Today's Feature Fishing Report: Minnesota Fisheries Summit 2026 "Muskie Plan, hatchery upgrades, shore fishing expanded"

Minnesota Long Range Muskellunge Plan

One exciting development revealed at the 2026 MN DNR Fisheries Summit last weekend is the newly revised long range Muskie management plan”. In the presentation, the co-chair of the northern pike and muskellunge technical committee highlighted some key differences between the new plan, and former plan, which expired in 2020.

Unlike the former plan, which sought to combine muskie and northern pike management efforts, the new plan focuses solely on muskies. Another key departure from previous plans is a switch from focusing on adding new waters, to an emphasis on preserving and improving populations in existing muskie lakes and rivers. Specifically mentioned, Lake Vermilion, Lake Mille Lacs and Lake Minnetonka are slated to receive special attention.

How muskie populations are maintained is slated to be updated too. Whenever possible, stocking of muskie fingerlings, the previous standard, will be replaced by stocking of larger and more fully developed yearling fish. Survival of the yearling fish is typically much better than that of fingerlings. So, if the plan yields the expected results, stocking a smaller number or larger size fish, should make maintaining populations easier going forward.

A potential downside of the proposed muskie plan “could be” diminished emphasis on northern pike management. It’s too soon to make any judgement about that, but as a northern pike enthusiast, I’ll be working to learn more about future plans for statewide northern pike management; more on that later.

Minnesota Get Out More Projects Update

An initiative that’s receiving high praise from fisheries managers and users alike is the “Get Out More” project.

The “Get Out More” project came about in 2023 when MN-FISH helped secure $110 million dollars in funding from the state of Minnesota general funds. Specific use of those funds that were in focus at the summit were upgrades to Minnesota’s fish hatcheries and expanding access to shore fishing locations around the state.

First off, a presentation by Mandy Erickson who highlighted progress of 2 big projects, and another dozen or so small projects. Plans for the Waterville, Minnesota hatchery, a 24-million-dollar project, are nearly complete. The new hatchery provides not only improved efficiency for species currently stocked from the location but makes it possible to expand into other species too. Classrooms and public viewing stations will allow access to observers, without risking contamination of sensitive elements of the process.

Another project, 15 million dollars in scope, is being planned for the Crystal Springs hatchery. Plans are still in development but approaching completion. As I understand, the Crystal Springs facility will be different from others in that it will feature a closed water system. To help prevent the introduction of unwanted water born invasions, water will be filtered, temperature controlled and re-circulated throughout the hatchery.

Expect more updates about the Crystal Springs project, as well as some smaller projects as details become available.

For his part in the presentation, Jim Levitt updated attendees about progress of various shore fishing expansion projects. There were 21 projects already completed in 2024-25; there are 37 in the hopper for 2026 and for 2027, another 15 projects pending.

In past years, shore fishing piers, or other shoreline access points were developed based primarily on availability of a spot. These days, Levitt reports that there is a much stronger emphasis on developing shore fishing sites with good potential that fish will be available to catch. Working with DNR fisheries, sites are selected in areas with access to fish habitat, or in some cases, where habitat enhancements can be added.

From my perspective, the importance of access for youngsters, or anglers who don’t have boats cannot be overstated. Angler recruitment depends on providing folks from all walks of life with opportunities to participate in fishing. Judging by the enthusiasm in the room, most everyone in attendance agrees. So, the program is likely to expand in the future. If you live near a location that would be a good fit for a shore fishing structure, take a minute to let them know. Contact Jim Levitt 651-259-5819 or email jim.levitt@state.mn.us

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