Night fishing on Mille Lacs reopened Monday, and a number of launches ran trips from 8 p.m. to midnight, rather than the 6 p.m.-10 p.m. trips they were offering this summer.
The earlier trips were required because the Department of Natural Resources imposed a ban on boats with angling gear being on Mille Lacs this summer from 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The intent was to conserve the lake's stressed walleye population by reducing the number of hours anglers could fish the lake. The most productive walleye bite on Mille Lacs traditionally occurs during sunrise or sunset, or at night.
But the DNR's Mille Lacs walleye harvest estimate for June was the lowest on record, as was the lake's fishing pressure. Consequently, the DNR on Monday reopened night angling on Mille Lacs, believing it highly unlikely now the sportfishing walleye quota on the lake of 42,900 pounds will be met this year.
"We offered an 8 p.m. to midnight launch Monday and had 24 people on it,'' said Linda Eno of Twin Pines Resort. "And I'm booking a number of people for the same trip the rest of this week.''
Some walleyes were caught, Eno said, but fishing generally was slow. Action will vary night to night, as launch captains try different fishing destinations.
"When they had to be back at the dock by 10, they had to quit fishing at 9:30 or so, so they couldn't go as far onto the lake,'' Eno said.
Eno also said she booked her first muskie angler of the season into their resort, a first for the summer.
