minnesota Legislature has approved additional funding for WIA. A $5 surcharge on non-resident hunting licenses has been directed to the program. Resident hunters have the opportunity to donate $1, $3 or $5 to the program when purchasing a small game or deer license.

“Hunter support is key to this program,” Block said. “Using the land, respecting the land and donating to the Walk-In program will help build future access for hunters.”

WIA land is open to hunting from Sept. 1 to May 31 each year.

WIA a partnership among the DNR, soil and water conservation districts, Board of Water and Soil Resources and USDA.

 

Public invited to comment on experimental fishing regulations on 14 area lakes

Released August 13, 2012

Reviews of existing or newly proposed fishing regulations will be the subject of seven public meetings conducted across the state in the coming weeks by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The meetings will focus on 14 lakes and relate to regulations for sunfish, crappie, largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, trout and walleye

Notable among these are reviews of walleye regulations on Namakan Reservoir lakes; northern pike regulations on Big Swan Lake in Todd County; trout regulations on Square Lake in Washington County and regulations on multiple species on four lakes in Otter Tail County. Also being discussed is a proposal for new regulations for multiple species on Lake La Salle, located within a new State Recreation Area in Hubbard County.

The goal of experimental and special regulations on individual waters is to expand opportunities for anglers to experience quality fishing that can be sustained in light of increasing angling pressure and improved angler efficiency. During the past 25 years, fisheries managers have monitored a variety of regulations across Minnesota.

“Much has been learned from our efforts to improve fish populations with length and bag limits,” said Al Stevens, DNR fisheries program consultant. “If experimental regulations are successful, then regulations can be replicated on similar waters where fisheries managers and anglers agree they would help improve or maintain quality fishing.”

Experimental regulations are in effect for a specific period of time, typically 10 years. Before the regulation ends, fish managers must evaluate the regulation and then gather input from public meetings to help determine whether to extend, modify or drop the existing experimental regulations.

“Fisheries managers welcome the opportunity to hear opinions from anglers,” Stevens said. “Public participation is critical in determining whether proposed and existing regulations are meeting angler expectations.”

Waters being evaluated this year were posted at public access points this past spring. Public notices for each meeting will be published in local newspapers. For more information about a specific meeting, check online or contact local DNR Fisheries offices.

Written or verbal comments also will be accepted at local fisheries offices up to 10 days following a local meeting. Telephone numbers and addresses of local fisheries offices can be found online or on page 86 of the 2012 Fishing Regulations.

For those unable to attend a local meeting, an open house will be held at the St. Paul DNR Headquarters, 500 Lafayette Road, on Wednesday, Sept. 26, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. No formal presentations will be made but fisheries staff will be available to take comments on any proposal. Comments will be accepted through Monday, Oct. 8, and also may be submitted by email to al.stevens@state.mn.us or by calling 651-259-5239.

Open houses are scheduled for:

  • Hubbard County: Lake La Salle (review new proposal for bass, panfish, walleye). 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13, at Fern Township Hall, which is three-fourths mile west of Becida on Hubbard County Road 9 near Becida.
  • Otter Tail County: Annie Battle (review exiting regulation sunfish, crappie, largemouth bass, northern pike; and restrictions on use of electronics and motors). North and South Ten Mile (review existing regulation on bass). Norway (review existing regulation on panfish, largemouth bass, walleye, 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept 6, at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 1509 First Ave., in Fergus Falls. Big and Little Pine (review exiting regulation on walleye), 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at the Perham Community Center, 620 Third Ave., Perham.
  • St. Louis County: Kabetogama, Namakan, Sand Point, Crane and Little Vermilion (review existing regulation on walleye), 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, Kabetogama Community Hall on St. Louis County Road 122 near Kabetogama.
  • Todd County: Big Swan Lake (review existing regulation on northern pike), 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at Bruno’s Hub Supper Club, 13905 Todd County Road 13, in Bertrum.
  • Washington County: Square Lake (review existing regulation on trout and trout stocking), 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20, Washington County Government Center, Lower Level Room #113, 14949 62nd St. N., Stillwater.


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