Reeling in the big one: Central Minnesota 2021 fi shing forecast

PHOTO BY J.G. MILLER, HUTCHINSON

This health-conscious angler enjoyed a day of fi shing along the rock arch rapids on the Crow River near the Main Street Bridge in downtown Hutchinson.

Hutchinson Fisheries Management Area 2021 fishing outlook

BY HUTCHINSON AREA FISHERIES

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

The 2020 fishing season was unique for everyone due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fishing license sales were higher than they’d been for almost 10 years and subsequently fishing pressure was high with full boat ramp parking lots. It’s likely that 2021 will be similar with high fishing pressure as people look to get out of the house.

For the Hutchinson area, ice out was as early as it’s been for years, with all lakes fully open before April 1. This should give plenty of time for the water to warm and could produce some very good sunfish and crappie fishing this spring. The 2021 fishing opener will be May 15 — a week later than normal due to May 2021 having five weekends. The drought from last year has had lasting effects into this spring as lake levels are still down 1-2 feet in many places. Luckily this hasn’t had much effect on winterkill. Only Winsted Lake had significant winterkill outside of small ponds. 2021 fishing prospects should be good. No lakes stand out for that red hot bite, but walleye fishing should be steady at a number of lakes. bass fishing should be as good as always, but anglers should be advised that bass fishing has seen a rise in popularity in the past few years and subsequently many popular lakes can be very busy most weekends. This is a great opportunity to try a new lake, fish during the week, or fish for different species. The Minnesota River in the southern part of the Hutchinson DNR fisheries management area is always great for getting away from others and catching something unique.  Walleye: For anglers looking for walleye, two lakes come to mind: Lake Marion, south of Hutchinson, and Big Swan, north of Hutchinson. Both of these lakes have had full parking lots for the past year and sam-

PHOTO COURTESY OF MINNESOTA DNR

Fish are a good source of protein, and sunfi sh generally have lower levels of mercury than other fi sh.

➤ 2021 Forecast from 15 pling results have shown that large numbers of fi sh are still present. Marion in particular has had a couple fantastic year classes of walleye that should produce good fi shing. The future for Marion continues to look great with a banner year class produced in spring of 2020 from natural reproduction. Stella and Manuella, south of Darwin, are also two lakes to try. Anglers reported a number of fi sh caught in both lakes last year and good fi shing should continue. If anyone catches a tagged walleye in either Stella, Manuella or Washington, they should call the Hutchinson DNR offi ce and report their catch. Belle Lake is another great walleye resource in the area. It’s one of the traditional walleye factories for Hutchinson and both survey results and fi shing reports have shown that it hasn’t slowed down. A fi nal strong walleye candidate is Lake Minnie-Belle. Minnie-Belle is unique for the area and reminiscent of the northern woods with its clear waters and abundance of rooted aquatic plants. It can have some good walleye fi shing, but anglers may need to mix up their strategies as Minnie-Belle is clearer than many other area lakes.  Bass: While Washington and Stella get most of the top press for Hutchinson-area bass fi shing, there are many other lakes in the area that are just as good. For numbers of bass, Minnie-Belle and Francis both can provide some high number days. For those looking for a wall hanger, Jennie and Greenleaf both have the potential of 6-pound-plus fi sh. For a combination of both size and number Erie, Spring and Long by Dassel can all be good. Smallmouth bass are currently only in Stella, Manuella, Washington and Big Swan. Good numbers of smaller Smallmouth bass were seen in Big Swan last fall during walleye electrofi shing. All four lakes are great bets to hook up with a bronzeback. The majority of lakes in the Hutchinson area offer great bass fi shing. Anglers should have their pick of both numbers and size with the wide variety of lakes.

 Sunfish: With a growing focus on larger bluegills, the McLeod/Meeker county area has some opportunities for anglers. Jennie and Washington are both great lakes for anglers to take a shot at getting a true trophy 10-inch bluegill. Historically Jennie has produced the most 10-inch bluegill during surveys going back to 1993. Washington is also a great place to look for big bluegill. Many large bluegill were seen during spring nettings in 2017 and 2019. Because of their direct connection, Stella is also a good option for big bluegills. For anglers looking for the biggest sunfi sh in the area, Minnie-Belle and Collinwood both put out giant hybrid sunfi sh. An 11.5-inch hybrid sunfi sh was sampled in Minnie-Belle in 2019. Ripley in Litchfi eld and Clear in Watkins are also both great options for larger sunfi sh for a meal. Stahls is the best local option for numbers of small sunfi sh to keep the kids busy. In addition, a number of lakes in the area have good sunfi sh populations. Anglers are reminded that selective harvest is a great way

to get a meal and preserve great panfi shing by releasing large sunfi sh to spawn and in particular males that are important for nest guarding and passing down parental male genetics. Releasing the biggest sunfi sh and keeping 7-8-inch fish can preserve large sunfi sh opportunities for years to come.  Crappie: The Hutchinson area can offer some good crappie fi shing for people looking for something for the frying pan. Belle and Swan Lake both have had good fi shing for the past few years and anglers should be able to fi nd some quality fi sh. For anglers looking for true giants, MinnieBelle has the largest crappie in the area. Those anglers chasing big crappie on Minnie-Belle should be warned, they can be diffi cult to fi nd. Washington and Stella are two lakes that can offer a little in between with both size and numbers. As always, Dunn’s and Richardson lakes are historical good crappie lakes and should continue to offer good crappie fi shing into the future. Anglers may also encounter White crappie at either Dunn’s or Richardson. Finally, Clear Lake by New Ulm and Hanska are great options in the southern part of the Hutchinson DNR management area and may have some of the best crappie fi shing for both size and numbers.  Northern Pike: The top Northern pike fi shing opportunity in the Hutchinson area for large-sized fi sh has to be Lake Minnie-Belle. Minnie-Belle has had a protective slot limit of 24 inches to 36 inches for more than 15 years now and as a result the size structure in Minnie-Belle is tremendous for large fi sh opportunity. There is potential for fi sh more than 40 inches at Minnie-Belle. Stella is another lake that anglers have the potential at a 40-inch fi sh. Anglers may not catch large numbers of fi sh, but the fi sh they do will likely be a quality size. Jennie and Collinwood also have some very nice fi sh, but also enough to keep you busy. For numbers of pike regardless of size, Clear Lake in Watkins and Round by Litchfi eld are both safe bets.  Other Species: Other options in the Hutchinson area include Little Mud Lake by Watkins for Rainbow trout. Rainbows are stocked every spring and fall. Betty, Marion and Swan Lake are all places anglers can target Channel catfish. In addition, the Minnesota River is a great place for both Channel catfi sh and Flathead catfi sh. Otter Reservoir in Hutchinson is a great option for people to catch almost anything, especially with an abundance of shorefi shing opportunities. Fort Ridgley, Spring (Hindeman), Ramsey, and Seven Mile creeks are all opportunities to catch stream trout in the Hutchinson area. All four streams are stocked in the spring with both Rainbow and Brown trout, except for Seven Mile, which is only stocked with Brown trout.  Hutchinson area fi sheries staff perform management, habitat and oversight work for 94 fi shing lakes and 38 rivers and streams in McLeod, Meeker, Sibley, Nicollet, Brown, Redwood, Renville and western Wright counties.

For more information, call the Hutchinson Area Fisheries, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, at 320-753-0324 or visit dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/ hutchinson/index.html.

FILE PHOTO

Anglers who have questions — whether it’s about what species they can fi sh for, what kind of bait is legal, or what kind of fi sh they can keep — can fi nd many fi shing-related answers in the DNR’s 2021 Minnesota Fishing Regulations booklet or at Fish Minnesota, the fi shing information webpage at mndnr.gov/ fi shmn.

New sunfish regulations in effect on nearly 100 waters

BY THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Sunfish anglers will need to closely check the 2021 Minnesota Fishing Regulations booklet and signs at water accesses for new sunfish limits that are now in effect on 94 waters.

The new regulations lower limits on specific waters as part of a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources initiative to protect and improve sunfish sizes. These changes are in response to angler-driven concerns over the declining sizes of sunfish in Minnesota.

“Robust public input and support helped us move forward with the Quality Sunfish Initiative. We had more than 3,700 comments and over 85% of them were in favor of trying to improve sunfish sizes,” said Dave Weitzel, Grand Rapids area fisheries supervisor. “It’s clear Minnesota anglers treasure sunfish and want to make sure we have lots of large sunfish in our lakes.”

The new regulations only modify daily limits on the affected waterbodies. Anglers can only keep the prescribed number of fish per day from the water but can return the next day for another limit as long as they don’t exceed the statewide inland water possession limit of 20 sunfish per angler.

The new sunfish regulations only include inland waters of Minnesota. Specifically, 44 waters will have a new daily limit of five sunfish, 31 will have a limit of 10 sunfish, 17 will have a limit of five sunfish and five crappie, and two will have a limit of 10 sunfish and five crappies.

In addition to the new waters, there are 57 waters that previously had reduced limits for sunfish and these regulations remain in effect.

“We’ve evaluated previous special sunfish regulations and found that reducing harvest can indeed produce large sunfish,” Weitzel said. “Sunfish grow slowly — about an inch per year — so a large sunfish can be more than a decade old. It’s critical to protect these large fish from excessive harvest because they aren’t easily replaced.”

Sunfish spawn in large nesting colonies during the spring and early summer. Parental male sunfish build and defend nests. Females will select a male, lay eggs, and leave the eggs for the male to protect and fan with his fins. These nestbuilding male sunfish play an important role in repopulation, with the largest sunfish often getting the best spawning sites.

When anglers keep the largest sunfish, the remaining small males don’t need to compete with larger males to spawn. Once the larger males are gone, the smaller males devote less energy to growing. Instead, they devote energy to spawning at younger ages and smaller sizes.

Minnesota fishing regulations use sunfish as the generic name for bluegill, pumpkinseed, green sunfish, orangespotted sunfish, longear, warmouth and their hybrids. More about sunfish biology and the Quality Sunfish Initiative is available on the DNR website.

BILL LINDNER/MINNESOTA DNR

New panfi sh regulations are in place on a number of lakes for 2021 so anglers should closely check regulations for new daily limits on specifi c lakes by fi nding the lake’s listing in the special regulations section of the 2021 regulations booklet.

OTHER NEW REGULATIONS

Other fishing regulation changes in the 2021 regulations book include new experimental regulations on Island Lake Reservoir near Duluth. On this lake, which has abundant but very small walleye, fisheries managers aim to increase the size of walleye by increasing the possession limit and applying a protective slot limit.

New experimental lake trout regulations also are being implemented in Yawkey, Sagamore, Pennington and Mahnomen lakes. These mine pit lakes in Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area have the potential to support naturally reproducing lake trout populations. Anglers there will be limited to harvesting one lake trout, which must be more than 20 inches, from each water.

Experimental regulations mean that the regulation is temporary. Fisheries managers must then evaluate the regulation to determine whether it had the intended effect, usually after 10 years.

The 2021 Minnesota fishing regulations are available online and anywhere Minnesota fishing licenses are sold. The new sunfish regulations are found in the special regulations that begin on page 38 of the booklet.

Fishing is a popular activity along the Crow River. Local anglers can be seen fi shing along the riverbank in Hutchinson.

PHOTO BY J.G. MILLER, HUTCHINSON

WILD ILD about about WALLEYE ALLEYE

Enjoy these recipes with your fresh catches this season

BY KAY JOHNSON

johnson@hutchinsonleader.com

While there are about 1.4 million licensed anglers in Minnesota, about 500,000 are expected to fish on Minnesota’s opening day of walleye and northern pike season on Saturday, May 15.

It’s not surprising the walleye is the most sought-after fish in Minnesota. It’s challenging to catch and its meaty, mild-flavored, white fillets are delicious to eat.

While walleye is No. 1, anglers also enjoy catching northern pike and muskie combined, then panfish, bass, crappie and trout.

While fishing is a hobby for many, it’s also more than that. It contributes $2.4 billion to the state’s economy in direct retail sales, ranking Minnesota third in the nation for angler expenditures. It also supports 35,500 Minnesota jobs.

With Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes, it makes sense significantly more time is spent fishing on lakes than on rivers and streams. How much time? The average Minnesota angler spends 15 days fishing each year and invests about $1,500.

The attractions of fishing are many. It’s offers an opportunity to be outdoors. It’s a way to relieve stress. The thought of catching the “big one” is challenging. It’s a way to spend time with friends and family. It also offers a reward at the end — a feeling of satisfaction when you eat the fish you caught.

With that said, what’s the best way to cook walleye? This is like asking what’s the best chili. Each person has notions about what tastes good. To find out your favorite preparation, enjoy these recipes with your fresh catches this season.

WALLEYE TACOS

There are a lot of ingredients to prepare for this recipe, but this isn’t a hard recipe to make, and the tacos are so good. If you don’t have (or like) all the taco bar fixings, just use what you enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

Walleye to 20 ➤

FILE PHOTO

Enjoy walleye tacos with your favorite fi xings.

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➤ Walleye from 19 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced or put through a garlic press 1 1/2 pound walleye fillets (or another firm white fish) 6 (6-inch) corn tortillas 1/2 onion, finely chopped 1 cup chopped fresh tomato 1 cup diced avocado 1⁄2 cup cilantro leaves lime wedges hot sauce plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

Directions:

Combine the oil, spices, salt and garlic in a bowl. Cut the fish into 1-inch strips, put them in the bowl and use your fingers to coat them with the spice mixture. Set the fish aside. Heat a medium pan over medium heat for 3 minutes. One at a time, heat the tortillas on each side for about 30 seconds. Wrap them in a dish towel to keep warm. Put a large, nonstick pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. Put the fish in the hot pan and cook for 3 minutes, then use the spatula to flip the pieces over. Cook on the other side until the fish breaks easily into flakes when you poke it with a fork, around 2 minutes. Give each person two tortillas and let everyone assemble the tacos with whatever ingredients they like. Serves: 3

Source: HealthPartners PowerUp

Ingredients:

2 cups dry potato flakes 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon seasoning salt 1 tablespoon ground black pepper 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (or to taste) 6 ounces of walleye fillets 2 cups butter-flavored shortening for fish

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the potato flakes, flour, garlic powder, seasoning salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Soak fish fillets in a bowl of cold water. In a deep skillet or deep fryer, melt and heat the shortening to 350 degrees. dredge fish fillets in dry seasoning mixture and fry in hot oil for five minutes or until fish flakes apart easily. Remove from hot oil and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve with tartar sauce, if desired.

Source: “Lake Washington Association Cookbook”

WALLEYE CAKES

Ingredients:

1 sleeve saltine crackers 2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup finely diced onion

Walleye to 22 ➤

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If you enjoy crab cakes, give this recipe for Walleye Cakes a try.

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1/4 cup finely diced bell pepper 3 eggs, slightly beaten 1 tablespoon hot sauce 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 cups cooked walleye 1 can cannellini beans, mashed

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil (for frying)

Directions:

Crush the crackers into fine crumbs. Add half to a large bowl and save the other half for breading. Melt the butter in a skillet and cook the onions and peppers until tender. Add the cooked vegetables, fish and remaining ingredients to the bowl with half of the cracker crumbs. Mix well. Pat the fish mixture into cakes that are 2 inches wide. Gently dredge the cakes in the cracker crumbs, coating both sides. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and add the oil. Gently place the cakes into the hot skillet and cook, in batches, until golden brown on both sides. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Source: Iowa Department of Natural Resources

NEW ENGLAND-STYLE WALLEYE CHOWDER

Ingredients:

2 cups diced potatoes 1 cup finely chopped onion 2 cups chopped raw carrots 2 cups finely chopped celery 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons dried parsley 2 teaspoons salt-free herb seasoning 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper 1 cup canned corn or 2 cups frozen corn 2 pounds of walleye fillets 6 cups of low-fat milk 8 ounces Neufchatel cheese or 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Cornstarch slurry: 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water or milk

Directions:

Peel potatoes, onion and carrots. Rinse after peeling and chop into bitesized pieces. Rinse and chop celery. In a large heavy-bottomed soup pot, add broth, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, salt, paprika, garlic powder, cinnamon, parsley, herb seasoning and lemon pepper. Simmer 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add corn. Cut fish into bite-sized pieces. Add fish, simmer for another 10 minutes. Add milk and Neufchatel cheese or yogurt. Simmer slowly, stirring constantly, do not boil. After cheese has melted, add the cornstarch slurry to the soup. Continue stirring on low heat, until soup thickens and soup is heated and steaming. Makes 10-12 servings

Source: USDA Food and Nutrition Service. Recipe adapted from Marti Hunt, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians