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Winter trout season on southeast streams opens on Jan. 1
Portions of 32 southeastern Minnesota trout streams will be open for catch-and-release winter trout fishing with barbless hooks from Jan. 1 through March 31. Anglers may use live bait, artificial lures or flies during the winter season. A trout and salmon stamp validation and
a fishing license are required.
Minnesota's winter trout season opened on an experimental basis in 1988 on two streams for a total of 4.8 miles. In 1991 the winter trout season expanded to four streams and 12.7 miles. In 1997, portions of six streams and 27.6 miles were open to winter trout fishing.
In 1999, 12 streams and 48.4 miles were open to winter trout fishing. The latest change occurred on March 1, 2003 with a total of 32 streams and 128 miles open to winter trout fishing.
To minimize possible harm to trout populations, anglers are encouraged to consider the following:
After catching a fish, minimize its exposure to cold air by keeping it in the water as much as possible
Avoid walking through shallow riffles, which often contain trout spawning beds.
Areas open for winter trout fishing on Jan. 1 are listed in the 2003 Fishing Regulations Handbook. Maps showing the sections of streams open to winter fishing are on the DNR Web site at: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/trout_streams/winter.html .
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