Taking fish on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border waters of the St. Croix River

The proposed expedited rules adjust Minnesota’s fishing on boundary waters shared with the state of Wisconsin to ensure consistent regulations for all anglers.

What will this rulemaking do?
  1. Season clarification. Inconsistencies and confusion have resulted from the use of “to” and “through” to define open fishing seasons, so the season end will be clearer as a result of this rulemaking.
  2. St. Croix River fisheries management. It is the goal that St. Croix River fish populations are managed under a single set of regulations across the entire river system. Based on a joint Minnesota-Wisconsin evaluation of St. Croix River fisheries data, we conclude that:
    • Current Minnesota rules are appropriate for the fish community above the Taylors Falls dam. Therefore, no changes are proposed to Minnesota’s regulations above the dam.
    • However, for those species below the dam in the St. Croix River, the fish community should be managed more similarly to the Minnesota-Wisconsin boundary waters of the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin to maintain sustainable populations while also maximizing fishing opportunities. That fish community includes largemouth and smallmouth bass, sauger, walleye, northern pike, crappie, flathead and channel catfish, sunfish, yellow perch, and white and yellow bass.
    • These changes would create consistent daily and possession limits for several species in the St. Croix River downstream of the dam at Taylors Falls to its mouth (U.S. Highway 8 bridge at Prescott, Wisconsin) and through the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin along the boundary of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
    • Adopting these rule changes would also align Minnesota’s rules on the lower St. Croix River with revised rules that Wisconsin adopted effective April 1, 2024.
  3. St. Croix River fish refuge modification. Game fish stack up below the Taylor’s Falls dam and need additional protections from over harvest at that location. This rulemaking addresses the need for additional fish refuge from March 2 to June 15 of each year within the area from the Taylor’s Falls (St. Croix Falls) dam on the St. Croix River to the upstream side of the U.S. Highway 8 bridge on the St. Croix River.
Who might be affected by these rule changes?
  • Anglers who fish the Minnesota-Wisconsin boundary waters of the lower St. Croix River.
  • Businesses that rely on anglers who fish the Minnesota-Wisconsin boundary waters.
Where do I send my comments?

You have until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, to submit comments to the DNR contact person listed below

You may request a hearing on these rules. If at least 50 persons submit a valid request for a hearing and a sufficient number do not withdraw their requests (reducing the number below 50), then a public hearing will be held before an administrative law judge. The Notice of Intent to Adopt Expedited Rules tells you how to submit a request for hearing to the DNR contact person.

Where can I get more information?

If you want a free copy of the proposed rules, call or email the DNR contact person listed below.

DNR contact person

Bethany Bethke
Fisheries Rules and Regulations Coordinator
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Section of Fisheries
500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155
651-259-5266
[email protected]

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