Boating trends study
Boating in North Central Minnesota: Status in 1998 and Trends Since 1985
The north central lake region is one of Minnesota's premier water-recreation areas. The region supports a thriving water-oriented resort industry and one of Minnesota's largest concentration of seasonal lakehomes. It also contains Mille Lacs, a 132,000 acre body of water that is one of the top walleye fisheries in the state. The lake region is the closest northern-forest lake concentration to the Twin Cities metropolitan area, from which it draws its major source of tourists and seasonal lakehome owners.
This boating study is an update of a study done in 1985, and changes since 1985 are presented throughout the report. The study has three broad goals: describe the many facets of the boating experience; measure the total number of boats on lakes and trace those boats to their means of access; and provide information to guide public access programs. The goals are accomplished through a combination of aerial observations and boater surveys with public access users, commercial access users (e.g., resort guests) and lakeshore residents.
Some major trends between 1985 and 1998 are:
- Boats are larger and substantially more powerful than in 1985. Runabouts have replaced fishing boats (identified by no windshield or deck) as the predominant type of craft in use.
- Boaters are fishing less and boat riding more than in 1985, a change that moves the north central region closer to an "urban-like" boating pattern (that is, closer to the activity pattern of boaters using Twin Cities metropolitan lakes).
- The number of boats on lakes has remained stable since 1985, but boaters believe the lakes are more crowded now. Although study results are not definitive, boaters may feel more crowded on the lakes because of the increasing prevalence of larger, more powerful and noisier boats, coupled with the fact that boaters are fishing less and boat riding more.
- The use of public access launch facilities has changed since 1985. Public accesses—it appears—are becoming more and more an asset that all lake interests take advantage of, including riparian residents and commercial boating-related interests (e.g., resorts). The reason for change in the use of public accesses is unknown, but it may be associated with the increasing size of boats and the need to launch/land these boats at a well designed access facility.
- Boaters express very little demand for more water-surface use restrictions, except for further restrictions on personal watercraft (jet skis), a type of craft that was not examined in 1985.
