Muskie Comments Due Thursday

Interested individuals have until Thursday, to comment on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources proposals to stock muskellunge in five new waters starting in the fall of 2011. The proposals are in response to a growing interest in muskellunge fishing.

Lakes included for proposed muskellunge management are Roosevelt Lake in Cass and Crow Wing counties, Upper South Long Lake and Lower South Long Lake in Crow Wing County.

Additional information about the proposals, as well as an online survey on the issue, are available at mndnr.gov/muskie. Comments also may be emailed to muskie.comments@state.mn.us, or sent via regular mail to Muskie Stocking Proposals, Minnesota DNR, 1201 E. Highway 2, Grand Rapids, MN 55744.

The DNR is proposing five new muskellunge waters because interest in muskellunge fishing has risen substantially in recent years. The best science indicates stocking muskellunge in low densities in these lakes will not harm existing fish populations.

The DNR will review public input during October and November. Decisions on each stocking proposal are expected in December. If the DNR decides to move forward, stocking would begin in 2011 or 2012. Some 12 to 15 years afterward, the fish would reach the 48-inch minimum size to be kept by anglers.