As far as history reaches, Lake Mille Lacs in central Minnesota has been described as a “walleye factory”. Sport anglers, in unprecedented numbers,  have flocked to the vast waters of Lake Mille Lacs for over a century to find, catch and eat the crown jewel of all freshwater fish…the walleye. Lake Mille Lacs walleyes have been second to none among sport anglers anywhere on the North American continent.

Entering the new millennium, that Lake Mille Lacs history started to change. In 1998, Federal courts granted several upper Midwest Native American Bands the right to harvest Lake Mille Lacs walleyes based on a treaty written and signed onto in 1837.

The courts ordered the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Indian Bands to negotiate a plan that would include a shared fishery harvest between sport anglers and Band members. The Band members were allowed to harvest Lake Mille Lacs fish, mainly walleyes, above and beyond Minnesota sport angling rules and regulations if they stayed within acceptable levels of “conservation, public safety and public health”. 

The Minnesota DNR agreed to allowing the Tribal harvest of Lake Mille Lacs walleyes via the use of gill-nets during the annual period of time the walleyes are congregated in shallow shoreline areas spawning. Sport anglers have never been and still are not allowed to harvest vulnerable spawning Lake Mille Lacs walleyes, based on Minnesota regulations put into place to protect the viability of the walleye population. For over a decade, miles of Tribal gill-nets have been killing up to 65 tons of spawning walleyes each spring at Lake Mille Lacs. Many of which go unaccounted for. Many of which become wanton waste.

In the fall of 2012, Lake Mille Lacs Walleyes plummeted  to a 40 year low. With the overall low numbers of walleyes in general found in the 2012 walleye population survey, a huge imbalance of both gender and size of walleyes were found at an alarming level. 

If this continues, sports fishing will be dead on these famous lakes. Please take action and help Mille Lacs to preserve sports fishing on lake Mille lacs.