Both perch and walleye appear to be doing well in Mille Lacs, but the DNR has its reasons for new regulations announced this week. There are other factors at play, too.

Anglers on one of Minnesota's largest lakes will be able to keep two walleye daily starting this spring, wildlife officials said Thursday.

Following years of restrictive regulations, the Mille Lacs Lake walleye fishery appears to be in a healthy state, a viewpoint shared by both state and tribal fisheries biologists. The Minnesota DNR and Ojibwe treaty tribes drastically cut harvest more than a decade ago,

With Mille Lacs Lake in better fishing condition than it has been in many years, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on Thursday announced a two-walleye bag limit for the entirety of the season.

Following years of restrictive regulations, the DNR says the Mille Lacs Lake walleye fishery appears to be in a healthy state.

MILLE LACS, Minn. — The limit on Lake Mille Lacs will be two walleyes per angler for the 2025 fishing season, DNR officials announced Thursday. The walleyes must be 17 inches or greater, and only one of them can be over 20 inches.

The daily and possession limit for yellow perch at Mille Lacs Lake has been reduced until the end of November.

As of Feb. 23, the state has harvested more than 43,000 pounds of perch, exceeding its share of the harvest of 36,500 pounds.

The Minnesota DNR and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe have set the open water bag limits for walleye on Lake Mille Lacs.

Anglers on Mille Lacs Lake will have the opportunity to harvest two walleye daily during the upcoming open water season, which begins on Saturday, May 10, and continues through Sunday, Nov. 30. Harvested walleye must be 17 inches or greater, and only one of them can be over 20 inches.

Walleye fishing on Millie Lacs Lake is set to begin on May 10, with regulations now approved by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.