Fishing licenses are effective from March 1 to the last day of February of the following year. A fishing license for the current 2025-26 license year is effective until Feb. 28, 2026.
The purchase price of every fishing license goes into the Game and Fish Fund, a dedicated account that can only be used for fish, wildlife, law enforcement and certain other outdoor-related activities.
Current regulations booklet
Updates
The following updates were made after the fishing regulations handbook was printed. View the page linked for the detailed change.
March 4, 2025
- Page 30: Beginning March 1, channel and flathead catfish are no longer counted together in a possession limit. The possession limit for channel catfish is 5 (only 1 over 24") and the possession limit for flathead catfish is 2 (only 1 over 24"). The possession limit for whitefish and cisco (tullibee) is not in aggregate, each fish has its own possession limit. The possession limit for both species applies to fish over 7".
- Page 49: The daily limit for sunfish on Deer Lake including Otter Tail River (Otter Tail County) is 10 but was incorrectly listed as 5.
- Page 69: The walleye and sauger limit for Saganaga Lake is 3 (only 1 walleye over 20"), the 17" minimum size limit has been repealed but was incorrectly still included in this table.
- Page 77: The end date for the catch-and-release lake sturgeon season in fall and winter for the St. Croix River downstream of Taylors Falls Dam to mouth including Lake St. Croix is March 1, 2026. It was incorrectly listed as March 1, 2025.
March 17, 2025
- Page 13: The 2026 stream trout (streams only) season open date is April 11, 2026. It was incorrectly listed as April 1.
- Page 16: The regulations for bait are listed on pages 38-39. The page range was originally listed as 39-39.
- Page 30: The season for American eel is continuous and the possession limit is catch-and-release only. The season was originally incorrectly listed as “no open season.”
Editions
- English: Minnesota fishing regulations
- Hmong: Cov cai nuv ntses hauv lav Minnesota
- Karen: မံၣ်နံၣ်စိထၣ် တၢ်တခွဲညၣ် တၢ်သိၣ်တၢ်သီတၢ်ဘျၢ
- Somali: Sharciyada kalluumeysiga ee Minnesota
- Spanish: Regulaciones de pesca de Minnesota
Online regulations
Be aware of seasonal fishing closures (Updated Thursday, April 17, 2025 @ 05:02 pm CDT) to protect spawning fish.
License information
- Fishing licenses
- Buy a mobile license
- Fishing License Guide (Spanish) / Guía de la licencia de pesca en español
Note:
This information is available in an alternative format upon request. E-mail the DNR Information Center at [email protected] or call at (651) 296-6157 or (888) MINNDNR.
This fishing regulations document contains a synopsis of the state fishing laws and regulations. For complete fishing laws and regulations, consult Minnesota Statutes and Rules of the DNR.
