Since the 1950s, anglers on the majority of Minnesota lakes have been able to bring home half a dozen walleye for a few tasty meals, if they were lucky enough to catch that many.
That could change. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is proposing to reduce the statewide walleye limit from six to four — a change the agency says aims to keep the fish’s population sustainable into the future.
The DNR says Minnesota’s iconic state fish is not currently in crisis. But walleye are facing a number of complicating factors that could affect their long-term health, including climate change, invasive species and increased pressure from anglers armed with better gear and technology.
"We all know that fishing has changed immeasurably in the last 70 years,” said Brad Parsons, the DNR’s fisheries section manager.
That includes improved electronics, warmer winter clothing and ice houses, better crank baits and jigs, all of which allow anglers to stay out longer and catch more fish.
Technological advances such as forward-facing sonar are also helping people find and catch fish much more quickly. Even social media has an impact, Parsons said.
“When there’s a hot bite on a lake, the social media gets out, and people can flock there,” he said.
Parsons said fishing habits have also changed, and many anglers are more interested in catching and releasing fish than keeping them. The 1970s-era photos of people holding a stringerful of fish are likely a thing of the past, he said, “and that’s probably a good thing.”
“I think the experience and being out in nature and enjoying fishing is as important as the number of fish that people can keep right now,” Parsons said.
Changing ecosystem
In recent years, scientists also have developed a better understanding of how outside factors such as climate change and invasive species could make it more difficult for walleye to thrive.
Walleye tend to prefer cooler lake temperatures, and they’ve evolved to see prey in low-light conditions.
When lakes warm and filter-feeding zebra mussels improve the water’s clarity, the conditions are more favorable to bass and northern pike, Parsons said.
“The bottom line is, every one of those studies suggest that it is going to be more challenging for species like walleye,” he said.
Some of the state’s largest walleye lakes already have a four-fish catch limit, including Lake of the Woods, Leech, Vermillion, Rainy and Kabetogama. The states that border Minnesota all have daily walleye limits of less than six.
The DNR is accepting comments on the proposed rule change until March 5. If adopted, the new limit would take effect March 1, 2027.
Angler reaction mixed
The DNR has been discussing and gathering public input about reducing the walleye bag limit for nearly a decade. Support for the change has been trending up over time, Parsons said.
The agency’s most recent statewide survey of anglers in 2023 found 48 percent of respondents favored reducing the walleye limit, while 23 percent were opposed. The rest had no opinion.
An online DNR survey last summer found that 61 percent of respondents supported changing the limit from six to four.
Walleye Alliance Inc., a Brainerd-based organization that promotes responsible walleye fishing, has advocated for years for the lower catch limit.
The group’s president, Adam Mord, said increasing water temperatures and new infestations of invasive species in lakes have made it more difficult for young walleye to get established in lakes where they’re stocked.
Plus, lakes are facing increased pressure from anglers, especially in the winter, when people can now camp out in comfortable fish houses for days at a time, he said.
“There's just more opportunity to harvest those fish, and there's more opportunity for people to be on the lakes,” Mord said.
Most anglers aren’t lucky enough to catch six walleyes, Mord said, so reducing the catch limit from six to four is not going to affect people’s ability to catch and bring home a few fish.
However, at times when boats flock to a single lake because of social media buzz, the lower limit could help protect some walleye for future anglers or natural reproduction, he said.
Not all anglers are convinced that reducing the limit will make a difference, however.
MN-Fish Sportfishing Foundation, which has about 4,000 members, hasn’t yet taken a position on the proposal.
Executive director Mark Holsten said the board of directors is generally supportive. But he said they’re struggling to understand what the lower harvest limit will change, since most anglers don’t catch four walleyes in one outing.
Some Minnesota lakes have naturally reproducing walleye populations, but the DNR stocks others with young walleye. Holsten questioned why the DNR is taking a blanket approach to setting a walleye limit, and isn’t asking for more staff and resources to increase stocking instead.
“So if that's not going to impact the fishery and improve fishing, why are you not asking for additional resources and tools to improve fishing?” he said.
