ABOVE: DNR Area Supervisor Ryan Doorenbos looks through information he presents to citizens at the public meeting in Fairmont on Wednesday.

FAIRMONT – A proposed change to raise the bag limit for yellow bass fishing from 30 to 100 on the Fairmont Chain of Lakes, Imogene Lake and Clear Lake in Jackson County was presented by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) at a meeting on Wednesday evening.

DNR Area Supervisor Ryan Doorenbos said yellow bass first showed up in this area in February of 2013. He said it wasn’t until March of 2025 they decided to match the limit with white bass at 30. Historically, the bag limit had been unlimited.

“We didn’t know how yellow bass are going to assimilate into the populations in Minnesota,” Doorenbos said. “It was truly an unknown thing, because we are at the fringe of their native distribution in Minnesota.”

Having heard the term used as a descriptor in the past, Doorenbos clarified that yellow bass are indeed native to Minnesota and not technically invasive.

“They do act invasive,” he said. “They just have the ability to reproduce very well in these lakes, partly because our water qualities are sometimes impaired. They utilize that niche and expand quickly.”

As for why they don’t revert back to no limits on yellow bass, Doorenbos said they are worried about the potential message that will send.

“We don’t want these fish to be viewed as garbage, because they are a good eating fish,” he said. “We want ethics in terms of not wanting waste, just catching fish and throwing them away,” he said.

If the support is there, Doorenbos said there is potential for this to become a more blanket regulation, including for Cottonwood and Jackson counties. For now, even if it is determined there is support for change, Doorenbos said it would not go into effect until March 2026. This means the limit will stay at 30 during the upcoming winter ice fishing season.

Sommers Outdoors Owner Justin Sommers said he has seen impacts resulting from the limitations.

“I think most people see that there’s fewer visitors from out of town right now,” he said. “I can tell you, sales are way down because the locals won’t fish our lakes, and then the groups coming out of the cities are not coming down since they put in the regulations.”

As for if increasing the limit will change this trend, Sommers said it is something that has been discussed many times.

“They’ll probably consider coming here, because 100 fish is a lot of fish,” he said. “But if you’re looking at 30 fish, it’s not that much farther to go down to Clear Lake, Iowa, where they have unlimited amounts of fish,” he said.

President of Fairmont’s Let’s Go Fishing Chapter Ron Kallheim said the consensus of what he heard during the meeting is people want the limit raised.

“There’s plenty of yellow bass out there,” he said. “They aren’t gonna get fished out. We caught 118 of them for the summer on our fishing trips. We aren’t [even] big, serious fishermen.”

As for the timeline, Kallheim wasn’t enthusiastic about the wait but acknowledged it’s not surprising.

“It’s government, it has to take time,” he said.

Comments will still be taken until September 30. To submit a comment or ask questions, call (507) 832-6010, email ryan.doorenbos@state.mn.us, or mail to 175 County Rd. 26, Windom, MN 56101