Everything you need to know for Minnesota fishing opener

DULUTH — If you catch a really big one during Minnesota's fishing opener May 11 and release it, you could be eligible for one of 18 new categories of state catch-and-release fishing records.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources added the new species this year to account for the growing popularity of catch-and-release fishing and to raise the respect level for some lesser-known species.

All you need to do is take measurements, snap a photo, have a reliable witness in your boat during the catch and fill out a catch-and-release application form available at bit.ly/3UC387Q.

Not any big fish will qualify, however. To prevent a flood of lesser entries, the DNR has set minimum limits to qualify. You’ll have to beat 32 inches to grab the new state catch-and-release walleye record, for example, and 22 inches for smallmouth bass.

Catch-and-release records were previously available only for muskie, northern pike, lake sturgeon and flathead catfish.

If you think you have a new record for the four original Minnesota catch-and-release categories, the DNR says don’t bother applying unless they are a quarter-inch or more above the current records of 52.5 inches for flathead catfish, 58.25 inches for muskie, 78 inches for lake sturgeon and 46.5 inches for northern pike.

• Bigmouth buffalo, 32 inches
• Blue sucker, 28 inches
• Bowfin, 31 inches
• Brook trout,18 inches
• Brown trout, 24 inches
• Channel catfish, 38 inches
• Freshwater drum, 31 inches
• Lake trout, 40 inches
• Largemouth bass, 22 inches
• Longnose gar, 46 inches
• Rainbow trout, 23 inches
• Sauger, 22 inches
• Shortnose gar, 30 inches
• Shovelnose sturgeon, 32 inches
• Smallmouth bass, 22 inches
• Smallmouth buffalo, 31 inches
• Tiger muskie, 44 inches
• Walleye, 32 inches

The popular Munger Landing boat ramp on Clyde Avenue in western Duluth should be open and usable for the May 11 walleye opener on the St. Louis River Estuary.

The river access was closed for the past two years as contaminated sediment was removed from the river in that area as part of the St. Louis River cleanup effort. There may still be some paving work done on the ramp itself and the parking lot, but that won’t happen over opening weekend, officials said.

As it is every year by permanent state law, the St. Louis River will be closed to walleye fishing from the state Highway 23 bridge upstream to near the dam until May 18.

Other seasonal fishing closures this year include:

• Cross River in Cook County, inlet to Gunflint Lake, from the Gunflint Trail to Gunflint Lake, closed through May 24.
• Little Gunflint-Little North channel in Cook County, the channel between Little Gunflint and Little North lakes, including Little Gunflint Lake within 300 yards of the channel mouth, and Little North Lake within 100 yards of the channel head, closed through May 31.
• Maligne River (also known as Northern Light Rapids) on the Ontario side of Saganaga Lake, closed through May 31.
• Saganaga Falls in Cook County, on the Minnesota-Ontario border where the Granite River enters Saganaga Lake, closed through May 31.
• Sea Gull River in Cook County, from Sea Gull Lake through Gull Lake to Saganaga Lake approximately one-third mile north of the northernmost narrows, closed through May 24.
• Granite River in Cook County, at Saganaga Lake, from Saganaga Falls downstream to Saganaga Lake, including Saganaga Lake within 300 yards of the mouth of the Granite River, closed through May 31.
• Taft River in Cook County, closed until May 26.
• Moody's Creek in Itasca County, from County Road 432 upstream a half-mile, through June 30.
• Gauthier, Kadunce and Devils Track rivers in Cook County, closed until May 31.

The News Tribune Trophy Room wants to run photos of you, your family and your friends with their catch of the day, not just on opening day, but all year long. Send them to outdoors@duluthnews.com along with the angler’s name, hometown, size of fish and where it was caught.

Remember to handle and release the fish gently and quickly, keep your hands away from the gills and eyes, and try to have the sun shining on the angler's face, not at their back. Get close and fill the photo with fish!

Check out various license options — individual, senior, husband-wife, hunting/fishing combination — and buy your license at dnr.state.mn.us/licenses/online-sales.html, by phone at 888-665-4236 and at many sporting goods stores statewide.

The basic resident adult fishing license for a year is $25 and nonresidents are $50.

As usual, all mothers in Minnesota can fish for free over Mother’s Day weekend, May 11-12. Moms can also enter the DNR’s fishing challenge. Participation in the fishing challenge is free on Facebook and open to moms statewide.

Simply join the challenge Facebook group and get your bait and camera ready. Submit one photo of each fish that you catch. All species and sizes are welcome. Snap a photo and let your fish go or keep it for dinner if it's in season.

All participants who submit a fish will be entered in a random drawing for more than 100 prizes provided by the Student Anglers Organization and its partners, including gift cards from Scheels stores and Lund boats.

To avoid a delay in receiving your three-year boat sticker, boaters are encouraged to renew registrations online or at a local deputy registrar's office rather than by mail.

If they renew online, they can print out the confirmation page to use as their temporary permit. Boaters also may write down their temporary authorization number from the confirmation page. The registration card and expiration decals will then be mailed to the boat owner.

Renew at dnr.state.mn.us/licenses/online-sales.html.

Some 162 species of fish can be found in Minnesota waters. The DNR says walleye are the most sought-after fish in Minnesota by anglers, followed by northern pike and muskie, then panfish, bass, crappie and trout.

While stocking gets a lot of attention, protecting and restoring natural fish habitat and water quality supports most of the millions of naturally reproduced fish caught by anglers each year. For example, the DNR says roughly 85% of the walleye caught and kept by anglers are the product of natural reproduction from lakes and rivers where walleye grow naturally.

Get lake-specific information, including regulations, fish species, stocking reports, boat landing locations and lake maps, at maps1.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefinder/mobile. You can search by lake name, by region on a map or find lakes near where you are.

• To fish in Minnesota, all anglers 16 years or older are required to buy a Minnesota fishing license.
• A trout stamp is required to fish for any species in designated trout water (even if you are not targeting trout) or to harvest trout from any water.
• Minnesota fishing regulations, including those new for 2024, and more information can be found in the Minnesota Fishing Regulations booklet available wherever licenses are sold and at mndnr.gov/fishing.
• The DNR has translated the state’s 2024 fishing regulations into Hmong, Karen, Somali and Spanish, the four most commonly spoken languages, apart from English, in Minnesota.
• Anglers, spearers and bowfishers have a new possession limit in 2024 of up to 10 gar — the toothy, prehistoric fish native to Minnesota waters. The gar regulation change is part of a larger effort to sustainably manage gar and other native fish, including buffalo, sucker, freshwater drum, bowfin, goldeye and bullhead, because these fish are critical contributors to aquatic ecosystems.