Minnesota tightens walleye rules for 3 popular BWCAW lakes

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Authorities are tightening walleye regulations for three lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area but loosening them for another popular northern Minnesota lake.

The Department of Natural Resources announced the changes Monday as part of special regulations for nearly three dozen waters statewide that take effect March 1.

For Saganaga, Sea Gull and Gull lakes in Cook County, walleyes must be at least 17 inches long and the bag limit will be three instead of six. The change is meant to protect small walleyes in those lakes, which all lie partly in the BWCAW.

Fish managers have been concerned for several years about low numbers of young walleye seen in these lakes, and the possibility that without some protection, those low numbers would result in even lower numbers of adult fish, with further reductions in spawning success. Effects of this regulation will be studied for the next 10 years, and will be reviewed with the public in 2024.

But the DNR will relax size restrictions to give anglers more chances to keep walleyes from Lake Winnibigoshish. The protected slot there will be 18 to 23 inches, compared with the previous 17- to-26 inch slot.

Changed and new special and experimental regulations will be posted at public accesses on affected lakes and become effective March 1