Fishing tournament regulations

Permit Requirements

Permits are issued to Minnesota residents only. The 2009 Minnesota legislature made several changes to tournament laws effective July 1, 2009. The changes are highlighted, below:

• A person may conduct a contest without a permit provided any one of the following apply:
  1. There are 25 boats or less (replaces threshold based on number of participants)or 150 participants or less for ice fishing contests, entry fee is $25 or less, total prize value is $25,000 or less, and the contest is not limited to trout;
  2. The contest is not limited to specifically named waters, and the contest is not limited to trout;
  3. All the participants are 18 or younger;
  4. The contest is limited to rough fish; OR,
  5. The total prize value is $500 or less
• The charitable fee waiver has been eliminated. All contests must pay a fee for a tournament permit.
• Permit fees for open-water contests have been reduced by 50%, as shown below:
  • Fee for open-water contests without off-site weigh-ins (weigh-in is located on contest waters):
    • Small contests (50 or fewer boats): $60
    • Large contests (more than 50 boats): $200
  • Fee for open-water contests with off-site weigh-ins:
    • Small contests: $250
    • Large contests: $500
• Fee for ice contests (more than 150 participants) is $120
• The DNR permit may allow for live-release weigh-ins at public accesses. Written permission from the authority responsible for jurisdiction of the public access is required.
  

  If a permit is required, and if entry fees are over $25 per person, or total prizes are valued at more than $25,000, and the applicant has not previously conducted a permitted fishing contest or has ever failed to make required prize awards in a fishing contest, the applicant will be required to furnish evidence of financial responsibility in the form of a surety bond or bank letter of credit in the amount of $25,000.