Dennis Anderson

1 week ago | startribune.com | Dennis Anderson

Whether he's having lake trout or walleye for shore lunch, Lukas Leaf employs the same recipe. "We fry up a pound of bacon, eat the bacon, and fry the fish in the bacon grease,'' Leaf said. "With fresh fish, there's nothing better.'' Similar culinary rituals will play out on lake shores from Winona to Warroad, and Winton to Worthington, beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, when Minnesota's 2025 inland fishing season begins.

1 week ago | startribune.com | Dennis Anderson

By Dennis Anderson In Minnesota, big lakes mean big fish, and lots of them. According to the Department of Natural Resources, the state's 10 largest inland lakes feature a combined surface area of 825,000 acres and produce about 40% of Minnesota's annual walleye harvest. These lakes, and their walleyes, also account for the bulk of the approximately $2.5 billion spent each year on fishing in Minnesota. So important are these waterways that the DNR assigns a fisheries specialist to each.

1 week ago | startribune.com | Dennis Anderson

By Dennis Anderson Columnist Dennis Anderson and outdoors writer Tony Kennedy will be answering your questions about Minnesota's largest opening day. The Minnesota Star Tribune When the Minnesota walleye season opens May 10, Mille Lacs anglers can keep two walleyes over 17 inches, provided only one is longer than 20 inches. The lake's walleye harvest allotment is an improvement from last year's regulation, which allowed only catch and release walleye fishing most of the summer.

2 weeks ago | startribune.com | Dennis Anderson

By Dennis Anderson But for Mech and his colleagues, the adventures were a rare opportunity to research wolves up close and personal. Gained in the process was a respite from the many conflicts wolves inspire in places such as Minnesota, whose present-day inhabitants include not only wolves, but people and their stuff - their towns, homes, yards, roads, pets and livestock.

2 weeks ago | startribune.com | Dennis Anderson

Pat McGowan was already on the road at 5 one morning last November when he received a call that a boat had overturned on Leech Lake and hunters were in the water. A Department of Natural Resources conservation officer since 2008, and a longtime duck hunter himself, McGowan knew the lake was frigid and that no one could last long in its water. "I was headed to Leech Lake anyway that morning to check duck hunters," McGowan said.