Get fishing questions answered on DNR fishing webpage
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has a fishing webpage to help answer angler questions. The page answers questions like:
- What species can I fish for?
- What kind of bait is legal?
- What kind of fish can I keep?
The page is a mobile-friendly destination for information on when, where and how to fish. Users will find links to LakeFinder, which provides maps and detailed information on lakes throughout the state, and the StreamFinder tool that provides a description, species list, regulations, and access information for trout streams throughout Minnesota.
DNR announces temporary, seasonal fishing closures
To protect spawning fish, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has begun to close certain portions of some Minnesota waters. The closings are routine and based on local conditions.
Closings happen each year as ice-out begins and waters begin to warm. The DNR closes the spawning locations to fishing only where habitat is limited and fish are very concentrated in one location, such as a river or the bay of a lake where fish are congregated during spawning.
Areas closed to fishing are listed and updated on the Minnesota DNR website. Portions of waters closed to fishing also are posted at access sites and in other visible areas. Anglers may fish in areas that are not posted.
Minnesota DNR webinars focus on brook trout conservation and spring warbler migration
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites people interested in wildlife and outdoor skills to check out the spring program schedule for the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series.
In a webinar on Wednesday, April 17, Melissa Wagner, Lanesboro DNR fisheries supervisor, will discuss the Minnesota Driftless strain of brook trout that the Minnesota DNR is using to reintroduce brook trout to streams where they are no longer found, enhance streams lacking brook trout reproduction and increase fishing opportunities to catch brook trout. Brook trout conservation is important as they are the only species of trout native to southeast Minnesota. Wagner will share the history of this conservation project and what it means for future stream management and anglers.
In a webinar on Wednesday, April 24, Amy Simso Dean, an expert Minnesota birder, will share some basic tips on how to identify and where to find warblers this spring. She will also share some suggestions on how to introduce kids to birding. Dozens of species of warblers and millions of individual birds will be winging their way north through Minnesota over the next few weeks as part of their travels from tropical locales to their breeding grounds in Minnesota and points north. Spring is a great time of the year to see some of these original “snowbirds” up close and personal.
The Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series webinars are free and offered year-round, though registration is required. Visit the Outdoor Skills and Stewardship webpage of the Minnesota DNR website for the registration portal, more information about upcoming webinars and recordings of past webinars.