More fishing lines per angler is under consideration to lure more young Minnesotans into the sport

To state the obvious, fishing is a big deal in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

But will that always be the case?

The average age of an angler in the state has been creeping upward for decades, says Rep. Chris Swedzinski (R-Ghent), and he wants to slow or stop that trend by enticing more young Minnesotans to wet a line — or lines.

He sponsors HF624 to allow anglers to drop more lines into the water, thus making fishing more exciting by increasing the frequency of fish strikes.

Held over Thursday by the House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee, the bill would allow a person who purchases a walleye stamp to fish with two lines in open water and four lines when ice fishing.

Under current law, a person generally may only use one line in open water and two lines when ice fishing.

Minnesota’s walleye stamp is a voluntary stamp a person may purchase for $5. The Department of Natural Resources may only use stamp revenues for stocking walleyes.

The bill would also entice more anglers to buy walleye stamps, Swedzinski said, because they would have more value due to the extra fishing line privileges.

Rep. Chris Swedzinski

Swedzinski is open to considering amending the bill to increase the cost of a walleye stamp.

Pat Rivers, deputy director of the DNR Fish and Wildlife Division, has several concerns about the bill, including the increased mortality of fish due to “hook kills.”

With more lines, anglers would likely catch more fish above the limit and release the surplus fish at the end of their fishing day. But, he said, these fish are very susceptible to later dying due to the injuries they suffer from being hooked.

Further, Rivers said more lines in the water would likely increase mortality in all fish species, and there are several species such as muskie, lake sturgeon and catfish that can ill afford a decline in their populations.

Rep. Alex Falconer (DFL-Eden Prairie) asked whether it would be possible to limit extra lines to only lakes and rivers not in danger of pushing fish stocks below sustainability levels.

While that’s a possible route to take, Rivers said the DNR in general doesn’t like to “slice and dice” regulations by zones or specific waters and thus make anglers consult lengthy materials to assess what’s legal.