ELY—The Department of Natural Resources will host an open house in Ely next Tuesday to collect public comments and share information on proposed northern pike and sunfish regulation changes for Basswood Lake and on the proposed removal of northern pike special regulations on the Garden chain of lakes in St. Louis and Lake counties.
The purpose of the proposed changes is to provide quality northern pike and sunfish angling opportunities while also simplifying regulations. 
On all of Basswood Lake, the proposal would reduce the sunfish daily limit from 20 to five. The proposed change to the northern pike regulation would mean that northern pike from 30-40 inches may not be kept and only one of the two pike allowed could be over 40 inches. The fishing season would become continuous to match other border waters’ northern pike seasons. 
On the Garden chain of lakes, the DNR proposes to end the existing northern pike special regulations and replace it with the Northeast Zone regulations where fish 30-40 inches may not be kept and only one of the two pike allowed could be over 40 inches.
Next week’s open house will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at MN North College-Vermilion campus at 1900 E. Camp St., in Ely. The open house will be held in room CL104 or CL110. so watch for signs. Please use the door that is closest to the main auditorium classroom, which is to the right of the campus’s main entrance.
If adopted, the special regulations will go into effect March 1, 2025.
Comments can also be made online by taking the survey with the link available on the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/fishregs). People can also call the Tower area fisheries office at 218-300-7803, and emailed comments can be directed to tower.fisheries@state.mn.us.