There’s been a change in the walleye regulations for Upper Red Lake for the winter season.

Anglers will now have a three-walleye bag limit, with only one walleye longer than 17 inches allowed. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials say heavy winter fishing over the last four years necessitated more restrictive regulations.

Winter angling on Upper Red Lake averaged 1.6 million angler hours with a harvest of 130,000 lbs. annual over the four-year period. The new regulations, which become effective Sunday, Nov. 1, lower the possession limit from the four-walleye limits in place during the 2020 open water season the 2019-20 winter season.

The Red Lake Nation and the Minnesota DNR manage the walleye harvest on Red Lake under a joint harvest plan that the Red Lake Fisheries Technical Committee revised in 2015. The DNR will determine next year’s open water harvest regulations after the winter fishing season.

By — Lakeland News