Sturgeon – dozens upon dozens of them – congregated in an obvious act of spawning, the first verified sighting in more than 100 years of lake sturgeon actively spawning in the Red River Basin.
It's not your ordinary tournament. Yes, there's a rules meeting and raffle June 4 with fishing on June 5 at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake in Brainerd. But there's more to it, the panel explains.
Spottail shiners are the go-to baitfish for many Minnesota walleye anglers from the fishing opener through late May into early June, but supplies have been tight this spring.
Conservationists have spent years trying to stave off a national decline in hunting and fishing, but the 2020 pandemic appears to have righted a sinking ship.
Complicating the shortage is a Minnesota DNR requirement that minnow dealers who trap spottail shiners in waters designated as infested with zebra mussels must remove their gear by Monday, May 23.