DNR Launches Fish Minnesota Website

Minnesota fishing regulations and other helpful information are now available on a new, easy-to-use Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website. The new Fish Minnesota site is part of Governor Mark Dayton’s Unsession initiative and Plain Language Executive Order that directed state agencies to make information easier to access and easier to understand.

Anglers who visit www.mndnr.gov/fishmn will find rewritten and reorganized open water fishing regulations cast in a user-friendly question and answer format.

The Fish Minnesota site answers basic questions such as:

• Do I need a license?
• When can I fish?
• What can I catch?
• How can I fish?
• Where can I fish?
• What if I catch fish?

Al Stevens, who coordinates DNR fishing regulations, said the rise of special fishing regulations over the past two decades increased the number of fishing regulation booklet pages. So did the growth in the number lakes and rivers infested with aquatic invasive species, which are listed in the fishing regulations book.

“The book got bigger as we fined-tuned our fishing regulations and responded to the rise of infested waters,” Stevens said. “Now with the online LakeFinder and Fish Minnesota we’re swinging back to making things easier to find and understand with quick navigation options.”

As Fish Minnesota debuts, the DNR is also seeking feedback on the site. Comments can be directed to [email protected].

The information above is courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (May 7, 2014 news release).

And if you are new to fishing or it’s your first time fishing, here's another resource to check out: Fishing for Beginners - Get Started Guide

Banner image, 'gone fishing', courtesy of Molly Sabourin via flickr photo sharing.