Minnesota DNR retains 2 walleye limit on Mille Lacs Lake for winter season (published November 13, 2024)

State-licensed ice anglers on Mille Lacs Lake will be able to keep two walleye 18-20 inches long, or one walleye 18-20 inches and one walleye longer than 28 inches, from Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, to Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025.

“Mille Lacs’ walleye population is trending in a good direction for both adult and juvenile fish,” said Brad Parsons, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries section manager. “Juvenile perch and tullibee, important forage species for walleye, also are abundant.”

The winter season regulation marks a continuation of the more liberal limit the DNR implemented this fall. The DNR based its decision on this fall’s Mille Lacs netting assessment, which showed higher walleye abundance than in 2023, along with strong numbers of juvenile fish that are expected to contribute to the fishery in the future.

State-licensed anglers share the harvest on Mille Lacs with Ojibwe tribes that retain treaty fishing rights. The total harvest for the fishing year is set through discussion and agreements between the state and the tribes, with each party setting regulations to stay within their share of the harvest.

As of Sept. 30, state-licensed anglers had harvested 29,891 of the 91,550 pounds of walleye they were allocated for the 2024 fishing season.

Complete winter fishing regulations for Mille Lacs Lake are available on the Minnesota DNR website.