Make a plan to take the family spearfishing, for free this weekend

Make a plan to take the family spearfishing, for free this weekend

The Minnesota DNR is providing folks the opportunity take the whole family spearfishing for free the weekend of Jan. 18-20.

This weekend is your opportunity to take your kids fishing anywhere in Minnesota, for free! No license is required, thanks to the DNR. With cold temps in the forecast, another popular angling sport you might consider Darkhouse spearfishing.

If you’re planning to hit the ice with the family here are some tips if you want to drop the fishing rod and pick up the spear. Richard Guertin has enjoyed the sport for nearly 40 years. He says many anglers of this style are fishing for northern pike.

“Angling is a much more popular sport. Darkhouse spearing, there’s a niche group of people that do it,” Guertin said. “You can spear whitefish and some other species, but the main species is Northern Pike.”

The Minnesota Darkhouse and Angling Association wants to keep the sport of spearfishing alive for future generations. It’s a tradition that goes back for generations.

“You have to have the entire interior of the ice house, dark so that you can see down underneath the water. Then it’s much like an aquarium. You’re actually seeing the live fish swimming around.”

Now you can’t use artificial lights to attract the fish, according to Minnesota regulations. Instead, the best way to lure northern pike is a decoy. Guertin says anglers on Jay Gould Lake use a variety of handmade and store bought decoys.

“Some people use live sucker decoys. In this lake we don’t usually do it. It’s too much hassle. But all you need usually is just a little decoy like this and a few hours of your time and you get fish, you see fish.”

Cass, Leech, and Winnie lakes are some of the best fishing spots for Northern Pike. Guertin says if you don’t have any of the gear, there are spearing rentals at resorts near those lakes for folks to check out.

“Bass Lake is another lake that’s in this area that allows for spearing. So really, it’s all about finding that place. If you don’t have the equipment.”

Here’s more information on spearfishing in Minnesota. Here’s another story about being in the Outdoors.