DNR says Minnesota’s sacred 6-walleye limit is headed for extinction

After years of contemplating a reduction in Minnesota's sacred, six-walleye daily bag limit, the Department of Natural Resources is moving to lower it to four.

State Fisheries Chief Brad Parsons told the Star Tribune on Thursday that the shift will take place in 2026 unless agency leaders change their minds during an upcoming public comment period. There's no plan to involve the state Legislature, he said.

While most of Minnesota's signature walleye lakes already carry reduced walleye bag limits to prevent over-fishing, the statewide bag limit of six keepers a day has been the prize for millions and millions of Minnesota anglers since 1956. Parsons said the change is needed because walleye populations throughout the upper Midwest and Ontario are under increasing pressure from habitat losses due to climate change and the spread of aquatic invasive species.

"It's been something we've been talking about for a long time,'' Parsons said. "I have heard opposition and I'm more than willing to still hear from those folks ... It will be an open and transparent process.''

At least three members of the DNR's citizens advisory walleye group have strongly opposed lowering the statewide limit. They say there's no scientific justification to make a change. By shrinking the bag limit, the DNR will only be reducing opportunities for people who buy fishing licenses, the opponents have said. Parsons said he met with the advisory group Wednesday, informing them of the agency's decision to go ahead.

"We still see no evidence,'' said Jim Justesen, an advisory group member from Brooklyn Center. "In fact, it looks like walleye fishing in Minnesota is getting better.''

Parsons said the lower daily bag limit will be paired with a lower walleye possession limit, also reduced from six to four. The possession limit restricts how many fish a licensed angler can keep in storage.

Lake resort owners have also opposed lowering the limits. They've argued that many of their family customers only get the opportunity to fish a couple of times a year. Those clients don't often catch six walleyes in a day, but they should be able to bring a limit of six home after a week at the lake, the resort owners have said.

Parsons, who has been Minnesota's top fisheries manager for the past six years, said DNR officials have been considering a cut in the statewide walleye limit for at least the past decade. Walleye hotspots like Lake Mille Lacs, Upper Red Lake, Lake Vermilion and Lake of the Woods have, for years, been under special management with lower bag limits.

"I fully respect the people who have a different opinion,'' Parsons said. "We will keep listening, but it's not like we are doing something completely out of the realm.''

Walleye bag limits and possession limits in surrounding states and in Ontario have all been lowered, Parsons said. Meanwhile, there's mounting scientific evidence that walleyes – a species suited for cool and cold water – are losing habitat due to long-term changes in temperature. DNR scientists have documented damage to food chains in walleye lakes that have become infested with zebra mussels and other invasive species.

Former state Sen. Carrie Ruud, R-Breezy Point, carried a bill at the Legislature for three consecutive years that would have lowered the statewide keeper limit for walleyes to four. She eventually won backing from the DNR, but couldn't muster enough support from her fellow lawmakers to pass the bill.

Parsons said Thursday that anglers have been warming to the idea of a cut in the statewide walleye bag limit. The opinion shift has been documented in surveys administered by the DNR, he said.

Bryan "Beef" Sathre, a year-around fishing guide on Lake of the Woods, said Thursday that he strongly supports the change. Ultimately, he said, the push is coming from field biologists who have valid concerns about the sustainability of walleye populations.

Lake of the Woods is well known as a premier walleye fishing destination. Despite heavy, year-round fishing pressure, Sathre said the lake's walleye and sauger populations have been sustained by numerous bag limit changes. The regulations have been imposed over the years by DNR and Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources — where the current non-resident bag limit for walleyes is two.

"We have to keep the resource available not only for today's anglers, but for tomorrow's anglers,'' Sathre said.

Parsons said DNR's rule-making process will include an official public comment period, but the calendar hasn't been set. It's too late for any changes to be made for next year, he said, but the proposed four-walleye, statewide bag limit could be in place for the 2026 fishing opener.