Getting a handle on

Lake Superior fish diets

The Minnesota DNR Lake Superior Area Fisheries crew has teamed up with other agencies and anglers to better understand the feeding ecology of Lake Superior fish — basically, what eats what, when and where.

Project staff around Lake Superior collect stomachs and muscle plugs from all fish species collected in standardized surveys. In addition these samples, the DNR also recruited more than 60 volunteer anglers to provide carcasses (all but the fillets) from fish they catch in the sport fishery.

As of today, anglers have provided more than 1,050 samples from 11 different species of fish: brown trout, Chinook (king) salmon, Coho (silver) salmon, lake trout (lean and siscowet), northern pike, pink salmon, rainbow trout (clipped Kamloops), splake (stocked brook trout-lake trout hybrid), lake herring (cisco) and walleye.

The project will continue through the winter of 2021-2022. Contact Nick Peterson, DNR fisheries specialist, at nick.peterson@state.mn.us for more information and to get involved.

For details: DNR Lake Superior area fisheries office

Photo thanks to Jordan Korzenowski 

Learn how to catch more trout in this webinar

If you want to learn how to catch more trout, consider joining a DNR webinar at noon on Wednesday, July 21. The trout fishing webinar is part of the DNR’s Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series, which aims to give participants quick, relevant information on upcoming seasons and events, and skills to help enjoy these opportunities.

More details: DNR outdoor skills webinar page

Mille Lacs walleye fishing resumes July 16

Mille Lacs Lake walleye anglers: Reminder that a two-week walleye fishing closure remains in place through Thursday, July 15. Catch-and-release walleye fishing will resume on Friday, July 16. During the walleye closure, angling is allowed for all other species. Once resuming on July 16, catch-and-release walleye fishing will continue through Sept. 15. A harvest opportunity, with a limit of one walleye from 21-23 inches, or one over 28 inches, is scheduled for Sept. 16-Nov. 30.

More details: Mille Lacs Lake fishing regulations page

Get ready for big fish

Many anglers dream of landing a huge fish, but are you prepared for what to do when you catch a truly large fish? For anglers who practice catch-and-release, being properly equipped and knowing how to handle a large fish is critical for ensuring the fish’s survival after release. We have a video on our Facebook page with Tony Sindt, DNR Minnesota River fisheries specialist, with some helpful tips.

More details: Facebook post from Minnesota Fishing

Assessing flathead catfish

Fisheries crews out of DNR’s Lake City station have been busy assessing the population of flathead catfish in portions of the Mississippi River and its backwaters.

The fisheries crew uses low-frequency electrofishing, which can reach a distance of 30 feet and only stuns the fish, leaving the fisheries crew to chase it down with the boat and net it on the move. Biologists collect information on length, weight and aging structures from the sampled fish, to help them better understand the overall state of the fishery.

The largest flathead cat by weight caught in Minnesota waters was a 70-pound fish pulled from the St. Croix River in 1970. The Minnesota catch-and-release state record flathead cat was 52 1/2 inches long with a 32-inch girth, also from the St. Croix.

More details: DNR record fish page