Each summer, thousands of anglers, families, and friends enjoy fishing Lake of the Woods.  Along with the traditional fish frys that are part of the trip, guests like to bring fish home as well.  The MN DNR has certain “Do’s and Don’ts” pertaining to properly packaging fish.  It is important to understand how to package fish for the trip home.

With opportunity comes responsibility.  It us up to us as anglers to know and understand the rules of the MN DNR who manages natural resources in the state.  We thought it might be helpful to shed some light on what the rules are regarding cleaning, cooking and possessing fish while up at Lake of the Woods.

Over the years, one learns when discussing rules of any type to mention a disclaimer that our intent is to help with understanding and ultimately, it is your responsibility to know right from wrong.  The fish possession rules are not difficult, but one needs to be educated before hitting the water.  Resorts are a great resource for additional questions.

Individuals may not possess fillets in their boats or day/sleeper houses unless they are in immediate preparation of a meal or unless a licensed fish packer has filleted and packaged them to be consumed while their guests are on the lake and the fish packer is present with you and carcasses are available for inspection. Any filleting for transport should be done on shore or at the resort just prior to individuals traveling. For those who really like to dig into state law on how to package fish, click here for the link.

In a fish house or preparation for shore lunch.

State Rule 6262.0100 Subp. 5. (D)

Subp. 5. Possession of fish while on state waters.

While on or fishing in state waters with size restrictions that differ from statewide regulations (which includes Lake of the Woods), including experimental waters, special management waters, boundary waters, or any other waters with size restrictions, all fish for which the different size restrictions apply must be undressed and measurable when in a person’s possession, regardless of where taken, except under the following conditions:

(1) when a watercraft is docked or moored to shore or when on the ice and a person is in the act of preparing and using the fish for a meal; or

(2) when a person is on an experimental or special management water and the fish were lawfully taken, have been packaged and labeled by a licensed fish packer, are to be prepared for a meal while on the ice or shore of that water body, and do not otherwise exceed the statewide possession limits.

When fish are consumed under subitem (1), the angler must maintain the carcass of a fish with size limits in such a way that the carcass may be readily unpacked, unwrapped, and separated so that the carcass may be examined, measured, and counted to ensure compliance with size restrictions for that day, as defined under Minnesota Statutes, section 645.45.

In a nutshell…

1.  Lake of the Woods has a slot limit on walleyes and pike.  For walleyes, all fish between 19.5 inches and 28.0 inches must be released.  Anglers are allowed a combined limit of six walleyes / saugers, with up to four of the six being walleyes.  One walleye is allowed over 28 inches.  For pike, the daily limit is three fish.  The slot in which you must release fish is 30 – 40 inches long.  Anglers can keep pike under 30 inches or one over 40 inches per day.  In MN, the possession limit is equivalent of one day’s limit, consequently, anglers will enjoy a fish fry or two while up.

2.  If you are staying with a resort who has a fish packing license, the resort is allowed to clean and package fish without keeping them whole and without skin identification.  They will take care of what you need for traveling home with your filleted catch.

3.  When you clean fish on the water for a shore lunch (or in a fish house if ice fishing), you must keep the carcasses until the next day.  This allows a DNR Conservation Officer to count and properly measure fish.

Many folks enjoy having fish to bring home the day of departure.  Remember, saugers must be left intact with head, tail and fins for proper identification.  If a sauger isn’t properly cleaned for the trip home, it counts as a walleye.

As it says in the MN DNR Regulations on how to package fish…

How Do I Prepare Fish I have Caught for Transport?

-You must package and transport fish in a way that they can be readily unwrapped, separated, identified and counted.

-A fish may not be cut up into more than two filets.

-If you are transporting muskellunge, catfish, splake, or brook, brown or rainbow trout, you must transport them with the head and tail intact so the fish can be measured.

-Bullhead, sunfish and crappie may be filleted without leaving a patch of skin.

-Fillets from all other species must have a one inch square patch of skin with scales intact from a portion of the body other than the belly.

-Sauger without head and tail intact will be counted as walleye unless they are packaged by a licensed fish packer.

If you have further questions on regulations for cleaning fish and how to package fish, contact your resort, outfitter or the MN DNR.

Catching a bunch of fish, enjoying fish frys, and bringing some fish home is part of a fishing vacation for many.  This tradition has taken place for generations and folks still enjoy it to this day.  With that being said, it is important to understand how to properly package fish for the trip home.

 

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