Pike spearing is legal, taking place in Cook County

With solid ice now available on most Cook County lakes, ice anglers and spearers are gearing up for winter fishing action. For many, winter is a time to seek out the eager-to-bite northern pike. This will be the first ice fishing season of new northern pike zone regulations throughout Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The new regulations went into effect in May 2018 and created three distinct zones. Cook County is in the 'Northeast Zone,' meaning:

• Anglers: Limit of two pike; anglers must release all from 30 to 40 inches, with only one over 40 inches allowed in possession.
• Spearers: Limit of two pike; only one northern pike over 26 inches.

And while it is not as popular as more traditional means of ice fishing, there has been some spearing activity in Cook County already this winter, as WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs finds out in this interview with DNR Conservation Officer Darin Fagerman.