To keep track of walleye and all fish species caught, DNR relies on its creel, or angler survey, to monitor fishing on Mille Lacs Lake.
Monitoring by clerks stationed around the lake begins Dec. 1 and continues throughout the winter and summer fishing seasons.
Even when walleye angling is catch-and-release, some walleye die after being caught and released, a condition called hooking mortality. Based on angler reports to creel clerks, the poundage of walleye and northern pike that die from hooking mortality is calculated and applied against the state's harvest allocation.
Read more about the Mille Lacs creel survey, how it got started and the data that is collected and compiled to help manage the fishery.
- Walleye (Ogaa)
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2026
State anglers Tribal fishing Harvested Hooking mortality 1 Total kill 3 Released Total kill Fish Lbs. Fish Lbs. Fish Lbs. Fish Lbs. Fish Lbs. Dec. 10 - Jan. 18 3,020 7,995 375 159 3,395 8,154 202,403 79,781 See footnote 2 Jan. 19 - Feb. 22 1,414 3,748 227 74 1,641 3,822 122,690 36,937 See footnote 2 Feb. 23 - March 20 0 0 1 1 1 1 691 114 See footnote 2 May Opener-31 4,890 13,249 154 235 5,044 13,484 12,487 19,261 See footnote 2 June 1-15 4,884 13,015 1,295 3,335 6,179 16,350 20,765 54,194 See footnote 2 June 16-30 3,775 10,450 813 1,085 4,588 11,535 14,756 20,045 See footnote 2 July 1-15 3,526 10,302 1,056 2,757 4,582 13,059 8,189 21,576 See footnote 2 July 16-31 2,274 6,166 1,398 2,188 3,672 8,354 10,805 17,038 See footnote 2 Aug. 1-15 232 815 640 820 872 1,635 4,511 5,794 See footnote 2 Aug. 16-31 456 1,416 322 522 778 1,938 2,890 4,745 See footnote 2 Sept. 1-15 456 1,412 192 120 648 1,532 1,977 1,272 See footnote 2 Sept. 16-30 915 2,537 174 175 1,089 2,712 4,715 4,775 See footnote 2 Oct. 1-31 - - - - - - - - See footnote 2 Winter Tournaments - - - - - - - - Summer tournaments - - - - - - - - Unsurveyed night - - - - - - - - All ice fishing 4,434 11,743 603 234 5,037 11,977 325,784 116,832 Open water creel 21,408 59,362 6,044 11,237 27,452 70,599 81,095 148,700 Other open water 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Year-to-date totals 25,842 71,105 6,647 11,471 32,489 82,576 406,879 265,532 19,323 55,333 Allowed take 105,300 79,700 1 Estimate of fish that die after being caught and released (i.e. hooking mortality).
2 Not reported by state angler period.
3 Total kill is harvest combined with hooking mortality.- Northern Pike (Ginoozhe)
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2026
State anglers Tribal fishing Harvested Hooking mortality 1 Total kill3 Released Total kill Fish Lbs. Fish Lbs. Fish Lbs. Fish Lbs. Fish Lbs. Dec. 10 - Jan. 18 330 897 0 0 330 897 1,551 9,366 See footnote 2 Jan. 19 - Feb. 22 438 2,019 0 0 438 2,019 907 5,199 See footnote 2 Feb. 23 - March 20 192 730 0 0 192 730 38 226 See footnote 2 May Opener-31 24 101 61 191 85 292 1,116 3,473 See footnote 2 June 1-15 0 0 30 162 30 162 543 2,943 See footnote 2 June 16-30 127 441 65 388 192 829 1,184 7,053 See footnote 2 July 1-15 0 0 43 159 43 159 784 2,884 See footnote 2 July 16-31 270 1,255 40 236 310 1,491 733 4,299 See footnote 2 Aug. 1-15 59 208 13 75 72 283 232 1,360 See footnote 2 Aug. 16-31 150 754 10 94 160 848 176 1,705 See footnote 2 Sept. 1-15 0 0 11 90 11 90 203 1,644 See footnote 2 Sept. 16-30 0 0 10 96 10 96 183 1,746 See footnote 2 Oct. 1-31 - - - - - - - - See footnote 2 Winter Tournaments - - - - - - - - Summer tournaments - - - - - - - - Unsurveyed night - - - - - - - - All ice fishing 960 3,646 0 0 960 3,646 2,496 14,791 Open water creel 630 2,759 283 1,491 913 4,250 5,154 27,107 Other open water 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Year-to-date totals 1,590 6,405 283 1,491 1,873 7,896 7,650 41,898 2,365 10,019 Allowed take 50,000 50,000 1 Estimate of fish that die after being caught and released (i.e. hooking mortality).
2 Not reported by state angler period.
3 Total kill is harvest combined with hooking mortality.- Yellow Perch (Asaawe)
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2026
State anglers Tribal fishing Harvested Released Total kill Fish Lbs. Fish Lbs. Fish Lbs. Dec. 10 - Jan. 18 22,314 17,206 65,659 15,174 See footnote 1 Jan. 19 - Feb. 22 19,022 13,605 53,336 9,678 See footnote 1 Feb. 23 - March 20 768 624 2,958 610 See footnote 1 May Opener-31 95 65 237 63 See footnote 1 June 1-15 130 89 627 290 See footnote 1 June 16-30 375 292 1,330 762 See footnote 1 July 1-15 274 232 1,136 397 See footnote 1 July 16-31 513 337 1,686 522 See footnote 1 Aug. 1-15 180 55 1,173 344 See footnote 1 Aug. 16-31 117 101 410 101 See footnote 1 Sept. 1-15 0 0 355 145 See footnote 1 Sept. 16-30 46 33 0 0 See footnote 1 Oct. 1-31 - - - - See footnote 1 Winter tournaments - - - - Summer tournaments - - - - Unsurveyed night - - - - All ice fishing 42,104 31,435 121,953 25,462 Open water creel 1,730 1,204 6,954 2,624 Other open water 0 0 0 0 Year-to-date totals 43,834 32,639 128,907 28,086 - 4,221 Allowed take 36,500 36,500