DNR to hold public meeting on proposed Special fishing regulations for two Otter Tail County lakes

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be holding a public input meeting on special fishing regulations for Twenty-One and Fladmark lakes in Otter Tail County. The public meeting will be held from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14 at the Maplewood Town Hall on Highway 24, approximately four miles east of Erhard, MN. The meeting is open to the public and will follow an open house format to allow the public to have one-on-one discussion with Fisheries representatives.

The special fishing regulations being considered for each lake include the following:

Fladmark Lake

Largemouth Bass: All fish must be immediately returned to the water. Crappie: Possession limit of five. Sunfish: Possession limit of five. Northern Pike: All fish must be immediately returned to the water.

Twenty-One Lake

Crappie: Possession limit of five. Sunfish: Possession limit of five. Largemouth Bass: All fish must be immediately returned to the water. Northern Pike: All fish must be immediately returned to the water.

The regulations for bass, northern pike and the previous sunfish possession limit of 10 fish have been in effect since 1996, and the DNR is providing an opportunity to comment on whether to maintain, modify, or drop the existing regulations. The sunfish and crappie regulations (bag limit of five) are new proposals.

Written comments may be submitted at the public meeting or by mail any time before 4:00 p.m. on Sept. 27. Written comments should be mailed to DNR Area Fisheries, 1509 1st Ave. N., Fergus Falls, MN 56537.

For more information on either of these proposals, call the Fergus Falls DNR Fisheries office at (218) 739-7576.