Mille Lacs businesses brace for change with early end to walleye season

Businesses reliant on walleye fishing at Lake Mille Lacs are bracing for change after the state closed this year's walleye season early.

Officials with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said recreational anglers have already exceeded this year's allotment of walleye by more than 2,000 pounds. The early end to the walleye fishing season aims to give young walleye in the lake a better chance at growing into adulthood.

Tony Roach of Roach's Guide Service has been a fishing guide for two decades on Mille Lacs and other nearby lakes. He told MPR News host Cathy Wurzer Tuesday morning that the early end to walleye fishing at the lake will actually ensure a rebound in the population.

The biggest danger, he said, is that anglers coming from elsewhere may hear about the early end to this year's walleye season and assume that walleye fishing won't be good at the lake next season.

"There's an overwhelming amount of 6- to 14-inch walleye in the lake right now," Roach said. "They're catching them at a really high rate."

Walleye can be especially vulnerable to dying after being hooked, he said.

"When you catch a fish, especially a big walleye, it's good to reel it in nice and slow," Roach said. "When you get it it in the boat, remove that hook gently, then get that fish in the water as quick as possible."

The walleye is Minnesota's state fish, and it holds a special place for many anglers who have frequented Lake Mille Lacs for decades.

"At times it seems like they're jumping in the boat and then within the hour, really, they can turn off and be quite finicky," Roach said. "They can be extremely challenging to catch, extremely challenging to figure out, and that's really the lure for the walleye."

Gov. Mark Dayton said he'll be traveling to Mille Lacs this weekend to promote other fish that are abundant in the lake, including smallmouth bass, muskie and northern pike.

"Our goal as Minnesotans is we should really try to get the word out among people in the U.S. that we have this great smallmouth fishery," Roach said. "Because as soon as the walleye bounce back, now not only are you going to get the walleye anglers coming back to Mille Lacs Lake, but you're going to have bass anglers from all over the country staying in the area, and it benefits our economy as a whole."

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe announced last week that it would forgo walleye netting next spring to help rebuild the fish population. Gov. Mark Dayton has also said he hopes to call a special legislative session to assist businesses hurt by the early close to the walleye season.