DNR proposes lowering MN daily walleye limit in 2026
A walleye fish caught in a trap at a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources egg collection and fertilization station on the Pine River in Crow Wing County, Minn., where it awaits its separation into male and female groups. (Photo by Dennis Anderso
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Officials from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) want to lower the daily walleye bag limit from six to four, a proposal that could become reality in 2026.
Why does this matter?
Minnesota DNR Fisheries Section Manager Brad Parsons said a lot has changed since the six-walleye-a-day limit was introduced in 1956.
Climate change, invasive species such as zebra mussels, and more efficient anglers have made managing the walleye population "more challenging", Parsons added.
"There's not a walleye crisis by any means," Parsons emphasized, adding that the issue not only impacts Minnesota, but the entire region. "We're looking at these system changes and seeing that conditions tend to be favored for other species and not so much for walleye. So that's one of the reasons we think this is a proactive proposal."
Parsons believes a statewide four walleye daily limit would add some much-needed consistency.
"We manage over 11,000 lakes in the state for walleye, and we don't have great information on every single one of those lakes," Parsons said.
In Minnesota, the daily limit and the overall possession limit are the same, except for yellow perch.
Community feedback
The DNR has the authority to institute the change without approval from the state legislature, but Parsons said he does expect "very passionate feedback on both sides."
The proposal still needs to go through the rule-making process, so it is not yet certain if the lower limit will become a statewide law.
"It's a legal process, and we want to hear all sides of it," Parsons said.