Mille Lacs Lake walleye limit set by DNR for 2025 open-water season

MILLE LACS CO., Minn. (FOX 9) - Those trying their hand at catching fish on Mille Lacs Lake this year will be allowed to take two walleye per day, according to the latest guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Mille Lacs Lake 2025 walleye limits

What we know:

The latest guidelines follow more than a decade of changing restrictions on the popular 132,516-acre lake that covers 207 square miles and is Minnesota's second-largest inland lake.

Beginning with Minnesota’s open-water fishing opener on May 10, and continuing through Nov. 30, 2025, harvested walleye by licensed anglers must be 17 inches or greater, and only one of them can be over 20 inches.

According to the DNR, after years of restrictive regulations, the Mille Lacs Lake walleye population appears to be in a healthy state – a viewpoint shared by both state and tribal fisheries biologists, the DNR says.

What they're saying:

"The walleye population in Mille Lacs is currently in a good place. Ojibwe tribes and the Minnesota DNR limited harvest, which allowed for an increased number of adult spawning walleye, and a strong 2024 that bodes well for the future health of the fishery," said Brad Parsons, Minnesota DNR fisheries section manager, in a statement. "We are pleased that anglers will have an increased harvest opportunity this season… We appreciate coming to an agreement with the tribes that allows some additional flexibility for the state to manage its fishery through these changes. This includes the ability, in the event we exceed the state share of harvest, to allow catch and release walleye angling as long as the state share of harvest is not exceeded by 15%. Any amount above the state share of harvest would be deducted from state harvest next year."

Mille Lacs fishing limits

Dig deeper:

In November 2024, the DNR announced a similar two-walleye limit for the winter season, which ran from Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, through Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025.

Licensed ice anglers were allowed to keep two walleyes that are 18–20 inches long, or one walleye that's 18–20 inches long, and one walleye that's longer than 28 inches.

The limits are a continuation of more lax walleye limits based on the fall's Mille Lacs nesting assessment, which showed higher walleye abundance than in 2023. It also showed strong numbers of juvenile fish that are expected to contribute to the fishery in the future.

Anglers share the Mille Lacs Lake harvest with Ojibwe tribes that retain treaty fishing rights under an agreement made in 1837. The total harvest for the fishing year is set through agreements between the state and tribes. 

As of Sept. 30, 2024, anglers had harvested 29,891 of the 91,550 pounds of walleye allocated for the 2024 fishing season. 

You can find the DNR's Mille Lacs Lake fishing regulations here.