SUPERIOR — Most of the walleyes swimming in western Lake Superior come from St. Louis River Estuary — where they spawn and grow — but how many of those fishermen can catch and keep depends on where they catch them.
Anglers can keep up to five walleyes per day on the Wisconsin side of Lake Superior. But if they boat a few feet into the mouth of a river or into the waters of a Minnesota lake, the limit is only two fish per day.
Same fish, different rules.
Clint Austin / 2020 file / Duluth Media Group
Not only are the various limits an enforcement headache, but some anglers say the five-fish limit in the lake has allowed anglers to take too many walleyes out of the system, threatening future stocks. angling prospect.
That could change as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources considers combining management regulations for the entire population of St. Louis River Estuary walleye.
“It’s a population. We need a rule,” Brad Ray, DNR Lake Superior fisheries supervisor, told the News Tribune.
Wisconsin DNR fisheries biologists will talk about possible regulatory changes and the overall health of migratory St. Louis River walleye population at a public meeting May 9 at Barkers Island Inn. DNR staff will make a short presentation on walleye management at the beginning of the meeting, which will then be opened to questions and comments.
The river’s walleye season opens May 11 on both the Minnesota and Wisconsin sides.
Exactly what the new rule will look like remains unclear. But it’s likely that the five walleye limit – just one at 20 inches – for Lake Superior waters in Wisconsin will drop to two walleye daily to match Minnesota’s limit on Lake Superior and the limit in both states at the mouth of the river. .
In addition to the uniform two-fish limit, Ray said there has been a public call to limit how many large fish are allowed to be harvested in rivers and lakes. Currently, in the river and Minnesota waters of Lake Superior, anglers can keep two fish over 15 inches with no upper size limit. Some anglers believe that too many big fish are coming home.
John Myers / 2022 file / Duluth Media Group
Ray said one option would be to adopt the river’s two fish limits and combine it with the one-over-20-inch walleye restriction already in place in Wisconsin lake waters, a “one-over rule.”
“That’s something we’re definitely going to look at,” Ray said. “But we really want to wait and hear what the public has to say.”
Wisconsin and Minnesota DNR officials discussed the proposed changes and agreed that a limit for the entire walleye population was in everyone’s best interest. If the length limits for a river or lake are changed, the Minnesota DNR will also need to make a rule change.
“St. Louis River fisheries are jointly managed between the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the river features the largest population of walleye in Lake Superior,” said Paul Piszczek, DNR fisheries biologist.
The walleye population is maintained through natural reproduction — no stocking — so protecting the larger, spawning-age fish in the system is critical, Piszczek said.
Ray said they hope to have a formal proposal ready in the fall for public feedback and then bring the new rule to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress for approval in spring 2025, with any new regulations likely to take effect in time for the 2026 open-water season.
Many St. Louis River walleye migrate down Lake Superior after spawning in the spring, spending a surprising amount of time in the big lake, mostly along the Wisconsin waters of the South Shore.
Recent research efforts have shed more light on how many fish make that journey each year. After years of good walleye production, when the overall walleye population is higher than usual, Ray said, research shows that more walleye tend to head into the lake to find food.
Several anglers, including members of the Twin Ports Walleye Association, have called for years to reduce walleye limits in Wisconsin waters of Lake Superior to protect the overall population, especially the larger, spawning ones. -sized walleye that form the backbone of St. Louis River population.
“I’m sure it will be an interesting meeting, as usual,” said Superior’s Chris Edqusit, president of the association.
A single rule for the entire system would also make DNR enforcement less complicated, where wardens now struggle to determine whether a fish was caught in a lake, harbor or river.
“Different regulations between rivers and lakes can make enforcement difficult near those boundaries,” said Dray Carl, DNR fisheries biologist. “Since these are both migratory fish that move between these waters, we recommend finding a way to combine the regulations to find a common regulatory framework that is easy to understand and enforce while still promoting the goals for in fishing.”
Clint Austin / 2020 file / Duluth Media Group
The potential change comes as Wisconsin moves this year to a statewide three-walleye daily limit for most inland lakes and as Minnesota lawmakers and the DNR consider a similar move from the state’s general six-walleye daily limit.
An extensive survey of the walleye population conducted in St. Louis River Estuary in spring 2021 Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of natural resources fisheries staff estimated the estuary population at 75,000-85,000 walleyes. That’s up about 70% from the previous survey, in 2015, which found only 41,000- 52,000 walleyes in the population. The 2021 survey is more in line with the 1981 survey which found a range of 69,000-84,000.
Some anglers said they question the accuracy of the recent survey, which says walleye fishing has declined in the river over the past decade. But biologists say the population is in good shape.
“We’re really happy with where the population is right now,” Ray said.
Additional information on Lake Superior fisheries management can be found at dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/lakesuperior.
The St. Louis River walleye mercury warnings remain
The walleyes from St. Louis River Estuary system, whether caught in Lake Superior, in the river or in the harbor, has unusually high levels of toxic mercury contamination. Recent studies have found that those high levels likely come from legacy mercury pollution deposited in the watershed decades ago and not from new mercury pollution from global and local emissions of wind, such as coal-fired power plants.
People are warned to limit their meals of walleye from estuary populations, including Lake Superior, especially larger walleye. Women who may be pregnant and all children are warned not to eat any walleye more than 22 inches from the river; Men and women who are not pregnant are advised to limit their meals of big walleye to one per month. Smaller walleyes contain less mercury.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can cause serious health problems, especially in children and developing fetuses.
- What: Wisconsin DNR public meeting in St. Louis River/Lake Superior walleye management
- When: 6 pm Thursday, May 9
- where: Superior Room, Barkers Island Inn, 300 Marina Drive, Superior
