Basic regulations
- Whitefish and cisco (also known as tullibee) netting is open to Minnesota residents only.
- Participants must be in possession of a valid Minnesota angling license and the $10 netting license.
- Only one gill net, not exceeding 100 feet in length and 3 feet in width, may be used by a netter at any given time.
- One end of net must have a pole, stake or buoy projecting at least two feet above the water or ice surface.
- Nets must have an identification tag attached near the first float of the end projecting from the water/ice.
- Identification tags must be at least 2½ inches by 5/8 inch and permanently bear the net owner’s name and address.
- Nets may not be set or lifted between sunset and sunrise.
- All gill nets must be tended at least every 24 hours and can only be set and lifted by the licensee.
- Nets may not be set in any water deeper than 6 feet and cannot be set within 50 feet of another net.
- Minimum gill net mesh size varies among lakes and is detailed in the schedules listed.
- Additional regulations
- A person may not have angling equipment in possession while netting.
- Native rough fish, as defined by Minnesota Statute 97A.015, Subd. 43, and common carp caught in the net may be retained. All other non-target fish taken while netting must be returned to the water immediately.
- Nets used in waters infested by spiny water fleas and/or zebra mussels may not be used in any other waters.
- Additional lakes now have net restrictions due to spiny water flea and/or zebra mussel presence. Please be sure to verify if net restrictions apply to any lake you plan to net.
- Nets used in waters designated infested by other species (not spiny water fleas and/or zebra mussels) must be dried for a minimum of 10 days or frozen for two days before using in a different water body.
- Please verify if the lake you plan to net is designated as infested.
- Your net should be transported in a sealed container.
- Whitefish and cisco taken by sport gill netting may not be bought, sold or used as bait.
- Within the Leech Lake Reservation, the possession limits are 25 whitefish and 50 cisco.
- Net placement should not inhibit use of the lake by other boaters.
- Netting dates
The waters listed in Schedule I may be open this year. Net harvest allowances in Schedule I lakes varies from year-to-year based on assessments of game fish abundance; climatic conditions that affect the vulnerability of game fish to accidental harvest; and abundance of Whitefish and Cisco.
Schedule II water bodies exhibit less variability and are opened and closed on a pre-determined schedule. Unless otherwise noted, the names of the bodies of water refer to lakes.
- Schedule I water bodies
All water bodies listed in this schedule are to be opened and closed on a 48-hour notice posted at the lake accesses and other public places. Lakes in bold and marked with asterisk (*) are designated infested with spiny water fleas and/or zebra mussels (see footnote about net use in these lakes).
Lakes
The table below indicates the minimum mesh size (based on stretch measures) allowed on each lake.
Name County 3.5" Net 1.75" Net Contact Opens Closes Basswood* Lake X Tower 10/31/2025 11/16/2025 Bear Island St. Louis X Tower 11/28/2025 12/28/2025 Deer Itasca X Grand Rapids 10/31/2025 12/14/2025 Devil Track* Cook X Grand Marais 10/31/2025 12/28/2025 Fall* Lake X Tower 10/31/2025 11/16/2025 Newton* Lake X Tower 10/31/2025 11/16/2025 Ojibway Lake X Tower 11/28/2025 12/28/2025 Poplar* Cook X Grand Marais 10/31/2025 12/28/2025 Shagawa* St. Louis X Tower 11/7/2025 11/30/2025 Straight Becker X Park Rapids 12/5/2025 12/28/2025 Turtle* Itasca X Grand Rapids 10/31/2025 12/14/2025 Vermilion* St. Louis X Tower 10/31/2025 11/16/2025 * Nets used in spiny water fleas and/or zebra mussel infested waters are not to be used in any other waterbody. 1 Vermilion includes the entire lake except Pike Bay, south and west of a north-south line at narrowest portion between Echo Point and Punchers Point. - Schedule II water bodies
Schedule II waters are open based on the three netting schedules: Oct.17-Dec.14, Nov. 7- Dec. 14 and Nov. 14-Dec. 14.
Lakes marked with an asterisk (*) are infested with spiny water fleas and/or zebra mussels. Nets used in these lakes cannot be used in any other waterbody.
Lakes
The table below indicates the minimum mesh size allowed (based on stretch measures) on each lake.
* Nets used in spiny water fleas and/or zebra mussel infested waters are not to be used in any other waterbody.Name County 3.5" Net 1.75" Net Open dates Ball Club* Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Balsam, Big Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Bass* Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Bass (north basin & Snyder Bay to the narrows) Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Beltrami Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Bemidji, Little Becker X 11/7-12/14 Benedict* Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Black Bear* Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Blackduck Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Blackwater Cass X 11/7-12/14 Bowstring* Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Bowstring, Little Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Boy Cass X 11/7-12/14 Brule Cook X 10/17-12/14 Buffalo* Becker X 11/14-12/14 Buzzle Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Caribou* Cook X 10/17-12/14 Carr* Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Cass* Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Clear* Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Clearwater Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Cotton Becker X 11/7-12/14 Crane* St. Louis X 10/17-12/14 Crooked Cass X 11/7-12/14 Crooked Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Crow Wing, Fifth & Sixth (channel between) Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Crow Wing, Fifth & Sixth (channel between) Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Crow Wing, Seventh & Eighth (channel between) Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Crow Wing, Seventh & Eighth (channel between) Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Crow Wing, Ninth Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Crystal* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Curfman* Becker X 11/7-12/14 Cut Foot Sioux* Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Deer Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Deer Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Detroit* Becker X 11/7-12/14 Eagle Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Elbow St. Louis X 10/17-12/14 Elbow Becker X 11/14-12/14 Eunice* Becker X 11/7-12/14 Fish* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Fish Hook* Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Floyd* Becker X 11/7-12/14 Franklin* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Gilstad Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Graham Otter Tail X 11/7-12/14 Grant Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Graves Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Greenwood* Cook X 11/7-12/14 Gull*, including Wilson's Bay Cass X 11/7-12/14 Gull, Upper* Cass X 11/7-12/14 Hanging Horn, Big Carlton X 11/7-12/14 Howard Cass X 11/7-12/14 Ice Cracking Becker X 11/14-12/14 Ida* Douglas X 11/7-12/14 Isabella Lake X 10/17-12/14 Island* Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Jessie* Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Jewett* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Kabekona Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Kabetogama* St. Louis X 10/17-12/14 Kimble* Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Kitchi* Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Lake of the Woods* Lake of the X 10/17-12/14 Leaf, East* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Leaf, Middle Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Leaf, West Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Leavitt Cass X 11/7-12/14 Leech*, including Kabekona Bay and all other bays* Cass X 10/17-12/14 Lida* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Lizzie* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Long* Becker X 11/7-12/14 Long* Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Long* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Long, Lower South* Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Long, North* Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Many Point Becker X 11/7-12/14 Maple Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Margaret* Cass X 11/7-12/14 Marquette* Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Maud* Becker X 11/7-12/14 McCraney Mahnomen X 11/7-12/14 Melissa* Becker X 11/7-12/14 Moore Becker X 11/7-12/14 Movil Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Murphy Otter Tail X 11/7-12/14 Namakan* (Closed in the Narrows between Namakan And Sandpoint Lake) St. Louis X 10/17-12/14 Nashwauk Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Net Becker X 11/7-12/14 Oak Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Ossawinamakee* Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Pelican* Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Pelican, Big* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Pike Becker X 11/7-12/14 Pike, East Cook X 10/17-12/14 Pike Bay* Cass X 11/7-12/14 Pillager Cass X 11/7-12/14 Pimushe* Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Pine, Big* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Pine, Little* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Pine Mountain* Cass X 11/7-12/14 Plantagenet* Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Pokegama* Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Portage Cass X 11/7-12/14 Portage Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Potato* (Channel Between) Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Eagle (Channel Between) Hubbard X 11/7-12/14 Prairie St. Louis X 11/7-12/14 Pughole (Little Thunder) Cass X 11/7-12/14 Rachel Douglas X 11/7-12/14 Rainy* St. Louis X 10/17-12/14 Round Becker X 11/7-12/14 Round* Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Round Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Rush Island Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Sand, Big* Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Sand Point* (Except narrows between Sand Point & Namakan, and Sand Point & Vermilion) St. Louis X 10/17-12/14 Sandy Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Sandy, Big Aitkin X 11/7-12/14 Sauk, Big* Todd X 11/7-12/14 Side St. Louis X 11/7-12/14 Silver Island Lake X 10/17-12/14 Snyder Mahnomen X 11/7-12/14 Spring Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Stalker* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Star Crow Wing X 11/7-12/14 Star* Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Steamboat* Cass X 11/7-12/14 Strawberry Becker X 11/7-12/14 Sturgeon, South Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Sucker, Lower Cass X 11/7-12/14 Swan Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Ten Mile* Cass X 11/14-12/14 Thunder* Cass X 11/7-12/14 Tulaby Becker X 11/7-12/14 Turtle, Big Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Turtle, Little Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Turtle River Lake* Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Twin Lakes Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Wabedo Cass X 11/7-12/14 Washburn Cass X 11/7-12/14 Welch Cass X 11/7-12/14 White Earth Becker X 11/7-12/14 Wimer Otter Tail X 11/14-12/14 Winnibigoshish* Cass X 11/7-12/14 Winnibigoshish, Little* (except those portions within One-fourth mile of river channels) Itasca X 11/7-12/14 Wolf, Big* Beltrami X 11/7-12/14 Woman* Cass X 11/7-12/14