Night fishing for walleyes in the fall on Mille Lacs used to be stuff of legend. Anglers would come from far and wide – and many states away – to experience it. Tales of giant fish pushing the magical 30” mark were fairly common every year. Serious anglers know fall is the time to catch some of the heaviest walleyes of the year as they’re roaming the many rock reefs gorging on spawning ciscoes and putting on the feed bag. If you could handle the conditions, the full moons of October and November were the time to be night fishing on the lake.
Fishing at night on Mille Lacs has always been good. That is one of the reasons the night ban was originally put into effect – decades ago. Whether you’re anchored up and bobber fishing or trolling crankbaits, the big rock reefs are the place to be. Not only are the ciscoes an easy target while they migrate to them to spawn, but the reefs also have a myriad of other baitfish using them including perch. Perch are one of the mainstays of the walleyes diet throughout the year, and fall is no different. Perch pattern crankbaits have long been a staple in the arsenal of walleye trollers, as have the classic black and gold pattern – imitating a young walleye.
Prior to the 2014 season, the night ban for walleyes ended in early June, and anglers could pull all nighters if they wanted to for the rest of the season. But starting in 2015, a season-long night ban was instituted for the first time, only to be repealed shortly thereafter. Rep. Joe Radinovich, DFL-Crosby, Sen. Carrie Ruud, R-Breezy Point, and Rep. John Ward, DFL-Baxter appealed to the Minnesota DNR, and night fishing began again on July 21 of that year. But since then, other than the Saturday and Sunday nights of the opening weekend, the night ban has been season-long for the past five open water seasons. So with the new regulations starting September 16, anglers will be able to fish until 12 a.m. midnight instead of the usual 10 p.m. quit time. The 6 a.m. start time will stay in place the entire season.
New regulation likely to attract more anglers
Those extra two hours will mean a lot to the hardcore night anglers. With the 10 p.m. quit time in early fall, the time between total darkness after sunset and 10 p.m. is only a few hours. So by changing the quit time to midnight, those two extra hours will likely attract more and more anglers back to the area to enjoy what was once a tradition for many people. And if the harvest begins as planned again after Sept. 16, that would add even more incentive for anglers.
Last season was the first time the lake was open to fall fishing for walleyes since the 2014 season. The previous five seasons had been closing after Labor Day due to reaching the allocated poundage for state anglers. Although it did not seem like there were many anglers out at night last fall, if this becomes a more consistent regulation, it should be only a matter of time before more and more anglers resume fishing in the fall on the big lake like in years previous.
Safety concerns
The 10 p.m. quit time has always been a very busy time on the lake - especially during the summer months. This can be a dangerous time to be on the lake.
Boats will be going in all directions at the same time – all trying to get off the lake by the 10 p.m. cut-off. Because of this, there have been some fatal boat collisions on the lake by boats trying to get off the lake by the cut-off time.
One such incident involved two boats on the north end of the lake that collided with each other trying to get to their docks that resulted in a fatality. Another incident on the east side involved a boat under power that collided with an anchored boat that resulted in a fatality as well. Both incidents happened shortly before 10 p.m.
Night fishing precautions
Caution should always be exercised when operating a boat after dark. Slower speeds and a warning device like a horn or powerful spotlight is also recommended equipment to have in the boat. These can be used quickly to warn another boater if a collision is possibly impending. It is also illegal and very irresponsible to not have your lights on after sunset. Although this is not law, it is recommended to use both your running lights and anchor light when anchored, as the anchor light alone can easily blend in with the other white lights on the shoreline. The red and green running lights stand out more than just the white anchor light.
The current night fishing regulation states: no fishing allowed for any species May 17 through June 4 between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. On June 5 through Sept. 15, night fishing is allowed for muskellunge and northern pike with artificial lures longer than eight inches or sucker minnows longer than eight inches. While fishing during the night closure, you may not possess or target any species other than muskellunge or northern pike. Bowfishing is also allowed for non-game species only and you may not possess angling equipment while bowfishing; only non-game fish may be in possession. On Sept. 16 through Nov. 30, the quit time changes to 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., adding two hours of night time angling opportunity for walleyes. Previous exceptions apply for muskellunge, northern pike and bowfishing.
The allocation for anglers was set at 87,800 pounds earlier this year. According to the DNR, winter anglers harvested 15,000 pounds – half of the 2019/2020 season of 30,000 pounds. So if the angling allocation doesn’t get chewed up with the spring harvest and the delayed mortality poundage in the summer, there will be a harvest available later in the fall. If that happens, the slot will be the same as in the spring with one fish between 21 inches to 23 inches or one over 28 inches.
April 27, 2021 at 09:04PM
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