Business unhappy about Mille Lacs walleye limit

Published 8:40 am Monday, May 26, 2014

ST. PAUL — One business on Mille Lacs Lake is unhappy about new state rules requiring walleye anglers to get off the lake by 10 p.m.

This year the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources extended the early season night fishing ban through the full season.

It’s an effort to stay within this season’s walleye kill limit of 60,000 pounds.

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DNR fisheries supervisor Rick Bruesewitz said a good portion of a season’s catch leaves Mille Lacs at night.

Terry Thurmer, who owns Terry’s Boat Harbor, said the rule is terrible because night trips made up roughly 70 percent of his business over the last 25 years.

DNR researchers hope to know how the night ban affects walleye numbers by next season, and whether the ban will be extended.