Southeast Trout Streams Offer Alternative to Ice Fishing

[Rick]

ST PAUL, MN - If the thought of sitting around and staring through a hole in the ice doesn’t exactly jibe with the idea of fishing, take heart -- there’s an alternative even in the coldest part of the year.

Winter trout fishing opens on Jan. 1 and continues through March 31 on about 135 miles of trout water on 38 stream reaches in southeastern Minnesota. Fed by warmer groundwater, many streams there remain relatively ice free all winter, and the trout living in these streams more often than not cooperate with anglers to provide excellent winter fishing opportunities, said DNR Lanesboro Area Fisheries Manager Steve Klotz.

While the trout are willing to bite, the weather can bite as well this time of the year, Klotz noted. Best days are often when the air temperature climbs into the 20s. “It’s more a function of keeping your equipment from freezing up, and not so much that the trout are just being tight lipped,” he said. “Explore some water that you haven’t fished and you might find a new favorite stream.”

The winter southeastern stream season is catch-and-release only. While DNR fisheries staff is proposing a season change that would open all southeastern trout streams to winter angling, only those streams specifically identified in the 2012 fishing regulations booklet will be open this year. Specific stream information also is available at www.mndnr.gov.

This winter’s trout season may find DNR fisheries staff conducting an angler survey. Anglers may find a postcard questionnaire on their vehicle at the end of a day’s fishing, or they may encounter a clerk asking a few questions.

“The information we gather from anglers is important,” Klotz said. “It helps resource managers evaluate current management activities and consider future possibilities such as opening trout angling year round.”

DNR seeks initial comments on trout, sturgeon,

flathead angling and other fisheries rules

Interested citizens have until Monday, Feb. 11, to comment on Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) plans to provide more angler opportunity for trout and sturgeon, and protect flathead catfish during winter and to make changes to some other fisheries rules.

For trout, DNR is considering rules that:

• Simplify trout fishing regulations in southeastern Minnesota by dropping the barbless hook restriction; research has demonstrated that hooking mortality is not significantly greater with a barb.

• Extend the end of the fall catch-and-release season on all designated trout streams in southeastern Minnesota from Sept. 30 to Oct. 15.

• Allow catch-and-release angling on designated trout streams in some southeastern Minnesota state parks from Oct. 15 to Dec. 31.

• Open some lakes in Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Crow Wing and Hubbard counties to winter trout fishing.

Prompted by successful recovery efforts of the sturgeon populations in the Red, Rainy, St. Croix and St. Louis rivers, DNR is planning to propose that a catch-and-release sturgeon season be implemented year-round.

Flathead catfish angling and spearing would be closed in winter to protect this trophy species, which concentrate in small areas and become torpid under the ice in cold weather. Because it takes many years for flathead to grow to trophy size of 50 pounds or more, these fish easily could be overharvested when lethargic.

Other changes would place some restrictions on smelt harvest in Pine County’s Grindstone Lake and implement additional whitefish netting restrictions to better control the possibility of spreading invasive species.

DNR is seeking initial public comments on these proposal ideas so that those comments can be considered in drafting rules for formal public comment and adoption.

Comments, questions and requests for more information and the proposals should be directed to Linda Erickson-Eastwood at 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, 55155-4020. Citizens also may call 651-259-5206.

Complete information about the comment process is available online at www.mndnr.gov/input/rules/fisheries/se-mn-trout.html.