Minnesota fishing limits 2026–27
Copied from the Minnesota DNR 2026 Fishing Regulations and the DNR hunting season calendar. Hunting dates are cross-checked against the 2026 Minnesota Hunting & Trapping Regulations. Every table links to the official source. If anything here disagrees with the Minnesota DNR, the Minnesota DNR is right.
Minnesota season & rule alerts
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Inland seasons & possession limits (statewide)
Inland waters only. Special regulations (about 1,000 lakes and rivers), border waters, Lake Superior and northern pike zone limits differ — check the DNR booklet. Whitefish, sturgeon, paddlefish and winter lake trout rows are left out until verified by hand.
| Species | Daily bag | Min length | Max length |
|---|---|---|---|
Walleye and sauger (and their hybrid)
| 6 combined total (only 1 walleye over 20" in possession) | — | — |
Muskellunge
| 1 (minimum size 54") | 54" | — |
Tiger (hybrid) muskellunge (see page 85 for identification guide)
| 1 (minimum size 40") | 40" | — |
Largemouth bass - Statewide (Southern and North-central Zones)
| Catch-and-release only | — | — |
Largemouth bass - Statewide (Southern and North-central Zones)
| 6 combined total largemouth or smallmouth bass (when smallmouth season is open) | — | — |
Smallmouth bass - Statewide (Southern and North-central Zones)
| Catch-and-release only | — | — |
Smallmouth bass - Statewide (Southern and North-central Zones)
| 6 combined total largemouth or smallmouth bass | — | — |
Smallmouth bass - Statewide (Southern and North-central Zones)
| Catch-and-release only | — | — |
Largemouth and smallmouth bass - Northeast Zone (Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County are part of the Northeast Zone for bass. See Zone Map on page 31.)
| Catch-and-release only | — | — |
Largemouth and smallmouth bass - Northeast Zone (Pelican and Ash lakes in St. Louis County are part of the Northeast Zone for bass. See Zone Map on page 31.)
| 6 combined total largemouth or smallmouth bass | — | — |
Crappie (white or black and their hybrids)
| 10 combined total | — | — |
Sunfish (bluegill, pumpkinseed, green, orangespotted, northern, warmouth, and their hybrids)
| 20 combined total | — | — |
Rock bass
| 30 | — | — |
White bass and yellow bass
| 30 combined total | — | — |
Channel Catfish
| 5 (only 1 over 24") | — | — |
Flathead Catfish
| 2 (only 1 over 24") | — | — |
Perch
| 20 daily, 40 in possession | — | — |
Cisco (tullibee)
| 15 (over 7") EXCEPTION: For sport netting on Leech Lake Indian Reservation limit 50. | — | — |
Burbot (eelpout)
| 4 | — | — |
Bowfin, buffalo, carp, carpsuckers, freshwater drum, goldeye, redhorse, and suckers
| No limit | — | — |
American eel
| Catch-and-release only | — | — |
Bullhead
| 100 | — | — |
Gar
| 10 | — | — |
Smelt
| No limit | — | — |
Lake trout (SUMMER)Statewide
| 2 | — | — |
Minnesota DNR 2026 Fishing Regulations (PDF) 2026 (Mar 1, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027) · official source ↗ · checked Oct 17, 2026
Hunting? See Minnesota hunting seasons 2026–27.