• The muskellunge is a fish native to Minnesota's rivers and lakes, a species that can grow to great size. The muskellunge, an elongated member of the pike family, is an aggressive predator but difficult to catch for even the veteran angler. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is the agency responsible for regulating muskie fishing in the state. The agency's website says that, as of April 2010, the state record for a muskellunge is the 54-pound specimen caught in Lake Winnibigoshish in 1957.
  
  

Open Season and Minimum Lengths

• Minnesota's muskellunge open season typically runs from a set date in the beginning of June to the beginning of December. You may legally fish for the species in Minnesota's waters during this time but you may keep only one muskellunge per trip. The minimum length assigned to the muskie in Minnesota is 48 inches, a regulation that also encompasses the hybrid breed of muskellunge known as the tiger muskie. However, there are certain lakes where the minimum length is just 40 inches for a keeper muskie. These include Crystal Lake and Orchard Lake in Dakota County, Scott Lake in Cedar County, Silver Lake in Ramsey County, Eagle Lake and Wasserman Lake in Carver County and Bryant, Nokomis and Bush lakes in Hennepin County.
  
  

Illegal Angling Methods

• Certain methods are illegal when catching fish, with the muskellunge among the species that you may not catch employing these practices. You are not permitted to snag a muskie, which refers to trying to hook the fish outside its mouth rather than allow it to strike bait. The use of explosives, chemicals, electricity and firearms are also illegal. Anglers may use a treble hook (three joined hooks with three separate points) on any line unless it is on an artificial lure. The use of portions of game fish such as trout, bass or perch for bait is illegal, as is the use of species such as carp and goldfish when angling for muskellunge. Intentionally targeting muskellunge during the closed season on the species is also illegal.
  
  

Special Regulations

• Certain Minnesota bodies of water have special regulations governing muskellunge fishing. One is Elk Lake in Clearwater County, where muskie fishing is catch-and-release only. Another is along the Mississippi River from the Blandin Dam southward to the Coon Rapids Dam. This length of the river flows through Itasca, Crow Wing, Morrison, Sherburne, Hennepin, Wright, Anoka and Aitkin counties. Muskie fishing in this stretch is strictly catch-and-release. Where the St. Louis River forms the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin, the minimum length for a muskellunge is 50 inches. In border waters between Canada and Minnesota, which describes lakes that may lie in both regions, the minimum length for a muskellunge is 40 inches, with a limit of one per angler.