A planned temporary shutdown of walleye fishing this month on Lake Mille Lacs, even catch and release, will take effect this week and last for most of the rest of the month in an effort to preserve the struggling population of the prized species.

Combined with a night-fishing ban already in place on the popular 207-square-mile lake, walleye fishing will come to a halt starting at 10:01 p.m. Thursday and last until 6:01 a.m. on July 28. “Conserving the Mille Lacs walleye fishery is a top priority for [the] DNR, and the closure is happening when fish are most vulnerable to stress from warm weather and high fishing [demand],” said Don Pereira, fisheries chief for the state Department of Natural Resources.

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