DNR bass regulation plan thrown back by Anoka board

This is a fish story that Anoka County commissioners and members of the Anoka City Council hope will become the one proposal that got away.

When the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources proposed regulations that would impact smallmouth bass fishing on the Mississippi River from the Crow River to the Coon Rapids Dam, the County Board responded with a resolution objecting to the new restrictions.

This proposal was no keeper, said the board in a unanimous resolution. The DNR's proposed regulation would require catch and release of smallmouth bass between 12 and 20 inches. The state agency also wants to impose a daily three-fish limit, with one fish over 20 inches permitted.

In making its case for the rule, the DNR said the fish population has improved in the waters where the regulation has been in effect for years. It was first put into place from Clearwater to Elk River in 1990 and extended from St. Cloud to Dayton in 1999.

"This will make enforcement easier," said Paul Diedrich, director of the DNR's Montrose Area Fisheries Office. "It's a good science-based decision. We're just trying to preserve and protect the fisheries."

Folks in Anoka also want to protect their 21-year-old annual bass-fishing tournament and fear that regulations could keep anglers away. The tournament attracts anglers from beyond county lines and is so popular that it spawned Anoka's annual Riverfest event a decade ago.

"The fishery is not in danger; it's healthy," said Anoka Council Member Jeff Weaver, the fishing tournament's organizer. "Why try to fix something that isn't broken?"

And the vast majority of those caught fish were released, with only 2.4 percent kept, cleaned and eaten, Weaver said.

County Commissioner Dan Erhart said he sees no upside to the regulation. "Bass fishing over the past several years without regulations has improved substantially," Erhart said. "These regulations can only deter people from coming to our county. And when people come to the county, it's good for business -- business we don't want to lose."

Anglers surveyed But 89 percent of the anglers interviewed by the DNR last year supported the proposal, Diedrich said. Of those anglers who were using the nonregulated area of the river, 141 of 158 favored the proposal, Diedrich said.

Diedrich was not about to dismiss Weaver's argument, though.

"It's true that the fisheries have improved over the entire river," Diedrich said. "We think this is due to the regulations, which is over most of the river. The changes have exceeded our expectations and goal."

"To pass a resolution before hearing from the DNR doesn't seem like the best way to govern," he said.

DNR has final say The County Board's objection may be a moot point. The DNR can pass its regulations without the commissioners' approval. But the DNR wants more input. A public meeting will be held at Anoka City Hall from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, and all attending will be able to express their opinion by filling out a brief questionnaire.

In other regions, anglers have been encouraged to take digital photos of their catches alongside measuring sticks, Diedrich said. The fish are then released and the photos of the largest fish are displayed on an electronic board.

"The input we've already collected is probably the best input we could ever get," Diedrich said. "But we can't discount politics. It may influence the decision."

Ramsey City Council Member Matt Look says that the DNR's claim that fish were being kept is "a poor argument."