Anglers can keep 4 walleye on Upper Red Lake starting June 15

According to a news release from the DNR: anglers on Upper Red Lake in northwestern Minnesota will be allowed to keep an additional walleye in their daily bag limit starting Wednesday, June 15.

The current three-fish bag limit, in place last winter and through the 2016 fishing opener, will be increased to four fish. The existing size regulation allowing one walleye longer than 17 inches in the daily bag will remain in effect.

“Mid-season adjustments to walleye size limits or bag limits have been common practice for managing the Upper Red Lake walleye fishery, and anglers are accustomed to them,” said Gary Barnard, Bemidji area fisheries supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

High catch rates the first few weeks after opener are fairly predictable, as are declining catch rates as the season progresses. Since fishing pressure declines along with the catch rate, more harvest opportunity can be offered later in the season with minimal effect on total walleye harvest.   

The current size regulation allowing one walleye in the daily bag longer than 17 inches has been a significant change from the protected slot limits of previous seasons on Upper Red Lake.