Cisco and whitefish sport netting to open on northern lakes
Recreational netting for cisco, also referred to as tullibee, and whitefish is open this fall on designated lakes. Whitefish and cisco sport netting is open to Minnesota residents only. About 700 Minnesotans participate each year. Netting schedules are based on expected water temperatures. As the water temperature cools, game fish head to deeper water while cisco and whitefish come to shallow water for fall spawning.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources allows netting when there is little chance that fish other than cisco and whitefish will be caught. Game fish incidentally taken in nets must be returned to the water immediately.
Minnesotans asked to serve on fish and wildlife budget oversight committees
Do you buy hunting or fishing licenses and wonder how the money is spent? Are you interested in good fiscal stewardship and how key elements of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ operations are funded? If so, here is an opportunity to play an active oversight role.
Minnesotans who would like to serve on committees that review how the DNR spends Game and Fish Fund dollars are encouraged to submit an application beginning Wednesday, Sept. 9. The committees are established pursuant to state law.
“Committee members play important and valuable roles in conservation delivery here in Minnesota,” said Dave Olfelt, DNR Fish and Wildlife Division director. “Through the budget oversight process, they have an opportunity to learn about and assess the DNR’s fish and wildlife management activities.”
The DNR needs at least nine people to fill vacancies on the fisheries oversight and wildlife oversight committees.
A detailed request for applications with an online link to submit an application is available on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/gamefishoversight. The application deadline is Wednesday, Sept. 30. DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen will appoint committee members for two-year terms.
People who want to serve should have a strong interest in natural resource management and how it is funded, financial review, and working together. Applicants must be Minnesota residents and must have purchased at least one of the personal or commercial Minnesota licenses for hunting, fishing or trapping since Jan. 1, 2019.
“We want committee members who represent Minnesota—people with a variety of experiences and perspectives who come from all corners of the state,” Olfelt said.
Minnesota’s Game and Fish Fund is the fiscal foundation for many of the state’s core natural resource management functions. Upwards of $110 million is deposited into this fund annually.
The dollars come from hunting and fishing license sales, a sales tax on lottery tickets and other sources of revenue—including a federal reimbursement based on an excise tax on certain types of outdoor gear and marine fuels. The Minnesota Legislature authorizes all allocations from the Game and Fish Fund.
More information about the fund, expenditure reports and its oversight committee reports are available on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/gamefishoversight.
Bluegill improvement central to proposed special fishing regulations
Anglers should consider weighing in on proposed special fishing regulations that, if adopted, would become effective next year. Most of the proposed changes are aimed at protecting and improving bluegill sizes by lowering bag limits on lakes in 26 counties.
“The DNR’s bluegill initiative is a way to address concerns by some anglers about bluegill sizes by lowering the number of them people can keep on some lakes,” said Jon Hansen, fisheries program consultant for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “We know there are a large number of lakes involved in this initiative, so we want to make sure we provide a variety of input opportunities, including offering online options to the traditional in-person meetings.”
Hoping to invite conversation and reach a broad audience, the DNR will hold the first of five virtual town halls focusing on the bluegill initiative on Monday, Oct. 5.
“We are excited to offer these town halls and encourage people to use these and our online comment option as an alternative to the more traditional in-person meetings in each county,” said Hansen.
Each town hall will focus on a particular geographic area and will include a presentation and an opportunity for questions and comments. The schedule for the virtual town hall events is as follows:
- Region 1 – Monday, Oct. 5, 12-1 p.m.
- Region 2 – Wednesday, Oct. 7, 12-1 p.m.
- Region 3 – Monday, Oct. 12, 12-1 p.m.
- Region 4 – Wednesday, Oct. 14, 12-1 p.m.
- Statewide – Tuesday, Oct. 13, 6-7 p.m.
Information on how Minnesotans can connect with these virtual town hall meetings will be available at mndnr.gov/sunfish.
Consistent with state law, the DNR will also host in-person open houses in each county where the proposed changes would apply. The DNR is making a number of changes to the in-person meeting format in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who want to attend an in-person meeting, information can be found on the DNR’s sunfish information page at mndnr.gov/sunfish or by calling an area fisheries office.
Notification of the proposed changes to special fishing regulations have been posted at the accesses to each lake for most of the summer.
Other proposed regulation changes
The DNR is also proposing new regulations for other species on some lakes. Island Lake Reservoir has abundant but very small walleye. A new slot limit and increased bag limit are intended to improve fish size.
Yawkey, Sagamore and Pennington lakes, three mine pit lakes in Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, have the potential to support naturally reproducing lake trout populations and a minimum length limit is proposed to help achieve that goal.
Finally, among the lakes being proposed for bluegill bag limit reductions, the DNR is proposing that 24 also have reductions in crappie bag limits.
More details
Special or experimental regulations are intended to improve fishing quality or provide unique opportunities. These regulations are found in their own section of the 2020 Minnesota Fishing Regulations handbook (pages 39 to 54).
