REGIONAL— Catching your limit of walleye could get easier across the state if a new rule proposed by the Department of Natural Resources is ultimately enacted.
Minnesota anglers would be able to keep four walleyes instead of six as part of a rule change that has been discussed within the agency for years. The current limit of six walleye was first enacted in 1956.
The rule change, if approved, would go into effect March 1, 2027. The current regulation of only one walleye over 20 inches in possession would remain in place. Under Minnesota law, the DNR does have authority to set fish limits without approval from the Legislature.
DNR fisheries officials say the change is needed now to protect walleye from the combined effects of several factors, including the warming climate, the introduction of invasive species, and increasingly sophisticated fish-finding technologies that give anglers an overwhelming advantage.
The new rule, if approved, would have little impact on many of the state’s largest walleye lakes. Many of those lakes, such as Vermilion, Rainy, Kabetogama, Leech, and Lake of the Woods, already have four-walleye limits in place and the change was generally widely supported.
According to the DNR, a wide variety of angler surveys have shown broad support for extending the four-walleye limit statewide.
“We have discussed this walleye limit proposal informally for a long time, including working with anglers and interested groups to see if this is something anglers would support. Now we’re going through the formal process to propose the change and gather input,” Parsons said. “This proposal is informed by what fisheries research and sampling data point to about walleye in the future.”
The Minnesota DNR is inviting comments on the proposed rule changes until 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5. People may submit comments by:
• Email to fisheries.rulemaking.comments.dnr@state.mn.us. Please mention “walleye limit” in the subject line or body of the email. 
• Phone to the Minnesota DNR at 651-259-5235.
• Mail to Fisheries Rules and Regulations Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155.
More information about the proposal, including previous public input and factors the DNR considered, is available on the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/fisheries/management/walleye-limit.html).