Rules+&+Regulations

Although it may seem that you can do whatever you want when you go fishing, there are actually many rules & regulations involved. Those rules are primarily enforced by the DNR, the Department of Natural Resources. For example, you need a fishing license to go fishing, or you need a life jacket when you are on a boat. Here is a list of all the rules set by the DNR: Angling Methods • Anglers may use only one hook. An artificial lure is considered one hook. A treble hook, when not part of an artificial lure, is considered three hooksmedia type="youtube" key="VrwpIwb1TRw" height="314" width="382" align="right" and is not legal. The exception is that three artificial flies may be used when angling for trout, crappie, sunfish, and rock bass. • Anglers may use only one line during the open water season and two through the ice (other than on designated trout lakes and streams) unless otherwise noted. • You may not intentionally fish for any species during its closed season. • Angling with an unattended line, a setline, or a trotline is unlawful. • Using an artificial light to lure or attract fish is unlawful. Exception: While angling, a person may affix to the end of a fishing line a lighted artificial bait with hooks attached. Any battery that is used in lighted fishing lures must not contain mercury. • A party is defined as a group of two or more persons: – angling from a single watercraft; or – if not in a watercraft, maintaining unaided visual and vocal contact with each other. • The total number of fish possessed by the party may not exceed the combined limits of the numbers of the party. • Each party member may transport only an individual limit of fish. • The use of explosives, firearms, chemicals (not including fish scents), spring devices, or electricity for taking fish is unlawful. • It is unlawful to take a fish by snagging. Possessing Fish • Daily and possession limits are the same unless otherwise noted. Fish aremedia type="youtube" key="ifITDi4qR9g" height="349" width="425" align="right" in an angler’s possession whether on hand, in cold storage, in transport, or elsewhere. • Once a daily or possession limit of fish has been reached, no culling or live well sorting is allowed. No culling is allowed on Mille Lacs or Wisconsin border waters (see pages 25 and 58). • While on or fishing waters with size restrictions it is illegal to possess any fish outside legal length limits. • If legally taken from a connected water or having been packaged by a licensed fish packer, a person who is in transit and taking the most direct route back to their lodging or docking, and not fishing, may possess fish outside of or in excess of the limits for that water body. Note: All persons required to have a license (including stamp validations) must have it in their possession while fishing and while traveling from an area where they fished. • When on or fishing experimental, special, border or other waters with size restrictions different from statewide regulations, all fish for which the size restriction applies must have their heads, tails, fins, and skin intact and be measurable except as follows: (1) Fish that are legally taken on that water body may be used in the preparation of a meal while docked or moored to shore or while on the ice of that body of water. Fish used for a meal still count towards the daily possession limit. Fillets may be possessed only if the person is in the act of preparing a meal or have been packaged by a licensed fish packer. (2) On the shore or ice of experimental and special management waters a person may prepare fish for a meal that have been packaged by a licensed fish packer. The total number of fish in possession may not exceed the statewide possession limit. • Possessing or transporting white perch, ruffe, round goby, black carp, bighead carp, grass carp, or silver carp is unlawful, except when taking them to the DNR. If you catch a black, bighead, grass, or silver carp, you must report it to the DNR within seven days. A picture or specimen is desired when reporting your catch to the DNR.

Transporting Fish • Except while on the body of water where taken, live fish may not be transported in a quantity of water sufficient to keep them alive unless the fish are bait minnows or the person is authorized to do so by the DNR. • Transport of fish for display in a home aquarium is legal under the following conditions: – Game fish purchased from an authorized licensee transported with the necessary documents (such as a sales receipt). – Anglers 16 or under may transport legally caught Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, Pumpkinseed, green sunfish, orange spotted sunfish, and black, yellow, and brown bullhead. No more than four of each species may be transported at any one time, and any individual fish can be no longer than 10 inches. At no time may water from infested waters be transported. (See DNR Web site) • Fish prepared for transportation, shipment, or storage are defined as follows: Undressed fish must have heads, tails, fins, and skin intact. Entrails, gills, and scales may be removed. Dressed fish may have heads and scales or skin removed, in addition to gills and entrails. Fillets are fish flesh, excluding cheeks, that have been removed from a fish. Scales or skin may be removed or intact. A fish may not be reduced to more than two fillets. • Fish must be packaged or transported in such a way that they can be readily unwrapped, separated, identified, and counted. • Muskellunge, sturgeon, catfish, salmon, splake, brook trout, brown trout, and rainbow trout, which have statewide length limits, must be transported with head and tail intact so the fish can be measured. Northern pike and walleye may be dressed or filleted. • All dressed fish and fillets must have a 1-square-inch patch of skin with scales intact from a portion of the body other than the belly. Bullhead, sunfish, and crappie may be completely filleted and skinned. • Dressed sauger count as walleye unless packaged by a licensed fish packer. • Stocking live fish or fish eggs or transferring fish or fish eggs from one body of water to another is prohibited without a DNR permit.

Bait • Using whole or parts of game fish, goldfish, or carp for bait is unlawful. • Suckers larger than 12" may only be transported alive in containers that are not a livewell or other part of a boat and if bought from a licensed facility. Person must have valid receipt from the facility on their person. • Live bullheads, regardless of size, may not be transported north of State Highway 210, except under a commercial license. • Up to 100 bullheads, 7-10 inches in length, may be taken and possessed for use as live bait. Legal methods of taking include dip net, angling or minnow seines. Live bullheads must be transported in a container with a locking lid to prevent escape. These bullheads are considered part of the possession limits on pages 19, 52-54, and 57. Bullheads less than 7 inches in length are considered minnows and fall under those regulations. • Only preserved rainbow smelt and Cisco may be used as bait. Freezing is not a preservation method. Preservation can only be done by permit from the DNR. All labeling from the preserved smelt and Cisco must be carried on the person when angling until all that preserved bait is gone. • You must exchange water in bait buckets with tap or spring water prior to leaving any infested waterbody to prevent the spread of invasive or fish diseases. • Importing live minnows into Minnesota for use as bait is unlawful. For additional information about taking of bait see page 70. Other • A permit is required for transplanting aquatic plants, applying chemicals, and some types of cutting to control vegetation in any public waters. (See page 58 for more information). • Dragging boat anchors or other weights with a motor-propelled boat through aquatic vegetation is unlawful. • Depositing fish entrails or fish parts into public waters or onto lake or stream shores is prohibited. • Littering of any materials and depositing rubbish, poisonous substances, or chemicals harmful to aquatic life into public waters, onto ice, or lake or stream shores is illegal. Fish line and various packaging materials can be harmful to wildlife. • Marking or tagging fish and then releasing them without a DNR permit is unlawful. • A DNR permit is required for some fishing contests. Visit mndnr.gov/fishing/ tournaments online for more information and to get costs for permit. • A permit from the county sheriff is required for most organized events on the water or ice; including fishing contests. • Buying or selling game fish, whitefish, or cisco is unlawful. The exceptions are smelt taken from Lake Superior and fish obtained under a commercial, private hatchery, or aquatic farm license. • Some fish spawning areas are posted to prohibit motorized boat travel. Landowners or lease holders adjacent to these areas may use the shortest route when traveling to and from their property, provided they operate their boat at no more than 5 mph. • Notice to fall anglers: Lakes classified as Waterfowl Feeding and Resting Areas and Wildlife Management Areas are closed to motorboats as posted during the fall waterfowl hunting season. Refer to the most current hunting regulations for a complete list of these lakes. Please give resting flocks of birds and hunting decoys a wide berth when boating and fishing. • Some ponds and lakes are licensed for private aquaculture use. Trespassing to gain access to these waters may be in violation of fishing laws in addition to trespassing laws. • Any fish that is caught and will not be utilized must be immediately returned alive back into the water. A person cannot wantonly waste a fish that is caught by leaving it or any usable portion on the ice, thrown up on the bank, or intentionally killing it and returning it back into the water unless authorized. • Lawfully taken fish may be transferred as a gift if accompanied by a receipt containing: name and address of the owner, name and address of recipient, date of transfer, description of the gift, and license number (DNR number or transaction number) under which the fish was taken. The receipt must remain with the gift. The recipient cannot possess more than the statewide possession limit. • When leaving any body of water you must remove the drain plug and drain water from boating related equipment, including livewells.

Required Actions—It’s the law! visible aquatic plants, zebra mussels, and other prohibited invasive species before leaving any water access. It is illegal to transport them on a public road.
 * Inspect all watercraft, trailers, and equipment; Remove

removing drain plugs and open water draining devices before leaving any water access. Also, portable bait containers must be drained when leaving designated infested waters. If you want to keep your live bait when leaving infested waters, you must replace water in bait containers with tap or spring water.
 * Drain water from boat, livewell, bilge, and impellor by

and worms, in the trash. It is illegal to release live bait into a body of water, release worms on the ground, and to release aquatic animals from one body of water into another.
 * Dispose of unwanted bait, including minnows, leeches

There are also specific rules for each lake in Minnesota about how many fish you can keep or other things like that. If you want more info on fishing rules & regulations, visit @http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/regulations/fishing/fishing2011.pdf. Back to top Home