BEMIDJI -- Anglers fishing during the summer season on Upper Red Lake will have a three-walleye bag limit, with only one walleye longer than 17-inches allowed, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
These regulations are intended to keep annual harvest within the target harvest range. Last summer, anglers harvested 131,000 pounds with a four-fish limit with one over 17 inches, a release said.
“Anglers need to remember to bring a good measuring device along with them on their trip to Upper Red Lake,” Andy Thompson, Bemidji area fisheries supervisor with the Minnesota DNR, said in the release. “Many walleye will measure just above, or just under, the 17-inch size restriction.”
The Red Lake Nation and the Minnesota DNR manage walleye harvest on Red Lake under a joint harvest plan that the Red Lakes Fisheries Technical Committee revised in 2015. An Upper Red Lake Citizen Advisory Committee reviews walleye harvest totals and regulation options and provides recommendations for the state waters of Upper Red Lake.
Anglers had an excellent winter season, harvesting 143,000 pounds of walleye. The annual harvest by state anglers is anticipated to fall within 120,000-240,000 pounds, the release said.
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The DNR will determine the 2021/2022 winter harvest regulations after the summer fishing season and the completion of fall assessment netting.
Upper Red Lake fishing regulations are available on the Minnesota DNR fishing regulations page at www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/upper-red-lake-regulations.html .