DNR Drops Northern Pike Regs on 15 Minnesota Lakes

ST. PAUL  (AP) - The Department of Natural Resources is removing 15 Minnesota lakes from special fishing regulations for northern pike.

The regulation is designed to boost the average size of northerns in those lakes. But a new state law caps the number of such lakes at 100.

The law forced the DNR to remove 15 lakes from the 115 that have special northern regulations. The DNR usually imposes the size restrictions with approval of lake associations and fishing groups. But spearers lobbied legislators last session, arguing that the restrictions prevent them from using those lakes.

The change takes effect Nov. 1.

The 15 lakes are Campbell in Beltrami County; Cotton and Big Floyd in Becker County; Louise in Cass County; Latoka in Douglas County; Caribou in St. Louis County; Scrapper, Haskell, Rice and Schoolhouse in Itasca County; North Branch Kawishiwi River, which is part of the Garden Lake chain, in Lake County; Ogechie in Mille Lacs County; Long and Crooked in Stearns County; and Little Sauk in Todd County.

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