The sun set Monday on a long-cherished tradition on Lake Mille Lacs.
In an unprecedented move, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shut down walleye fishing on the lake in an effort to protect what it says is a record low walleye population. By 10 p.m. Monday, dozens of anglers pulled their lines in, punctuating the first time walleye fishing closed midseason on the lake.
"It's pretty sad," said Steve Sandness of Albertville, who watched his fluorescent bobber toss in the waves Monday evening. Sandness was among a group fishing from a Twin Pines Resort launch on Mille Lacs.
He has made the hourlong drive to Mille Lacs about twice a week for 15 years to fish for walleye. "If I catch a bass, I'll take a picture and throw it back," he said. "I come for the walleye."
He said he doubted he would travel back to Mille Lacs next week, figuring he will take his fishing elsewhere until walleye season reopens on the lake.
Just as he said that, Linda Eno, who owns Twin Pines in Garrison with her husband, came up behind Sandness and they hugged. It was a hug that was less about saying hello and more about saying goodbye to tradition. "He comes every Monday, and it's Monday," Eno said, her eyes welling with tears. "It's been an emotional day. It's just a tragedy."
While about 20 people on the launch reveled in a nearly perfect summer evening on the lake, Eno looked out across a deserted expanse of water. "I don't see a boat out there," she said. "Ten years ago, there would have been 10 to 30 boats out there." Anglers on this launch caught 46 walleyes, none of them keepers.
Just two hours from the Twin Cities, anglers headed to Mille Lacs for an evening or a weekend of fishing. Tourists from other states made it their getaway. During the boom years, when walleye were plentiful and restrictions were fewer, Eno said her resort business was closed only one day a year — Christmas Day. Now it's closed a third of the year.