Did You Know You Can’t Fillet Fish On These Minnesota Lakes?

I had no idea that you couldn't fillet fish on the lake I was on this weekend. To be specific, you can fillet them and eat them at your campsite, but if you plan on bringing them home you can't. What is going on here?

Regular Fish Fillet Regulations

In the majority of lakes in Minnesota, you must leave enough skin on the fish to identify the species. In page 27 of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Fishing Regulations Handbook, they say it must be at least a 1-inch square patch of skin with scales.

Different Regulations For Some Lakes

If you've caught a fish with size restrictions different than statewide regulations, you aren't allowed to fillet the fish and transport them.

Here's an example. I was camping in Voyageurs National Park this weekend in Northern Minnesota. We were camping on Lake Kabetogama, and I was going over the rules and regulations for the lake when I learned about this.

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Here's specifically what the DNR says about the International Falls management area:

Anglers: When traveling on or fishing waters with size restrictions different than statewide regulations, all fish for which a size restriction applies must have the head, tail, fins, and skin intact and be measurable. This includes Rainy River as well as Rainy, Kabetogama, Crane, Namakan, Sandpoint and Little Vermillion Lakes in the International Falls management area.

You can fillet the fish for eating at your campsite with special regulations.

If you want to fry up your fish for a meal that you caught, the good news is you can still do that. However, you need to keep the carcasses of the fish. That includes the heads, dorsal fin, and tail.

Read More: Minnesota Is Home To One Of The Fewest Visited National Parks

Otherwise, you need to bring the whole fish back home.

If you want to bring fish home in these cases, you can gut them only. You also can transport them in a live box.

Read up the regulations like I did before you go so you don't get fined for doing what you've done on many other lakes.