Minnesota Mixed Bag: Hard Water Ice Fishing Expo is Nov. 16-17 in Blaine – Outdoor News
Blaine, Minn. — The 2024 Hard Water Ice Fishing Expo is set for Nov. 16-17 at the National Sports Center in Blaine.
Featured at this year’s expo is a collection of shelters and wheelhouses, a kids trout-fishing pond, the latest in gear, augers, tackle, and rods and reels, guides and resort destinations, seminars from guides and Clam Ice Team pros, and much more.
Expo hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17. Tickets are $12 for adults 18 and older; $7 for youth ages 12-17; and free for kids age 11 and under. For more information, visit: www.nscsports.org/events/hardwaterexpo/
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DNR to Hunters: Register Your Deer
St. Paul — Firearms deer hunters are reminded that they’re required to register every deer they harvest, before processing or removing antlers, within 48 hours after harvesting the animal.
Minnesota’s firearms deer hunting season opens this Saturday, Nov. 9. Hunters may register deer online, via phone, or in person. Information from deer registration is essential for the Minnesota DNR to track and manage deer populations.
Detailed registration instructions are available on the DNR website.
Zebes Confirmed in White Sand Lake, Long Lake, and Eagle Lake
St. Paul — The Minnesota DNR has confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in White Sand Lake, near Baxter in Crow Wing County.
The White Sand Lake Association contacted the DNR after zebra mussels were found on a dock being removed from the lake for the season. DNR invasive species specialists confirmed the report.
The DNR also confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in Long Lake, near Little Sauk Township in Todd County. An angler contacted the DNR after finding a zebra mussel on aquatic plants in Long Lake. A DNR invasive species specialist found zebra mussels on a dock at the Long Lake public water access.
The agency also confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in Eagle Lake, near the city of Big Lake in Sherburne County. A dead zebra mussel was found at the Eagle Lake public water access in 2021, but no live specimens were found at that time. The DNR continued to annually monitor Eagle Lake for zebra mussels by conducting shoreline searches and water sampling for larvae. Last week, a DNR invasive species specialist found live, adult and juvenile zebra mussels attached to the wheel of the Eagle Lake public access dock as it was being removed for the season.
More information is available on the aquatic invasive species page of the DNR website.
Bass Fishing HOF Opens Nomination Season for 2025 Class
Springfield, Mo. — Fresh off its 2024 induction ceremony, which highlighted the careers of five inductees, the board of directors of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame has opened the nomination process for the next class of inductees.
Starting immediately, any interested person may nominate deserving individuals for induction into the hall. Nominees should have made a major impact on the world of bass fishing and brought honor and credit to the sport of bass fishing. In order to be considered for the Class of 2025, nominations must be completed by Jan. 15, 2025.
More information about the process can be found on the “Road to Induction” page of the Hall’s website.
Wisconsin DNR Asks Pubic to Report Bear Den Locations
Madison, Wis. — The Wisconsin DNR is encouraging the public to report any black bear den locations across Wisconsin to help with an ongoing study on black bear reproduction.
The Black Bear Litter and Diet Survey is generating new estimates of black bear reproductive rates within each bear management zone, and these estimates will improve the accuracy of the population models used in each zone. Additionally, researchers are investigating a connection between consumption of human food sources and bear reproduction since diet can affect cub survival rates and litter sizes.
The study is entering its fourth year of surveying occupied dens in the Wisconsin bear range. The research team will take den reports statewide but is looking for more dens to survey in bear management zones C, D and E, which cover central and western Wisconsin.
The Black Bear Litter and Diet Survey team will continue to survey dens for the next four to five years. Over that time, the team hopes to get 100 collars out across the bear management zones, with approximately 20 collars per zone.
To report a known black bear den, visit the DNR’s black bear den submission form via dnr.wisconsin.gov.
Iowa Reports Zebes in Saylorville Lake
Des Moines – The Iowa DNR has recently confirmed zebra mussels in Saylorville Lake, after concerned boat owners contacted the DNR while removing their boats from Saylorville for the winter.
Staff with the Iowa DNR confirmed the presence of zebra mussels on multiple boats in the Saylorville Marina area and will conduct additional monitoring around the water body next summer to determine the abundance and distribution of zebra mussels.
“The zebra mussels probably arrived on or in a boat that had picked up them up from an infested water body,” said Kim Bogenschutz, the DNR’s Aquatic Invasive Species Program coordinator.
To date, zebra mussels have been found in 18 Iowa lakes and nine rivers, mostly downstream of infested lakes, including the Mississippi, Missouri, and Big Sioux rivers.
