The annual walleye fishing pilgrimage to the Minnesota’s hinterlands has been clamped down, the latest casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.
Saturday’s opening day of fishing for walleye, pike, lake trout, bass (catch-and-release in the metro) is still on, but the state’s commissioner of natural resources Wednesday urged everyone planning on heading out — and early indications are that’s a lot of people — to fish “close to home.”
What exactly does that mean?
- A full tank of gas (or full charge in an electric vehicle) needs to get you there and back.
- No overnight stays.
- Bring all supplies with you.
The restrictions, drawn up by the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Health, are intended to avoid people traveling all over the state, dispersing germs at gas stations, rest areas, grocery stores and bait shops.
The concern is especially pronounced over rural areas, where health care systems are often not as robust as in large cities. Rural areas are also home to older residents and American Indian populations, where underlying conditions are more prevalent, factors that could amplify the effects of COVID-19.
The rules are in line with Gov. Tim Walz’s extended stay-at-home order, which allows fishing but limits travel to essential trips only. Fishing might be essential to the soul, but the long drive to get there isn’t, and in Minnesota, there are waters close to home, they said.
Nonetheless, it’s an edict that crushes the plans of countless families and fishing buddies, some being told to set aside years-long traditions, or perhaps being prohibited from starting new ones. And it’s a punishing blow for resorts, who have been allowed to open for lodging under Walz’s exception allowing hotels and motels to remain open, but who are now being essentially told their patrons should call to cancel, if they haven’t already.
“Nothing about this situation is easy,” DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. “Minnesotans are anxious to get out. Businesses are anxious to reopen. And yet we also know that many, many Minnesotans also have extreme stress and anxiety about their health, so this is striking a balance.”
It’s worth noting that during the pandemic, various rural communities have urged metro residents to stay away, expressing fears of anglers and others unwittingly transporting the virus, which doesn’t always show symptoms even when it’s contagious. At one point, for example, local authorities closed public boat ramps on the Rainy River in far northern Minnesota in an attempt to discourage out-of-towners from heading up for the early spring sturgeon fishing season.
HOW WILL IT BE ENFORCED?
Col. Rodmen Smith, head of the DNR’s enforcement division, said the goal is voluntary compliance, not police action.
“We’ll continue to use an educational approach,” Smith said, implying a stern lecture instead of a citation. “Minnesotans in general have been doing a very good job. … We don’t anticipate issuing any citations, although you never know what we’re going to run across.”
Cabin owners are technically not prohibited from visiting their cabins, but Strommen urged that people keep in mind the spirit of the stay-at-home order — and the risk of spreading infections. Heading to the cabin to fish, she said, isn’t really essential travel.
LICENSE SALES ROCKING
Life under near-lockdown appears to be a boon for the activity of fishing itself.
The seasons for panfish — sunfish, crappies and yellow perch — are year round, and parts of the Mississippi River and border waters have already opened. Ice was out early. Weekend weather has been pleasant. And lots of folks have nothing better to do (as if there’s ever anything better to do than fish).
And folks have been buying licenses at breakneck pace.
Just over 320,000 licenses had been sold through Tuesday. That’s nearly 110,000 more than last year at this time and the highest pace of sales since 2000, the most distant year for which data was readily available. Sales of a special $5 license for 16- and 17-year-olds, which has been available since 2013, are on record pace, with more than 13,000 sold by Tuesday, nearly double last year’s figure at the same time.
In addition to the weather, DNR fisheries chief Brad Parsons said he thinks the pandemic might be marking a resurgence of fishing.
“We’re also recruiting new people in,” he said, noting the youth license sales. “And probably some people who had given up on fishing, coming back into it.”
NO SHORTAGE OF WATER
DNR officials emphasized that while the big walleye waters will be out of reach for many, there’s no shortage of places to wet a line close to home, and many are replete with panfish, pike and bass. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are catch-and-release only in all but the northeast corner of the state until May 23.
“We hope folks see it as an opportunity to explore a new lake or a new style of fishing if you can,” Strommen said.
NO FISHING WIDOWS?
For some, perhaps the ban on heading up north will bring opportunities. Or obligations.
As is often the case, Sunday, the day after the opener, is Mother’s Day. Minnesota moms fish free all weekend, no license required.
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MN fishing opener: DNR says fish ‘close to home.’ Full tank of gas has to get you there and back, no stops. - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press
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