Licensing
Fishing licenses are required throughout the state and vary in price from $8.50 for a single-day angling permit for a state resident to $52.50 for an unrestricted family angling permit for nonresidents. Note that additional license stamps are required for trout, walleye, sturgeon and white tulibee herring as well as for spear fishing.
Seasons
Year-round fishing is available in Minnesota, but specific seasons have been identified concerning specific types of fishing and fish species. In general, most Minnesota species-based fishing begins either in mid-April (stream fishing for trout), early May (walleye, sauger, northern pike, trout in lakes) or late-May / early-June (large-mouth and small-mouth bass, muskellunge). Catch-and-release season for small-mouth bass and trout begins in mid-September. Winter trout fishing on Lake Superior begins in December.
Restrictions
Minnesota has a variety of regulations controlling aspects of fishing, ranging from periodic closures on specific dates and lakes to restrictions on certain types of fishing, such as bow fishing and gill netting, as well as tournaments. Regulations are available on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website.
Geography
Minnesota has a variety of lakes. Shallow, small lakes dot the farming regions in the south and feature several rough fish species. Bands and clusters of lakes of various sizes are found from Minneapolis-St. Paul, north to Duluth and Moorhead and feature popular sport fishing species. Colder and deeper deep-forest lakes are in the Arrowhead region between Duluth, International Falls and Grand Marais. Deep-lake fishing is found on Lake Superior. Rivers such as the Mississippi, Minnesota, Red and St. Croix feature trout fishing. Famed Minnesota sport-fishing lakes include Mille Lacs, Itasca (headwaters of the Mississippi River), Leech, Minnewaska, Winnibigoshish and Rainy.
Species
Minnesota is famed for its walleye and northern pike fishing. Other prized game fish include the muskellunge, large-mouth and small-mouth bass and lake trout. Prevalent species include various varieties of trout, lake sturgeon, bluegill, lake whitefish, crappie, smelt, salmon, perch, carp, catfish and bullhead.
Diseases
As with fishing in many states and regions, Minnesota's sport fish can experience a variety of diseases that limit their angling availability and edibility. These include lympho and dermal cysts and sarcomas and bass tapeworms.
