Cisco and whitefish sport netting opens on designated northern Minnesota lakes

Fall netting for cisco, also called tullibee, and lake whitefish is opening on designated Minnesota lakes, the DNR said in its Oct. 19 Fish and Wildlife Almanac. The personal-use netting is open to Minnesota residents only. About 700 people take part each year.

The timing is set by water temperature. As lakes cool, game fish move deeper and cisco and whitefish come into the shallows to spawn, so the DNR allows netting when there is little chance of catching anything else. Any game fish that end up in a net must go back in the water right away.

Lakes are on one of two schedules. Schedule 1 lakes, which are more sensitive to temperature swings, open and close on 48 hours' notice posted at lake accesses, in other public places and on the DNR website. Schedule 2 lakes follow fixed netting dates listed on the DNR website. Questions go to the DNR info center at 888-646-6367 or info.dnr@state.mn.us.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Minnesota DNR — DNR Fish and Wildlife Almanac, Oct. 19 (Oct. 19, 2026).